Student foodies teach the easy way to gourmet dorm meals

Gainesville State College student Arthur King is on a mission to prove to college students… Gainesville State College student Arthur King is on a mission to prove to college students everywhere that ramen noodles, frozen dinners and fast food aren’t their only options.

The first college student he convinced was his girlfriend, who then suggested that he start his own cooking show.

Thus began Cookin’ For College, a website “showing the ease of cooking real meals, which cost little and taste great.”

A few days a week, King posts videos of him making dishes in a fashion similar to ones you can find on the Food Network. He sets up his ingredients, turns the camera on and heats up the kitchen, providing step-by-step commentary as he develops his masterpiece.

His entrees include Grilled Cheese Hamburgers, S’more Pancakes and Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops.

While these dishes seem far-fetched and impossible to make, King simplifies the process so that anyone can be a master chef just by watching and following directions.

“I think there are a lot of college kids out there who have no idea how to cook,” King explained his reason for beginning the Cookin’ For College website.

“Cooking intimidates students because they’ve never really done it for themselves. And so they live off things like ramen noodles,” King said. He assures that food choices like packaged noodles get old quickly.

King figures that since he’s already well educated in culinary arts, he might as well share that knowledge with others.

Food has always been a passion of King’s family. Many members of his family are either in the restaurant business or are “just good cooks.” King learned to cook from his father who has opened two restaurants in his lifetime.

Therefore, when King began college and moved into his own apartment, cooking for himself was just a continuation of his routine at home.

However, according to King, most college students lack the experience and the confidence to be successful in the kitchen.

Along with King, students at the University of Pittsburgh have also recognized the need for culinary education in the lives of college students. Tower C Resident Assistants teamed up with PantherWELL, a peer health education program at Pitt, to host an event in honor of alternative eating on campus. The program, “What’s in your Microwave?” highlighted quick, easy and healthy dishes to make from the comfort of your dorm room.

Rosalie Traficante, one of the Tower C RAs who hosted the program, says she contacted PantherWELL because it was something her residents wanted.

“It was nice to give the students an alternative to buying fast food,” she said.

Traficante explained that students made the mistake of constantly eating out and eating more than their fair share in the University cafeterias first semester. She and her fellow RAs wanted their residents to know that “it’s better to cook for yourself sometimes.”

“A lot of students just don’t know how simple it is,” Traficante said about making quick, healthy dishes in the microwave. “Once simplicity is conveyed, then students will have more confidence to cook for themselves.”

King’s girlfriend, Kira Glasser, who also serves as his public relation rep and camerawoman, says she’s gained much more confidence just by watching King in the kitchen.

“I can get in the kitchen now and I’m not intimidated,” she said. “I can use spices and try to create my own things.”

Glasser has come a long way from first arriving in college. She was simply uneducated and overwhelmed when it came to preparing food for herself, she said.

“I used to buy lots of frozen dinners,” she said, adding that they are still in the freezer, untouched.

“Yes, Cookin’ For College shows cheap and easy meals, but it also helps [students] gain the confidence necessary to do more for themselves,” Glasser said. “People who want home cooked meals should be able to make them.”

King hopes to one day start a restaurant of his own like his father. His most recent project is a Cookin’ For College cookbook.