What a great month of Black History Month dinners!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for one, a few, or even all of this month's Black History Month dinners all over campus! We've collected some memories captured by Cornell Dining's Brand Ambassadors.

Even before the dinner series began, our chefs tested out their recipes on the student groups who helped plan the menus for our dining rooms. Here's a group of students from Jamaica sharing their thoughts with Chef JJ Molina as he refined the recipes for North Star Dining Room's Jamaican themed meal.

"We just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you and the entire team for your dedication and hard work in bringing the Jamaican-themed dinner to life for Black History Month," said the Executive Board of the Jamaican Students' Association at Cornell in a letter to Chef JJ and Cornell Dining. "We’ve heard amazing reviews all around, and it’s clear that your efforts in preparing authentic Jamaican cuisine were deeply appreciated by the community."

"We truly appreciate Cornell Dining’s commitment to representing different cultures through food and creating inclusive dining experiences that celebrate heritage and tradition," the Jamaican students added. "We also loved the extra touches—the Jamaican music and decorations truly added to the atmosphere and made the experience even more special. It was a wonderful way to celebrate and immerse everyone in the culture."

The dinners kicked off with Risley Dining's menu featuring our take on Sierra Leone cuisine.

Chef Josh Holden and his team at Morrison Dining put together a Trinidadian-themed meal. Manager Don Nkrumah says two first-generation Trinidadian students volunteered to help with the planning, and Sianne (at right, below) FaceTimed with her grandmother in Trinidad. Don said "Grandma's seal of approval affirmed we were making the Callaloo as authentic as we could."

Jansen's Dining Room brought a Southern Soul Food flavor to the middle of the month.

Okenshields wrapped up the series on Wednesday with our Creole Soul Food celebration!

"Cooking is something unique to humans, us," said Chef Sam Ramer of this month's collaboration. "There are ants that farm mushrooms, otters that use simple tools to open clams, octopi that can solve puzzles, but, as far as I know, only humans cook their food. This is why I look forward to collaborating with diverse student groups and their cultures. It provides a way in which I can expose myself to this deep well of humanity's knowledge.  Through it all, I am always hopeful of gaining a deeper understanding and insight into the people represented by the cuisines I'm preparing."

Thanks to Angela Chang, Eirini Williams, and Michelle Yang for the photos.

About Cornell Dining

Cornell Dining is consistently ranked in the Princeton Review's top ten for best campus food among all colleges and universities in the country! That high rating comes from customer surveys, and reflects Cornell Dining's commitment to serving high-quality foods that are healthy and creatively prepared with genuine care for a diverse community. Cornell Dining operates over 30 on-campus eateries -- which include residential dining rooms, cafés, coffeehouses, food courts, and convenience stores -- and serves more than 23,000 meals a day to members of the Cornell community. For more information, visit dining.cornell.edu.