Serving up culinary history in new cookbook

By Whitney Baxter

Aromas of freshly baked chocolate cookies, mini meatloaves and cherry pie waft from the 200 Mackay Hall kitchen. Inside, three Iowa State University students are busy following instructions for the recipes they’re working on, measuring ingredients while simultaneously keeping an eye on a dish baking in the oven or food simmering on the stovetop.

“I’ve become better at working on multiple recipes at once,” said Ellie Recker, a junior in dietetics, as she opened a can of cherries next to a pan of mini pie crusts.

Recker, along with Hadley Shatek, a sophomore in food science, and Ben Starling, a senior in food science, have tested and modified more than 100 recipes this semester that will go into a cookbook being developed by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Farm Food and Enterprise Development (FFED) unit. The students are learning valuable skills along the way and earning independent study credits.

“This experience has made me think about the science behind cooking, such as why it’s sometimes better to use stainless steel cookware than other types,” Shatek said. “I’m looking forward to using what I’ve learned this semester in the cooking classes I’ll take later on.”

Many of the recipes came from the Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives and include what Alex Van Alstyne, food business extension specialist with FFED and coordinator of the cookbook project, refers to as “heritage recipes” – cherry pie, chocolate cake, The Knoll hot chocolate, to name a few. Other recipes include Snickers bars, a French toast casserole and beef stroganoff, all of which have become the students’ favorites out of the many they have tested.

During the three dedicated cooking days, the students have learned to make modifications to the recipes due to changes in can sizes or ingredient availability. Starling has appreciated the research and development aspect of the project and the introduction to food photography.

“I’ve learned to think ahead in terms of timing of when the prepared food is done and when the photoshoot will take place so each dish looks fresh,” Starling said.

Van Alstyne has been impressed with the students’ work and how they’ve been able to connect the dots between what they’re doing in the MacKay kitchen and what they’ll do in their future careers.

“The students have done great and have really taken the recipes in stride,” Van Alstyne said.

Alongside the recipes, historical information about the food items and new twists on traditional recipes will be provided. For instance, next to the Rice Krispies recipe will be information about the Iowa State alumna who invented the treat, as well as a modern twist on the traditional recipe that incorporates caramel. Iowa State’s famous open-face cherry pie recipe will be accompanied by a recipe for a covered cherry pie.

“This cookbook fits perfectly with Extension’s efforts in educating the public and preparing students for future careers,” Van Alstyne said.

The project has been a collaboration with many units on campus, some of whom have donated food/beverage supplies to be featured in the recipes. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences units include:

The next steps will be to compile and organize the recipes into a cookbook and identify a publisher. Van Alstyne expects the cookbook will become available to the public in either the fall of 2026 or the spring of 2027.

“It feels really special to be part of something that will be around for a long time and full of Iowa State history,” Shatek said.