Felix Cardona, dean of academic programs at Hostos, said the food industry was important to the Bronx’s future.
This program is brand new and this Fall 2015 semester marks the program’s first. From an article in the New York Times: “In an unusual English class at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, students do not immerse themselves in the words of Chaucer, Fitzgerald or García Márquez. Instead, they study food critics like Michael Pollan and thinkers like Wendell Berry, write essays on the merits of processed versus unprocessed foods, and run their own farmers’ market on campus as part of their research. The class is a pilot course, part of an interdisciplinary food studies program that has been under development at Hostos for more than two years and will enroll students this fall for the first time. The new program will go beyond the traditional culinary classes offered at many schools to provide students with a broad overview of food policy, social justice, environment, health, science and business. It aims to prepare them for jobs as technicians, analysts, nutritionists and entrepreneurs in the fast-expanding food industry in the Bronx, home to the Hunts Point food markets, and elsewhere.” Check back to see how this program progresses.
Shaughn Bulgar, 18, a student at Hostos Community College and a Bronx resident, said, “Fast food is usually the only thing around, so that’s what I eat.”
Maritza Arias, 21, said it was difficult to find good fresh food locally.
Press :
- New York Times, “Hostos College in Bronx to Offer a Food Studies Program” by By Winnie Hujan. January 27, 2015.
- AACC 21st Century Center, “Food Studies Program to Feed Students and the Community” By Sonya Stinson. February 17, 2015.
- The Atlantic, “The Rise of Food-Studies Programs” By Emma Cosgrove. June 1, 2015.
Contact : Roland Vélez, Director of Admissions and Recruitment, 718-319-7968 or email: rvelez@hostos.cuny.edu