Cooking doesn’t have to be tedious, Richard Phillips told Central College students — so have fun with food! Phillips, director of dining services, recently taught a cooking class and sparked a series to continue next year.
Phillips said he was inspired to teach seniors to make inexpensive, delicious meals they can enjoy while starting careers or attending graduate school. The first class emphasized simple ingredients students can prepare for themselves — or a party of guests.
“I decided to take five basic ingredients and show how many dishes you can make,” Phillips said. These included potatoes, chicken breast, ground beef, and basic red and white sauces. “You don’t realize how many ways there are to use a single potato,” said Phillips.
With these basic ingredients — plus inexpensive staples like pasta, spices, herbs and vegetables for variety — Phillips and students prepared beef parmesan, homemade meatballs, pesto, marinara and chipotle pasta variations, and potatoes five ways.
Next semester, Phillips plans to teach classes focused on appetizers, breakfast and dinner foods, desserts and sushi. He’s even prepared to move classes out of the kitchen if many students want to attend.
Campus Activities Board member McKenna Kilburg helped plan the cooking event and said, “We knew Richard Phillips would be an amazing collaborator because of his initiative and drive to bring new ideas to campus.” Phillips regularly plans other special food events at Central too, like an international menu series, All Iowa Day and a hog roast. He’s planning more new events to debut when students return in August.
