Photo by Becky Hughes
On Monday, June 9, 100 people gathered at WeCreate in Greenwich Village to celebrate the launch of Priya Krishna’s book, Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks. The white walls and tables of 58 E. 11th St. were covered with a colorful array of treats from crisp sweetgreen salads and Green Mustache fruity green smoothies to bright cans of Runa clean energy drinks. Among the chatty crowd and spread of snacks was the bright blue cover of Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks, the star of the night, proudly displayed on each table in the room.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Photo by Becky Hughes
Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks is the new go-to book for college students who have no idea how to cook (in general) with limited equipment, funds and resources. It is a collection of brilliant ideas (reminiscent of Priya’s food column she wrote while at Dartmouth) to help the wandering college student find the hidden gems of dining hall cuisine. With the expertise Priya gained from interning at Food Network and now working at Lucky Peach, she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to tasty recipes, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of her in the food journalism world. Because whoever can create gourmet-inspired dishes from salad bar ingredients and a microwave is bound to do amazing things.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Throughout the two-hour event, guests mingled around the swag and food tables, flipping through the ingenious recipes, hacks (i.e. how to measure with Solo Cups) and pausing only to swipe yet another Fat Witch Bakery brownie. Thirstie, a local alcohol delivery service, set up a bar and served punch, while other 21+ attendees sipped on Brooklyn Brewery brews.
Photo by Becky Hughes
As if the brownies and booze weren’t enough, there were mini cupcakes from Spots (Spoon style) and a selection of Momofuku Milk Bar cookies that disappeared faster than free pizza on a college campus. To balance out the impending sugar high, guests snacked on a variety of Pretzel Crisps with hummus and indulged in warm Porchetta sandwiches.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Photo by Becky Hughes
At the end of the event, Priya took a moment to thank everyone for coming. But it was truly a treat for us to help celebrate the launch of Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks. We want to give a huge thanks to all of our wonderful vendors and to Priya for an awesome night celebrating our favorite thing: food. Oh, and of course, buy go buy Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks today! Like, right now.
Photos by Becky Hughes