Photographer: Amy Chau
On April 1, 2015, the Jennie King Mellon Library members of the Chatham community got together to celebrate the life of literacy, in the most delicious way! Chatham hosted its annual Edible Book Festival once again, and the J.K.M. Library was teeming with life. In keeping with the literary theme, participants cooked up edible creations based on books. About ten groups entered, but only five walked out with incredible prizes. Book selections ranged from children’s books like Curious George and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Tender is the Night and Harry Potter. Five categories were used to judge the tantalizing tomes: Most Creative Literary Interpretation, Most Creative Ingredients/Use of Ingredients, Most Sustainable, Grand Prize, and Popularity. Students, faculty, staff, and the greater Chatham Community congregated, tasted, sampled, and cast their ballots.
Molly Tighe, librarian, took home the Most Creative Literary Interpretation award for her use of chicken fingers in Tender as the Night.
Graduate Student Shuai Lu took home the Most Creative Ingredients/Use of Ingredients for constructing a pyramid out of rice and a large snake out of thin cucumber slices.
This was based on the book Ancient Egypt—The Mysterious Pyramid. The Most Sustainable Award went home with BreAnne Henley for her rendition of an entirely vegetable Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The Grand Prize went to a group of students: Teresa Sabilia, Lorraine Yanjtovich, and Tiffany Waltenbaugh for their sugary rendition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
By popular vote, Rachel Geffrey swept the floor with a delicious cake featuring Curious George.
No matter the outcome, Chatham University was still able to host a marvelous event and simultaneously remind us of the reasons why literacy is so important.