Cooking at Carmichael

There are countless ways to get in better shape at Carmichael Gymnasium, whether it’s by playing basketball, lifting weights, going for a swim or scaling a 48-foot-tall climbing wall. Students can even learn how to be a better cook.

That’s thanks to the teaching kitchen that was included in a new Wellness and Recreation Center at the gym in an overhaul completed in 2020. The kitchen has been a big hit, and departments around campus have found creative ways to use it. Students have learned how to arrange charcuterie boards, the French language department used it to cook French crepes and omelettes, and the Global Training Initiative has used it to teach international students about southern cooking and culture.

“It’s been great, honestly,” says Lauren Smith, director of nutrition and wellness for NC State Dining, which manages the space in a partnership with NC State Wellness and Recreation. “It’s been very, very busy. It really has become part of the campus.”

In addition to equipment typically found in kitchens, the teaching kitchen has cameras and monitors that allow students a close-up view of culinary demonstrations.

Elaine Bohórquez, a teaching associate professor of physiology, has used the kitchen for a class on culinary medicine. “The purpose is to educate clinicians and medical students on proper cooking skills and ingredients,” she says, “so they can better advise their patients on how they can improve their health through the use of food.”

Bohórquez says the kitchen enabled students to put into practice what they learned in class. “They did the cooking,” she says. “For the final project, they had to modify a recipe that meant something to them to make it more healthy.”