Nutrition & Hospitality Mgt Celebrates 100 Years

Cookbook, event throughout the department’s achievements

The Department of Nutrition and Hospitality will release the cookbook ‘Are You Ready? 100 Years of Family, Friends and Food’ on Sept. 6. Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Communications.

OXFORD, Miss. – Filled with recipes and reminiscences from alumni, faculty and others, ”Are You Ready?™ 100 Years of Family, Friends and Food” offers a new collection of recipes and culinary tips sure to delight cooks and foodies of any age. The cookbook launch is set for 5-7 p.m. Sept. 6 at Off Square Books, kicking off a yearlong celebration of the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management‘s 100-year anniversary.

The Department of Home Economics, now known as the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, was chartered through the schools of Education and Medicine before the 1913-14 academic year. The department, often referred to as NHM, has changed in many ways since 1913, said Kathy Knight, interim department chair.

“Some may wonder why we are celebrating an anniversary when we have so many exciting things going on in the present,” Knight said. “We are excited about our present and our future. The NHM faculty, staff and students want to take this opportunity to honor all our former faculty and students, whether they graduated from Home Economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, or Nutrition and Hospitality Management.”

Samples from a selection of recipes prepared by students from the department will be available for tasting at the kickoff event. The book includes cover art by Mississippian Lisa Paris, a foreword by John T. Edge and showcases stories from many interesting Ole Miss alumni and friends. It also includes a few favorite recipes from the department’s first cookbook ”Rebel Recipes.”

“So much can be said for food and the role it plays in family dynamics,” said Charlotte Oakley, adjunct professor of nutrition and hospitality management and editor of “Are You Ready?™.“ ”The Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management has a long tradition related to quality food for family, friends and communities. We hope the cookbook will bring those who use it closer to the university and the department. We can’t think of a more fun or personal way than through good food and happy cooking experiences with the cookbook to stay connected to our students, graduates and others who love Ole Miss.”

In his foreword to the book, Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, says, “Long before Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri became culinary demigods, the women who studied here at the University of Mississippi, back before the current Department of Nutrition and Hospitality was born, were busy defining excellence in cookery, nutrition, hospitality and other domestic arts. With this cookbook, those women – and the men who followed them – get the opportunity to tell their story.”

Proceeds from sales of ”Are You Ready?™” will help fund educational endeavors for students and faculty. Copies of the cookbook are available within the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management in Lenoir Hall, online at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/nhm or at bookstores and gift shops around the region.

The Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management will also be selling ”Are You Ready? ™” in the lobby of The Inn at Ole Miss the Friday before and on the lawn of Lenoir Hall the Saturday of each home football game this fall.

The department has several other events planned throughout the 2013-14 academic year to commemorate the milestone anniversary, including an NHM tailgate on the Lenoir Hall lawn before all home football games, and an open house and the presentation of the department’s homecoming float during the parade on Oct. 25. The department also will host an anniversary celebration Oct. 24 at Lenoir Hall.

The celebration will conclude with the NHM Graduation Celebration, set for May 9 at Lenoir Hall.

Knight said she believes the celebration is important because “this department and its graduates have been improving the lives of Mississippians since 1913. We have made school lunches more nutritious, helped athletes perform better and made hospitality and retail operations more efficient through our research and service. Most importantly, we have excelled at preparing our students for their chosen professions and given them all a great University of Mississippi education.”

For more information and a complete list of centennial celebration events, contact the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management at 662-915-7371 or visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/fcs/.

— Staff Report, Ole Miss Communications