The Joy of Cooking: Bush Middle School Style

Part of the Middle School art curriculum last year focused on pop art food, drawing inspiration from the realistic food paintings of Wayne Theibaud to the oversized vinyl sculptures of Claes Oldenburg. 

“Every student has a connection to food in one way or another,” Rebecca said. “Food gives us a window into culture and home life. We all know what food looks like, feels like—it’s so familiar that it’s a great thing for students to refer to in their artwork.” When Head of School Percy L. Abram revealed that the theme for the 2022-2023 school year was “joy,” the idea of re-creating a Middle School edition of the classic best-selling Joy of Cooking cookbook sprang to life. 

During the first quarter of the year, Rebecca’s students worked on submitting recipes and illustrations for the cookbook. 

“Many of them knew immediately what recipe they’d contribute to the cookbook,” Rebecca recalled. “Others had to think long and hard about which recipe they wanted to contribute. One thing that was true across the board was that everyone had something to contribute to the conversation about food and traditions around food in their homes.”

Students drew the accompanying artwork from observations, either from photos of their recipes or from everyday cooking objects brought in as subjects for still lifes. Rebecca limited the drawings to black ink on white paper so that the illustrations could be uploaded and manipulated later in Photoshop. By the third quarter, Rebecca realized she had a whole trove of submissions that could come together into a cookbook.  

One of the joys of the collection is how the personalities of the students shine through the recipes.

For instance, from Kiarash M. ’27’s recipe on “grilled meat:” 

“Grind the beef twice. TWICE, so it will stay on the skewer.” 

In Elias A. ’29’s recipe for ribs, they counsel: 

“If you have a parent who likes to BBQ, invite them to do this with you. Encourage them to get creative and make their own rub or BBQ sauce. Cooking together can be really good for parents, especially if you make it fun for them. Besides, they can be a big help when it comes to lifting pans, opening foil envelopes, and even washing dishes.”

The final instruction on Sam G. ’27’s recipe for “super yummy pancakes” reads:

“Eat. Feel the joy. Go watch a movie. Have a great week.”

Naomi Pleasure-Park, a junior in the visual communication design program at the University of Washington and Rebecca’s daughter, used Adobe InDesign to curate the Middle School students’ illustrations and recipes. The sketch-like drawings by the students were transformed into a whimsical layout filled with egg beaters, can openers, and fruits and vegetables that vary from sophisticated and detailed to innocent and goofy.
 

The final published piece captured the joyful spirit of the Bush Middle School within its pages.

“I really loved hearing from many students that they cooked recipes from the book,” Rebecca said. “I also heard from kids that they were very proud to show the book to their parents and grandparents.”

Celebrating food, heritage, and family tradition in one collection—what better way to spread joy?

by Colin Murray, Communications Manager