117 SENIORS The Cookbook Club was established in spring 2022. Seniors Olivia Scott, Kelcy Mayes, Matti Clark and Morgan Wrigley and juniors Veronica Allmon and Shealyn Wade founded the club as a way to spend time together. The women discovered their shared love for cooking, so every few weeks the group gathered and cooked a meal together. During summer 2022, Mayes compiled recipes into individual cookbooks and presented them along with embroidered aprons to the rest of the group. “This summer I put together a binder full of recipes that we have made or that people have sent in that we want to try,” Mayes said. “Since starting our Instagram, a funny part of the night is posting dumb stuff for that and looking at it after.” As the fall 2022 semester started, the group switched from being called “My Tribe” to “The Cookbook Club” along with the addition of an Instagram account to document their adventures. “We did chef introductions at the first cooking night of this year for the Instagram,” Mayes said. “Morgan Wrigley came up with all the posts, and we all were laughing.” When they first started the club, all the meals were made in Mayes’ and Clark’s apartment. They eventually expanded to other members’ apartments. To increase the amount of people they were cooking for, the women created an Instagram giveaway to invite their followers to enter for a chance to share a meal with them. have guests over for a meal. However, the Cookbook Club decided to host President Mike Williams and his family before the three giveaway winners. “When we were having the Williams’ over, we were almost done cooking and waiting for them to knock,” Clark said. “I heard the doorbell and yelled, ‘They are here!’ and we all dropped what we were doing and ran to the door.” When the women opened the door, their guests were not there yet. Despite mishearing the doorbell, the women were prepared for dinner anyway. The women of the Cookbook Club enjoyed the memories and experiences they had while cooking together and serving their guests. Wade’s advice was to laugh a lot and document memories so they could be remembered forever. “I love how much fun we have in the kitchen,” Wade said. “It is so silly during the process, and then eating the food is wonderful because it’s quite scrumptious.” Written by: Elizabeth Dillard Cookin’ Up Connections A group of Harding students bond over their love of cooking. COMMANDER-IN-CHEF Cookbook Club members pose with President Mike Williams and First Lady Lisa Williams. The group both prepared and shared a meal together. Photo courtesy of: Kelcy Mayes
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