Hannah Goodwin-Pierce ’22 has loved food from an early age. She grew up cooking with her family and describes food as her love language. Now, Goodwin-Pierce has landed herself the chef’s role at the Star and Crescent (S&C), an eating club run by the Alpha Delta Phi Society (ADP). 

This isn’t her first time in the S&C’s kitchen. Since her sophomore year, Goodwin-Pierce has worked behind the scenes at the student-led eating club. Last fall, the chef of 16 years left his position, and a new chef was hired in the spring but did not stay in the role for the entire semester. Around that time, Goodwin-Pierce realized she would be a great fit for the vacant position. She decided to speak to then-S&C steward Sophie Penn ’23 and put herself forward for the job.

“I’ve found that I want to be in the culinary world,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “I want to work in food, and in the restaurant industry. But just having graduated college, I don’t want to go into more debt by going to culinary school. I thought, what better way to learn and break into this industry without spending all this money? Run this kitchen and see how it goes. And try my hand and see what works and what doesn’t work and learn much more about what cooking in an industrial kitchen is like.”

Goodwin-Pierce is preparing to oversee several changes at the S&C and hopes to move away from dining modifications that were made as a result of the pandemic. In previous semesters, students were required to pay with points in advance for multiple meals at a time through the meal bundle program. The S&C will open this semester for dinner on Monday, Sept. 12, and meals will be predominantly in-person, with some takeout options. Goodwin-Pierce’s many experiences as a student worker in the S&C kitchen have prepared her for her new role.

“I learned the space really well, like how the kitchen works,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “And what to do, what sells, what students want to eat.”

Goodwin-Pierce also wants to bring new energy to a kitchen that she cares about deeply.

“I want this kitchen to be revitalized,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “It’s such a beautiful space. It has so much potential.”

The new chef also hopes to provide healthier and more readily available food options for students.

“I think a lot of college students have forever struggled with eating healthy in a way that’s efficient,” Goodwin-Pierce said.

Goodwin-Pierce mentioned that in the past, the S&C chefs have mostly been middle-aged men. She looks forward to being able to connect with college students as someone who was recently a student herself.

“In the past it was a 40-year-old guy working with 18-, 19-, 20-year olds,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “There’s a certain unbalanced power dynamic to that…. I’m 21, working with students my age to collaborate, and l feel that equality, that sense we’re all building this space together.”

Goodwin-Pierce has the support and praise of her staff as she begins her new role. S&C Junior Steward Daniel Glickman ’25 emphasized that Goodwin-Pierce is going to bring a comfortable and personal vibe to the S&C kitchen and its food.

“Being a Wes alum and former kitchen-staff member, Hannah is much more connected to the restaurant and the University than chefs we’ve had in the past,” Glickman said. “She is going to contribute that Wesleyan perspective in her food, but also in the way we run our restaurant. It should be a really fun, lively, delicious meal each time you come, largely due to Hannah’s identity as a member of the Wesleyan community.”

Goodwin-Pierce is looking forward to her first job out of college and is excited to roll up her sleeves and get her hands messy.

“It is truly going to be a blast,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “I have so many ideas. My team is hired. I have menus lined up for the first three weeks and I’m converting recipes for three people into recipes for 70 people. It’s a lot of fun.”

Of course, cooking for such large numbers can certainly feel intimidating. However, Goodwin-Pierce has curated her recipes so that they carry meaning, whether it be recipes that are more plant-based and environmentally friendly or recipes that she’s borrowed and adapted from her close family and friends.

“Being able to have even a deeper connection through food by caring for those people directly is really exciting,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “I’ve just always really loved cooking and the science behind it and being able to use my hands. It’s really important to me that post-grad I’m not sitting at a desk right now.”

Goodwin-Pierce believes that the S&C will be a huge hit among students this year.

“You decide spur-of-the-moment if you want to eat, and you don’t have to place an order in advance,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “You can just come and sit down…. It’s going to be a lot more welcoming to students.”

There will also be an outdoor concert on the porch of ADP with dinner from the S&C on Thursday, Sept. 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is the first of many events that the S&C hopes to be a part of, including hosting speakers and holding themed dinners.

Amidst all the excitement of preparing to reopen the S&C for the semester, Goodwin-Pierce reiterated that she’s simply ready to get to work doing a job that she loves.

“I just love food,” Goodwin-Pierce said. “I love eating, love cooking.”

 

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@wesleyan.edu.