boston university – Catie Cooks

What Do You Do with a Degree in Food?

Although I didn’t officially celebrate graduation until May, it has now been one year since I finished the coursework for my gastronomy master’s degree. I am reflecting on what this degree has done for me and whether it was worth it. I won’t sugarcoat things. Grad school is ridiculously expensive. When self-financing a degree, it…

Boston University Graduation

By: catiecooks12 May 24, 2022

boston university, gastronomyboston, boston university, food blog, food blogger, food writer, grad school, graduation, graduation weekend, new job, seafood, seaportLeave a Comment

I once described Boston as “a city in which I could see myself thriving.” I wrote that in 2019 as I was preparing to move for grad school. Three years, countless hours of work, sleepless nights, and a global pandemic later, I walked across the stage at Boston University this weekend having earned my master’s…

Pavement Coffeehouse (Where Bagel Dreams Are Born)

Day 2 of brunch week is a tale of my favorite bagel in Boston. I first discovered Pavement Coffeehouse during my grad school orientation at Boston University. I ordered The Fix (eggs, sausage, smoked gouda, and pepper jam on a biscuit). I cannot recommend this breakfast sandwich more. The house made biscuit sold me on…

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

This is a piece I did for my food writing class, inspired by Pastry Chef Janine Sciarappa. Apple Cider Doughnut CakeWith a Few Tweaks, Apple Cider Doughnuts Become Cake Move over pumpkin spice. Apple cider is here to claim its crown as the ultimate fall flavor. Apple Cider Doughnut Cake, inspired by the popular fall breakfast treat, brings the harvest…

Catie is back in the kitchen!

After a summer off, I am officially back to school at BU. This is my third semester in the Gastronomy program. Not only am I back in class, but I am working again in the teaching kitchen, as the Julia Child Teaching Assistant for the Fall 2020 semester. I have never been so unmotivated to…

Cooking Up Culture

Part of my new job as a graduate assistant for Culinary Arts is assisting with our hands-on classes. Our department holds cooking classes for kids aged 8-17, called “Cooking Up Culture.” We are hosting two classes this term, and the first one was last weekend with Irene Li of Mei Mei. Last semester, I had…

James Beard Food Waste Event

I am about a month into my second semester of grad school. I’m taking Food & Gender and Anthropology of Food as my classes. I also was hired as a graduate assistant for Culinary Arts. This is so exciting for me because it means I get to spend more time in the BU Kitchen. So,…

Culinary Arts Graduation

For those of you who have been following my journey during the Culinary Arts program, thank you! I do apologize for failing to finish my weekly updates, but I do appreciate all the support I’ve received. This class was seriously the time of my life. I learned so much, but I had a blast while…

Culinary Arts Final Project

After 14 weeks fo learning techniques and anxiously awaiting what my fate would be, we finally made it to our final projects. We would be preparing one of three planned menus. The appetizer was completely up to us, so long as the ingredients would be available in the kitchen. The three assigned options for entree…

Jacques Pepin Week

I apologize for my absence. After Thanksgiving, I had so much going on with projects for school and work. I was so tired, so I put my writing on the back burner. Well, I have made it through finals, meaning my first semester of grad school is officially over. I have completed my Christmas shopping…