On December 11, sophomore Claire Levin sent out an email to the Parker community announcing the creation of a “Parker Cookbook.” This cookbook will consist of recipes from anyone in the community that are significant to their families. Contributors will email the recipe to Levin, along with a paragraph describing its significance. Levin is hoping to get a total of around 30 or more recipes and is planning on testing each of the recipes at home. She intends to sell the cookbooks for $5-10 to the community at the end of the year after compiling the recipes, with all of the proceeds being donated to Lakeview Pantry.

Levin came up with the idea of a “Parker Cookbook” after eating matzah brei, which is a significant dish in her family, and then talking to one of her friends from school who had never tried the dish. “It is such an everyday thing in my family, that I couldn’t help wondering what other foods and bits of other people’s cultures I myself was missing,” Levin said. “I think it is really important to better understand one another as a community, and one way of doing this is getting this little bit of homelife from everybody.”

Levin hasn’t received any recipes yet, which she thinks has to do with students being busy with finals. She will be open when it comes to deciding which recipes to include in the cookbook, but she hopes to receive some unique recipes. “Recipes that seem very different than what seems like mainstream Parker culture, I may prioritize,” Levin said, “just so people get a taste of something that they may not recognize.”

Levin hopes to include a series of photos of her dish-making process to help with the steps. If the cookbook is successful, Levin plans on doing different volumes such as dessert and family dinner. “I may start a club out of this,” Levin said, “but I don’t know how much access I would have to kitchens.”

Outside of Parker, sharing family mealings is still important, according to Levin, which is why she has chosen to donate the future cookbook profits to Lakeview Pantry. Levin said, “Giving everyone the chance to experience a home cooked meal no matter their background is essential.”