Nutrition Department students create Gator Groceries-inspired recipes

For the past five years, SF State’s Health Promotion & Wellness unit and Associated Students have offered Gator Groceries, a campus program that distributes free food to students facing food insecurity. 

Today, the two groups collaborate to present cooking demonstrations using gator groceries of recipes created by Nutrition students in front of  Malcolm X Plaza.  

The Gator Groceries cooking demos first started last fall, when only a small amount of students were back on campus from quarantine. 

“[Last year] we actually hosted [the Gator Groceries cooking demos on campus, a little quieter turn out because there weren’t as many students,” said Health Promotion & Wellness Nutrition Education Coordinator Danielle Lundstrom.

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, students a Gator Groceries box at the Cesar Chavez Student Center. The box includes a mixture of perishable food items, dry goods and produce. 

But oftentimes, a box full of random ingredients can be difficult to make meals with.  

Mahisha Patel, an SF student that receives Gator Groceries, observed the demonstration with the box in hand. 

“Last week I got sweet potatoes and I did not know what to do with it,” Patel said.

Nutrition student assistants Michell Martinez, Dany Gabis and Lundstrom work together to create quick, simple and nutritional recipes to demonstrate based on the weekly Gator Groceries distribution. 

“When I come up with recipes, I see what I have and draw from my own culture or foods that I enjoy,” Martinez said. “I play together with the flavors and see what goes together well.”

The first recipe of the semester used  Gator Groceries to assemble a ramen stir-fry. 

Students were even informed about custom modifications for more flavor or protein depending on preference. 

“We help students that don’t have a lot of time, maybe you don’t have a lot of cooking equipment, maybe you’re still learning how to cook,” Lundstrom said. “The next step is helping students learn how to feed themselves with food and how to nourish themselves because that helps students to succeed in school.”

The next cooking demo by Gator Groceries will be held on Sept. 29 at 1:30 p.m. in front of Malcolm X Plaza.