We Fordham students know our food. Not only do we have Arthur Ave, but we have an entire city of good eats. The following Fordham Foodies are taking Instagram by storm by sharing their love of food with others. Read up on what each of them have to say about being a Fordham Foodie.
@BiteoftheBest
Ana Colliton – GSB ’18
Photo courtesy of @biteofthebest on Instagram
What sparked your passion for food?
I’ve always had a passion for eating. In fact, pretty much every one of my baby pictures depicts me devouring some type of food…so you can pretty much say I’ve been a foodie since birth. I also just love all the varieties of food there are out there- who knew humans would come up with twenty billion ways to make mac n cheese!?
What is your favorite type of food and why?
Great question. My answer may become a lie because I change my answer to this question on a weekly basis. I love all types of food, but this week I’ll stick with my heritage and say Italian food! Carb loads are always worth it when they include scarfing down good pizza and pasta.
What is your favorite meal of the day and why?
Definitely dinner. I try to make dinner my biggest meal every day because there’s so many variety and good options to choose from!
If you could be a sandwich what sandwich would you be and why?
Pulled pork sandwich with fresh slaw all the way. Actually, I should probably just relocate to to a BBQ Restaurant before it’s too late.
@fordhamfoodie
Emma Nanamaker – FCRH ’18
Photo courtesy of @fordhamfoodie on Instagram
What sparked your passion for food?
Most, if not all of my favorite memories revolve around a great meal. My passion for food developed from spending many Sundays as a little girl with my grandmama helping her stir the sauce for her homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and filling her house with the comforting aroma of garlic and herb. My parents are also both wonderful cooks (still waiting for those genes to kick in for me) and have always encouraged me to try new cuisines. From my dad’s Saturday morning bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, to my mom’s Friday night homemade pizza, there’s never a dull meal in my house. Going to school in New York City has given me the opportunity to taste and share so many exotic and delicious foods with my fellow Rams. Initially, @fordhamfoodie was simply a space I could document all of my favorite meals, a personal food diary. Soon, friends, family, and peers were constantly asking for all kinds of restaurant recommendations, so I decided to transform the blog into a place where anyone in the city could know where to go and what to order for any occasion.
What was your best food experience?
La Fornace Ristorante is a traditional bistro wedged among the foothills of the Italian Alps in a Catholic village known as Oropa.
I had the opportunity to travel there to visit my cousins when I was younger. Thirty members of my family and I arrived at the restaurant and were greeted with a fifteen course meal. From polenta and rabbit, to risotto with pistachios, to cinnamon-stuffed peaches, this overwhelmingly flavorful meal was nothing short of perfection, so much so that I still remember it over a decade later.
What is your favorite cheap place to eat in NYC?
Ivy Bar and Grill! Great happy hour and atmosphere, eclectic small plates to share, and everything is under twenty dollars! Bonus: it’s only a five minute walk from the Lincoln Center campus. If I’m being really honest (and cheap), there is nothing I enjoy more than a two dollar hot dog from a street vendor. Convenient, fast, and always delicious.
What pizza topping best describes you and why?
Buffalo Chicken! I’m adventurous, a bit impulsive, and always up for a party. I’ve got a hot temper, but hey, that’s the Italian in me.
@perfectlypeachienyc
Joelle Battista – FCRH ’18
Photo courtesy of @perfectlypeachienyc on Instagram
What sparked your passion for food?
From the time I was old enough to remember, I have loved to try new foods. My first memory of food is standing in my grandparents’ deli eating my first piece of deli-style American cheese, and I remember thinking how in love I was, in that moment. As “cheesy” as this sounds, that memory inspired a life long journey of flavor-searching that has made me who I am today.
What is the best food you’ve eaten in NYC?
The best food I’ve eaten in the city? What a hard question. For breakfast/brunch, Egg Shop in NOLITA. I can honestly say I’ve never had better scrambled eggs in my life than the eggs I’ve had there. For dinner, Becco has the best pasta I’ve ever tasted; being Italian, that means a lot (theater district).
What is your favorite food to cook/bake?
I love cooking with vegetables, especially eggplant. But I love cooking everything under the sun. I feel like I have more of a hand in the way food comes out while cooking, whereas baking can be a little more tricky and temperamental. I also love making chocolate truffles because of how much fun it is to roll them in all sorts of things.
If you could be a fruit what fruit would you be and why?
A peach, of course! Peaches are sweet and love sunshine, and are mushy on the inside (100% me!)
@lettucedine
Linda Chen – GSB ’17 and Alice Zhou – UMass Amherst
Photo courtesy of @lettucedine on Instagram
What sparked your passion for food?
We both grew up in New York City where we were surrounded by restaurants left and right. When we met in high school, we had something in common- the passion and willingness to spend our allowances on food. That built our friendship and our friendship eventually continued to sparked our passion to where it is now. If you are interested in reading more about us, head on over to www.lettucedine.net.
What is the best thing you ever ate?
We both strongly dislike this question; it’s simply impossible to answer.
If someone only had one day in NYC where would you tell him/her to go eat?
There are so many delicious cheap eats in the Lower East Side, so start off by going to Lam Zhou for some of the best dumplings in the city. Next, treat yourself to some sweets at Ice & Vice (literally about three blocks away) or a doughnut at Doughnut Plant. If you are still hungry then, walk over to Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken. Actually, even if you are not hungry, you should totally still head over to BRFC.
What is your spirit condiment and why?
Alice and I (Linda) would be like ketchup and mayonnaise combined, because we complement each other well and now that we have each other, we intend on keeping each other around. Totally cheesy, I know!
@foodisreligion
Nora Hafez – FCLC ’19
Photo courtesy of @foodisreligion on Instagram
What sparked your passion for food?
I come from an Egyptian background and basically anywhere in the Middle East, food is the defiant and major distinctive factor of culture. My family in Egypt and America is huge on cooking and my mom never let us end a day without her homemade delicious feasts. It was practically ingrained in my head that food is only vital if it’s good. Also, having almost 30,000 followers depend on you for food pictures and recommendations kind of pressures you into trying new foods – a lot. But I’m definitely not complaining.
What’s next on your “must try” food list?
“Sweet Jesus” in Toronto. It’s a soft serve place with the funkiest toppings and flavors I’ve ever seen (cotton candy, cake truffle bites, etc).
In your opinion, what is the best dessert place in NYC?
THE WARM AND GOOEY NUTELLA STUFFED CHURROS at Boqeuria.
If you could be a cupcake what cupcake would you be and why?
If I could be any cupcake, I would be the “Cookie Monster” cake filled cupcake at Molly’s Cupcake in NYC: it’s a vanilla chocolate chip cake, with a raw cookie dough center, buttercream, and mint chocolate chip cookie. Because it’s what’s on the inside that counts.