American Heritage® Chocolate Grant to Support Gastronomy Research
Sweet! On July 13, 2021, the Master of Arts in Gastronomy program at Boston University’s Metropolitan College was awarded a Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Research Grant in the amount of $2,800. Winners were announced at a virtual event hosted by the Heritage Chocolate Society. The grant—named in honor of the late Mars, Jr., […]
Student-Led Gastronomy Conference Examines Intersectional Food Justice
In April, students of the Gastronomy & Food Studies Programs at BU MET put on a small conference designed to bring attention to intersectional matters of food sovereignty, racial justice, and environmentalism. Organized by Gastronomy students Danielle Jacques and Dana Ferrante, the weekend-long “Living Landscapes” virtual event gathered activists, foragers and researchers to discuss topics […]
Gastronomy Podcast Opens New Ears to Food Studies
On the podcast Food &, students, faculty, and alumni of the Gastronomy & Food Studies Programs at BU’s Metropolitan College come together to tell stories that illustrate the depth and breadth of food studies, as well as the numerous possibilities the academic field affords. MLA in Gastronomy students Kenrick Mercado and Elizabeth Weiler, who are […]
The Key to Enjoying an Oreo? Nostalgia, According to Gastronomy Director
Popular Mechanics was in search of a quantifiable answer to an uncommon question: What makes Oreos delicious? Students in the BU MET Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program know that food is both a hard science and a social one, so perhaps it was little surprise when Dr. Megan Elias, who directs the program, […]
Home Economics Historian Elias Weighs in Amid Betty Crocker Controversy
When the Boston Globe investigated a new marketing initiative by Betty Crocker, purportedly designed to encourage women in STEM fields by reconceiving of the kitchen as a home for culinary experimentation, it brought new scrutiny to archaic ideas about gender roles and the kitchen. As the author of “Stir It Up: Home Economics in American […]
Now Accepting Applications for the 2021 Wine Studies Award for Students of Color
A year ago, TJ and Hadley Douglas, owners of The Urban Grape in Boston’s South End, generously established The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET). In a direct effort to reduce racial isolation in the wine field, the award funds at least one student of color […]
With ‘Special’ Ice Cream, Gastronomy Alum Blazes Trail in Frozen Edibles
The Massachusetts cannabis industry is about to get sweeter. David Yusefzadeh (MET’18), a graduate of BU MET’s MLA in Gastronomy program, is the force behind Cloud Creamery, a newly licensed, Framingham-based business specializing in high-end, cannabis-infused, frozen delights. When Yusefzadeh, an experienced chef, initially surveyed the budding cannabis industry, he noticed a shortcoming—most of the […]
Follow the Bread Crumbs: How an 1800s Black Inventor Kickstarted the Industrial Kitchen
A recent Forbes article delved into the life of trailblazing 19th century Black inventor Joseph Lee, who was born enslaved in South Carolina and served as a Civil War blacksmith before finding entrepreneurial success in and around Boston as a baker, caterer, and hotelier around the turn of the century. After the war, Lee traveled […]
Gastronomy Alum Unpacks Masculinity, Marketing, and the Secret Origin of ‘Dude Food’
In her new book, Diners, Dudes and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture, MLA in Gastronomy alum Emily Contois (MET’13) explores the concept of “dude food”—a powerful cultural construct developed in recent decades by marketers aiming to encourage male-identifying audiences to spend more on food. “I was interested in how […]
Gastronomy Alum Uses Ice Cream to Dish History’s Inside Scoop
Where we see a serving of ice cream, Hannah Spiegelman (MET’20) sees a story. A recent Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy graduate, Spiegelman publishes A Sweet History, a blog dedicated to using historical figures as a creative springboard for ice cream flavors—varieties she concocts herself, and showcases with the expert presentation you’d expect from […]