The Recipes that Feed Sagehens’ Souls

Technically speaking, the recipe for Beach Fire S’mores requires only three ingredients. But making this delectable dessert, as described by Jinyao DeSandies ’29, conjures up memories of a noteworthy Friday night.

DeSandies and her friends, intrepid participants in Pomona’s Orientation Adventure 2025, set out to find a San Diego shoreline fire pit. They stacked firewood, debated the best way to toast marshmallows — “rotate slowly, close but not touching the fire,” DeSandies advises — and enjoyed their sweet treat. She didn’t make it back to campus until after 1 am. “We got an amazing experience hanging out and starting a fire together,” DeSandies says. “Life is really about random adventures, and this was one of my favorite ones.”

DeSandies offered her recipe in response to a recent submission request for a second edition of the Pomona College Cookbook, which was first published in 1987. Organizers from the Pomona College Alumni Association Board are asking for help from students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends to identify recipes that could be included.

Eliza Bennitt ’98, who is helping to assemble the cookbook, submitted a recipe for her Grandma Joan's Pasta Sauce. It was the only delicious recipe she knew how to cook during — and for many years after — college. “I’ve made it for Pomona friends over and over,” Bennitt says. “It’s a great dinner party option. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, so busy young adults and tired parents can pop a batch out of the freezer and heat it up for a quick, tasty meal.”

Some of the recipes that have been submitted thus far are community favorites. “Frary used to regularly serve delicious Green Enchiladas,” says Frances Sutton ’22, who offered that suggestion. “I was obsessed with them, and they were one of the dishes I missed most when we left campus suddenly in 2020.”

Other recipes are creative improvisations, modified to suit the submitter’s taste or budget, such as the recipe for Coop Weenies con Huevos Burritos. Stuart Friedel ’08 submitted a condiment — one part BBQ sauce to one part honey mustard — a comically simple dining hall hack that he calls Friedel Sauce, which featured prominently in his senior project.

Miami-style Rice and Beans is Gerard Lapuente’s ’27 recipe. “It reminds me of home — Miami, which is very multicultural — and is a dish I feel I can make and share with my fellow Posse members and Posse Plussers!” Lapuente says. His version is heavy on the aromatics, including cloves, garlic, onions and other seasonings. “Rice dishes are my favorite, and I want to share that joy with the people I meet at Pomona.”

“The Alumni Board thinks that the cookbook will be a great way to engage the alumni community and that it will become a keepsake for years to come,” says Jim Sutton ’84 P’22, who is helping to organize the Pomona College Cookbook effort with Bennitt and others. “Everyone will have a chance to get their own copy once it’s complete.”

Food is central to Pomona campus culture. Living with others and sharing meals builds community. And a love of eating together comes naturally at a small college where everyone knows everyone else.

Many alumni have vibrant memories of meals they ate in the dining halls during their time at Pomona — and most have created even more Sagehen memories at dinner parties with friends since graduating. “I think that while food trends and culinary experiences have changed throughout the decades, there are going to be some threads running through the recipes and stories that are going to feel quintessentially Pomona,” Bennitt says.

For the new cookbook, Bennitt and Sutton encourage current students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends to submit recipes and food stories with some connection to Pomona, though all recipes are welcome.

“There are so many ways that food is woven into our nostalgia about a time and a place,” Bennitt says. “I’m interested to see what people come up with.”

To contribute your recipe, please complete this submission form.