This one required real pre-production. Days before the event, I coordinated an outside kitchen and a full team of cooks to prepare the fried plantains in advance, and went with Babish himself to test the recipe and make sure every element met his standard. The night of, an assembly team refried the plantains and built the final dish live so every person in attendance could taste exactly what he made.

A three-person panel, including the head of IU Dining, provided live commentary during the demonstration, grounding the experience in food culture and campus community. After the cooking wrapped, we screened Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Food, film, and fandom in one evening.