While we each stick to making our usual 3 go-to dishes after a long day of classes (ones that usually don’t require much effort…like pasta or quesadillas), Eric Swenson takes college cooking to the next level. He is a second-year Computer Science major in the College of Engineering here at UCSB, orginally from Sunnyvale, California! We were fortunate enough to get a chance to interview him about Gauchos in the Kitchen Cooking Club, an organization in which he will be running this year!
What other groups are you involved with on campus?Besides Gauchos in the Kitchen, I am a member of Engineering Student Council, a photographer for the Daily Nexus, and a member of Judo Club (though off and on thanks to injuries)How did you get involved in Gauchos in the Kitchen Cooking Club?When the Gauchos in the Kitchen Cooking Club was founded last year, I knew the founder and President, Kat who got me to join. From there, I quickly became the club photographer, and as the year progressed, I was one of the only members who had been to every eventWhen did you start cooking?Influenced by my father’s side of the family, I started baking at an early age. I really didn’t venture out from the world of baking until this last year or so, and even still I consider myself to be very new to cooking. My choice to run the club isn’t for me to teach or for me to make other people learn, but to provide a place and system where people of all levels can learn together.Funny/embarrassing moment or story related to cooking?There’s little that’s more embarrassing than putting salt instead of sugar while baking, even if it’s an easy and honest mistake.
What is your favorite dish to eat or your favorite dish to cook?There are definitely two questions to answer there. My favorite dish to cook would have to be a family recipe of angel food cake with a chocolate icing; that’s been a classic in my family for generations. As for my favorite food to eat, that gets more complicated, though I would have to choose a light and fluffy Gnocchi with a light cream-based sauce.Most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten?Something from this list, but goodness knows if I can tell you what: Sea Cucumber, Jellyfish, Camel, Turtle, or Alligator.What do you plan to do with cooking in the future?I intend to just keep on learning, and once I’ve developed a good set of basic skills, continue on to study other cultural styles. Right now, I am only familiar with a bit of Classic European and basic Chinese cooking methods, sometimes with a bit of Mediterranean influence. There’s so much more for me to learn that I haven’t even tasted, let alone attempted to cook.What are your interests outside of Cooking Club?Outside of the Cooking Club, I am an avid martial artist, photographer, and admittedly quite a technology/computer geek.