Brad’s Welcome

Rifka’s Welcome — Brad’s Welcome

 

As Northwestern has expanded its cohort of Faculty-in-Residence, some of the greatest programmatic successes have come as surprises. In the case of Rifka’s cooking classes, we should’ve seen it coming. After all, her name is Cook. For the past few years, she has used venues across the South Area–her apartment, the Shepard demonstration kitchen, the Allison main lounge–to connect residents with each other, special guests, and their inner chefs. The connections reached far beyond campus, of course. From the earliest classes, Rifka introduced students to recipes from different parts of the world. When the pandemic largely closed campus, Rifka began broadcasting her classes via IGTV. Students around the world watched live and after the fact. Some even shared photos of their creations. When campus reopened, Rifka rushed to resume in-person cooking classes. No mask could conceal the full-body smile that Rifka wore while demonstrating recipe steps and gliding around the room to check on everyone’s progress. Her genuine joy in cooking classes is an essential ingredient for the kind of community Northwestern is cultivating on campus. When everyone is wearing aprons and chef hats, nobody is thinking about the majors that distinguish them or the work waiting in their room. And when Rifka is decked out like the students and following the same recipe as them, the lines between faculty and students melt away.

Brad Zakarin, Director of Residential Academic Initiatives.