With so many options, trying to find clubs to join can be intimidating and overwhelming. Every time I go to one of the club fairs, I notice that there are two different kinds of people. The first is the person who gets freaked out by all the options and commitment, and ends up signing up for zero clubs. The second is the person who gets too excited, signs up for over 10 clubs and later regrets it when their inbox starts to flood. Since this process can be difficult and time consuming, I have narrowed down the clubs for food lovers to join. So if you know you want to join a club (or a few) that have to do with food, keep reading.
Challah For Hunger
Challah For Hunger is a club that can be found at universities across the country, all of which bake to take action against hunger. Every Thursday members of the UM club meet at Hillel to bake a variety of challahs including plain, chocolate chip, Nutella, everything bagel and cinnamon swirl. The next day members and volunteers sell them in the breezeway. 50 percent of the profits are donated to Mazon, an Israeli hunger relief organization. Challah For Hunger is a fun and relaxing way to help a great cause, not to mention you get a free baking lesson. The club is always looking for volunteers and you do not need any prior baking skills to help out.
UCook
Looking to up your cooking game for free? UCook might be the club for you. This 530 member club offers free cooking classes to students, taught by fellow students. They have their classes in the Wellness Center's Kitchen and cook dishes based on different themes and cultures every week. Becoming a UCook member is a great way to enhance your cooking skills and learn about different cultures. Each class is limited to 15 people for kitchen safety reasons, but classes are offered 1-2 times per week on different days and at different times to give as many people as possible an opportunity to attend. All of the event pages are sent through OrgSync which is where you can sign up to join the club and RSVP to events.
CommUnity Garden
CommUnity Garden aims to encourage students and faculty to help grow an organic and sustainable vegetable garden, which is located between Hecht and the School of Architecture. The club grows a variety of plants and vegetables, and members even get to enjoy the food they grow once everything is ripe. Like UCook, you can find out more information and join the club through OrgSync.
Plant Based Canes
This club's goal is to educate the UM community on the benefits of living a plant based lifestyle and to connect students who already live a plant based lifestyle. The club has meetings and presentations every month. One of their past speakers was James Wildman who gave a presentation called "101 Reasons to Go Vegan." I actually attended the presentation and after being a meat eater for 20 years, I really considered and even tried cutting out all animal products from my diet. Like most of the other clubs mentioned, you can get more information about joining this club on OrgSync.
Spoon University
Last but definitely not least, the Spoon chapter at UM is always looking for new writers to join our team. Spoon is a great way to meet fellow food lovers on campus all while adding to your resume and becoming a published writer. Writing articles gives you the opportunity to get your voice heard by thousands and even millions of people all across the world. Spoon also gives you the opportunity to create videos, take photos and become an active member of your community. All you have to do to join is fill out this short application and wait for meeting details to come!
So food lovers, there you have it. The 5 clubs at University of Miami that are food related, listed in no particular order. I hope I helped narrow down your search for the perfect club, and all of us here at Spoon's UM chapter hope to see you soon.