Spoonies are the cool people in the cafeteria you always wanna sit with. We bond so well because we're all passionate about food, lifestyle, fitness, college life, and everything in between. But the thing we really value most is each other, and the sense of community that Spoon gives us. As members of Spoon, we bond with our chapters, help those around us, and enrich our presence on our campus. What could be better?
Spoon is way more than that, though. Spoon allows people to communicate, grow, and produce content on a global scale. You can connect with people across the world who share your passions for food. Two of these people are, Sarah and Devika (that's us!), two passionate foodies from the United States and India respectively, who are the two biggest food divas you'll ever meet.
Spoon DU
Spoon DU was started in 2014 by Kritika Narula. As India's first Spoon chapter, Spoon DU has come a long way in terms of our contributors, content and events. We currently stand with a team that is 67 members strong, have published hundreds of articles and racked up 22.4k followers on Instagram and Facebook.
We also recently held the third edition of our annual Spoon Scouts with the participation of 60 teams (that qualified out of 200) and collaboration with multiple eateries.
As a member who joined Spoon in 2015, I (Devika) have watched Spoon DU and Spoon University grow and hope that in some little way, I have contributed to the growth. Spoon DU has taught me a lot, as has Spoon HQ — it's a sense of community that brings people together. This community has probably the strongest glue holding it together: food.
Spoon Wisco
Spoon Wisco started way back in September 2015. We started out small but are constantly growing. Spoon Wisco has 2.9K Instagram followers. (Yeah, we're trying to get on Spoon-DU's level with the 22.4K.) We just started a Facebook Page, doubled our members, and have well over 200 articles published.
I (Sarah) joined Spoon a year ago as a freshman and have seen the significant growth. Our chapter has skyrocketed and tons of students and businesses in Madison know about us. Spoon Wisco has hosted events like Study Hub and has gotten the whole campus community thinking about anything from the many things you can do with mozzarella cheese to the top donuts at Dunkin'. I'm so passionate about Spoon, and I've learned so much from writing.
Let The Collaboration Begin
Devika -
As I (Devika) said before, Spoon gives us a sense of community that I cherish. It has given me multiple opportunities to interact with people not a part of Spoon or Spoon DU and helped me hone my people's skill even though I am a writer.
One of the first people I interacted with, who was part of another Spoon Chapter, literally on the other side of the world, was Sarah. It was my first week on Slack (join Slack ASAP if you haven't already!) and Sarah contacted me to collaborate on writing an article for the Remote Summer Writing Program.
Alex Frank
We began with one on McDonald's, did another on Taco Bell and are in the process of churning out much more. Our conversation that began on Slack is littered across FB Messenger and Instagram – where we follow each other's foodstagram and personal pages. Do check out her cool food page, she has the cutest name @maplesarup.
I (Sarah) nominated Devika to join me in being part of the Spoon National Advisory Council (SNAC). I cannot emphasize enough how much this girl deserved to be part of it. She's a stellar writer and her ideas are out of the box. My favorite article of hers has to be the recipe for her mom's famous dip because it just sounds so flavorful, easy, and irresistible.
Devika -
Also, she's got the most killer Foodstagram game. Like seriously, follow her because she shows you everything from traditional Indian curries to deep fried chocolate-covered goodness. I salivate every time I scroll through my feed these days.
I (Devika) bullied Sarah into writing that — just kidding (hehe). Sarah happens to be one of the most efficient people I have ever worked with. Her ideas are stellar, she slogs, and there is a reason why she is a top contributor at Spoon.
One of my favorite articles by her is the one about fidget spinners/ She had a genuine question on their usefulness, and then she asked and answered it. I ended up sharing this article a million times because I related and that's all that writing on Spoon is about – addressing genuine issues us troubled college folks face.
This global friendship was formed because we both wanted to collaborate. We knew that we could work well together because of our many similar interests. To be quite honest, there was an instant connection with the whole Indian heritage thing too. We both love some good curry and masala!
SNAC
Sarah Arora
We were both so excited when we were both selected for Spoon National Advisory Council and had the opportunity to write personal blog pieces. We plan on helping the whole Spoon community through Slack and being there to encourage all members (new and old) to keep producing hella magnificent content for the world to see. Spoonies, feel free to ping either of us if you need anything!
Spoon is a beautiful thing. Passionate foodies at a university, college, or high school all get to come together. But it's way more than that. Spoon has allowed us to form connections not just in our own communities, but also across the pond. It turns out both of us have the same goals and we're not so different after all.
