By Juliana Seaman
TAMPA, Fla. — Do you ever find yourself wishing you knew how to cook or expand your cooking abilities? Students at The University of Tampa now have the perfect opportunity as the new cooking club, Flavors, is making its debut on campus.
Flavors is a brand-new culinary arts club, aimed around the fundamentals of cooking and understanding proper kitchen etiquette. Group members are offered workshops where they can learn these daily life skills whilst gaining comfortability in the kitchen by making homemade meals. While cooking can seem intimidating for some, this club hopes to educate students in a fun and empowering light before adulthood.
With the help of UTampa dining services, Alyssa Rapoport, freshman pre-med biology major and founder of Flavors, is now able to share her passion for cooking among other students. Being from New Jersey, Rapoport couldn’t help but to bring her talents with her to school.
“I started cooking around the age of five and knew I wanted to keep going,” said Rapoport. “Everyone around me at home loves to cook and is good at it, so it was easier for me to learn.”
Facing some obstacles, Rapoport introduced UTampa’s first cooking club on campus. At first, due to liability problems, her club was rejected. Flavors raised some eyebrows with the appreciation of allergy concerns and risk management in the kitchen. This, however, did not stop Rapoport from pursuing her passion.
After several meetings with her advisors and finding staff who can help her in ways to start her club, Flavors now has 30 members and 60 followers on Instagram, with many more to come. Rapoport’s help and support did not end there. Her friends at UTampa also contributed to the birth of Flavors.
Rapoport’s second-hand man, Emma Gomez, freshman allied health major and vice president of Flavors, shares the same love for food. Working as vice president, Gomez’s responsibilities include working alongside the president and coming up with a game plan for meetings and events.
“This club is so important to me, as I think it is such a beautiful way to build relationships through food,” said Gomez. “The purpose of our club is to share our passion for cooking and to teach our members.”
Flavors is not limited to a specific menu. Rapoport’s love for the kitchen enabled her cooking knowledge to go beyond a simple two-step cooking instruction. She allowed herself to branch out to many homemade cultural and ethnic foods, hoping to share with other students.
Manifesting a seamless structure, Flavors will start meeting officially in the fall semester of 2025. Joining the club comes with many personal benefits under the life-skills umbrella. Members have the opportunity to learn how to make various dishes, learning teamwork skills, expanding kitchen etiquette knowledge, and simply learning the proper way to cook. Outside of the club, Flavors will be offering many volunteer opportunities with helping underprivileged communities.
For students interested in joining Flavors, the Office of Career Services is hosting a special three-course cooking event in collaboration with the club on April 17. This event will not only introduce Flavors to the campus community but also feature delicious dishes from a renowned off-campus vendor. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet club founders Rapoport and Gomez, along with other officers and members, while enjoying a taste of what Flavors has to offer.
–
Photo courtesy of Alyssa Rapoport.