This week’s campus star is so great we crowned her twice! Before interviewing this week’s campus cutie-celeb, I walked into Peirce just like I would any other day. I opened the door, carefully avoided stepping on the Kenyon seal, and made my way to the servery. But this was no ordinary trip to our dining hall. When I arrived, I sheepishly approached an AVI worker and told her I had a meeting with the one and only Chef Meagan. “Just follow me,” she exclaimed as she led me out of into the kitchen. All of a sudden it was like I was backstage at my favorite band’s concert. AVI workers bustled to and fro to make the night’s dinner (Kung Pao chicken) and the sound of pots and pans ringed around my ears. We turned a corner that lead to an open office door and all of a sudden there she was: Chef Meagan!
Name: Meagan Worth-CappellAge: 28Hometown: Newark, OhioEducation: Johnson & Wales University (Miami, Florida)Previous jobs: I’ve been in the business since I was 14. I used to work at P.F. Changs, which is why we know how to cook the kung-pao chicken. I learned a lot of base Asian food from that company!
HCK: If we suggested a completely crazy dish for you guys to try out, would you do it? Chef Meagan: Absolutely, but not if it’s something like caviar. I had someone ask for that once. Unfortunately, it’s just not doable.
What first inspired you to become a chef?I learned to cook with my mother as a kid – we used to make cheese-balls and pancakes together. I used to enter recipe competitions when I was around 7 or 8 years old, so there’d be a little Meagan on a footstool just cooking up new ideas.
What’s your favorite thing to cook?I don’t necessarily have a specific favorite dish dish. I actually cook a lot of things that I make at home and love, like chicken tostadas.  The things that you guys are eating are the things that I traditionally make for myself too. One thing I really wish I could cook (or rather, bring over to Kenyon) is bubble tea! [Writers note: at this point I screamed internally. I love bubble tea.]
What’s your favorite flavor of bubble tea?I love honeydew and taro, and I especially love the black tapioca pearls. I always ask for extra!
What dish is your spirit animal?That’s so difficult! I guess it’d be anything spicy. I can be very mild-mannered but I have a little kick to me sometimes, too. A lot of people say I have a spicy personality, and plus, I got, like, 3rd place in the spicy food contest last year!
What three words best describe you?Spicy (again), quiet, and nerdy. I’m a total nerd! I obviously love food, but I geek out in other ways, too. I have the Webster dictionary app and love learning the new worlds of the day and trying them out on people.
If you could have a cook-off with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?It’d be awesome to cook against Masaharu Morimoto (the Japanese chef on Iron Chef). His cooking style is very traditional Japanese and so I would love to see how my fusion flavor would stand up against him in a judging competition. I’d like to know what people would go for: his traditional style or my eclectic style. He’s also awesome and very driven in what he does and has such a precise view of his own technique. I find that some of the chefs nowadays kind of sell out, but he stays true to himself.
All right, let’s move on from the food-related questions! What song would be the soundtrack to your life?I listen to a lot of Arctic Monkeys [writer’s note: just another sign that Chef Meagan and I are soul mates], but I guess it depends on my mood. I’m a Gemini so it depends on whether I’m feeling quiet or outgoing! Sometimes I’ll listen to Florence and the Machine or Lana del Rey.
How do you feel about your online fame?I think that it’s nice. It kind of surprises me because I am a little bit of a quiet person, so for people to know me and tell me they love me and the AVI staff strikes me as surprising; but it’s very cute! I’m just trying to give you guys the best meals and experiences possible. [Awwwwww!]
What did you do over Spring Break? I went out to Vegas to go rock-climbing. I was really excited to do that and just go out and be in nature. [You can check out Chef Meagan’s SB adventures here]
Do you have a Kenyon Bucket list?Actually, I don’t have a bucket list. You guys should make a bucket list for me! [Hear that, Kenyon? Challenge accepted!]
Well there you have it, our beloved Chef Meagan in a nutshell. As I left the servery and made my way towards my afternoon class, I turned around to look at the kitchen, which at once seemed more like a mysterious no-mans land – kind of like Narnia. Did my amazing conversation with Chef Meagan really happen? I don’t know. The only proof I have that the events above actually occurred are the notes on my laptop and some flour on the sleeve of my winter coat.