Students gathered at the Northwestern Arts Circle Friday to sample tasty treats from a variety of Evanston Restaurants at NU’s annual SpoonFest. Long lines formed in front of catered food trucks such as The Fat Shallot, Soul & Smoke and Gotta B Crepes.
Spoonfest, hosted by NU’s Spoon University chapter, gives students the chance to try food from Evanston restaurants and student organizations like the Chinese Students Association and Challah for Hunger.
Medill sophomore and co-director of SpoonFest David Sun said one of the benefits of bringing outside businesses to campus is that dining on campus can feel limited, and SpoonFest allows students to try new foods.
The other SpoonFest co-director, Medill junior Lara Weissmann, said she was thankful that the event allows students to try restaurants outside of downtown Evanston that are difficult to get to.
“I’m especially excited about things like The Fat Shallot and Soul & Smoke, which probably have locations that are a little bit more inaccessible for Northwestern students,” Weissmann said. “This is a day where they are accessible, very accessible, because they’re being brought to campus.”
SESP freshman Angelina Mo said she attended the event to help table for CSA but also because she loves food.
“I love the variety of food they have here,” Mo said. “There’s something that I usually wouldn’t be able to get if I don’t go into Chicago, so it’s nice to have all of it here in one place.”
Mo added that she was excited to try one of the most popular food stands, Gotta B Crepes, which has been a regular at SpoonFest for many years and is also a vendor at the Evanston Farmers’ Market.
Gotta B Crepes co-owner Ryan Jones said he participates in SpoonFest because it’s a great way to showcase the ingredients they source from the farmers’ market and to show people that they are nearby to enjoy crepes on Saturday mornings in the spring.
“A lot of kids come from all over the world, and Evanston has so much to offer,” Jones said. “The farmers’ market is such a big part of the city seasonally, so to be here allows us to introduce ourselves or connect with them outside of the market.”
The annual event benefits both the vendors, who get to sell their food and reach a wider base of customers and students, who get to enjoy delicious eats on a Friday afternoon, according to Weismann.
“I think students are able to just experience a break from the dining halls or break from cooking, and get to see all of the wonderful Evanston vendors that are in their backyards that they don’t know about,” Weissmann said.
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