Take one quick look at the Instagram account of Spoon AU, a new food publication, and you’ll be entranced by some serious food porn. From smothered pancakes to top-notch aerial shots of brunch, the feed is drool-worthy.
Founded in December 2014 and fully launched in late January, Spoon aims to be the floormate you can go to for food advice. Their website features affordable recipes, dining hall hacks and witty content that mixes a college-student’s favorite things: pop culture and food. Writer Madeline White’s matchup of Girl Scout cookies to members of the Kardashian clan is spot-on. Lord Disick as a Samoa? Perfection.
The core team behind Spoon AU includes sophomores AmiLin McClure, founder, Steven Baboun, creative/photography director, and Mai Someya, marketing director. Her Campus American sat down with the trio to discuss Spoon’s beginnings, food trends, and the power of a hashtag.
Her Campus American: Tell me more about how you guys came up with the idea to start a Spoon Unviersity chapter at AU?
AmiLin McClure: Steven and I met at the beginning of freshman year through the ambassador program at AU. [Later] Spoon University came up through my news feed. I realized AU didn’t have a food publication. There’s such great restaurants and cuisines in DC, so I thought it’d be really fun to bring it to AU. I knew Steven was a great photographer so we started meeting a little bit, and I gathered a couple of other friends. We applied to become a chapter, and it went on from there.
HCAU: So what are some of Spoon AU’s goals?
Steven Baboun: We strive for quality…we have a mix of pop culture, recipes and tips on how to navigate the dining hall. We want to write recipes that your floormate is writing. It’s stuff that you could easily make.
AM: Basically, Spoon AU is your best friend and you go to it for advice that’s food based.
HCAU: A big part of Spoon AU is your Instagram account. Your spring break posts were a hit! How’d you get students to share their spring break foodie adventures?
SB: AU Students travel. Last year I had friends who went to Iceland, Jamaica, LA. So I thought why don’t I start the hashtag [#SpoonAUSpringBreak] to showcase where the students go and what they eat? It was a way to get everybody centralized since they’re in different places. We got people from Jamaica, from New Mexico, from Haiti, all around. It was a movement.
AM: The big thing about Spoon is we like to have a conversation around food and kind of build a community – especially at AU. A lot of people find that it’s hard to find a community. So it’s a lot of fun; people like to share what they’re eating!
SB: And food photography is becoming such a popular thing. Some of our staff have Foodstagrams. Spoon AU is a great way to express that love for capturing food.
HCAU: So what’s your response to people who feel like there’s an unspoken rule to limit the amount of food pics they post?
SB: If you wanna Instagram about food, Instagram about food! Food connects people and gets the likes…you find adventure in it.
HCAU: You guys are clearly foodies. Thoughts on the latest DC food trend? I feel like cupcakes are fading…
Mai Someya: I live in California and there’s already waffle shops. It’s the next big thing, along with donut ice cream sandwiches.
SB: Also toast, like avocado. And toast with chocolate, pretzels, cheese, pasta…it’s crazy. Get a single piece of toast, smother it with all the ingredients you can find in your fridge.
HCAU: Ramen Fest was this week. What other events do you guys have coming up this semester?
MS: We’re going to have an Instagram contest soon so watch out for that!
SB: In April, there’s Eagle Fest (note: Eagle Fest is a quad event with tons of campus groups). We want to have a donut-topping bar or something crazy like that!