Making an ATLAS cookbook with Kwan Suppaiboonsuk “I explored the dynamics of food in a community, while learning how to use design tools and improving on organization skills.”

I made an ATLAS cookbook; the main goal was to capture and represent the ATLAS atmosphere and community, and to inspire creativity in the kitchen. To do this, I compiled recipes from ATLAS students and looked at different foods from countries that were represented in ATLAS. I also looked into the science behind tastes, to give a more general introduction on making your own recipes. It started from wanting to do something with writing and design, as well as food.

To make the book, I learned a few different things; I worked with InDesign to format and layout the book, used organizational skills to interview people and convert their answers into a consistent format, and looked into the cultural significance of food for different people. Food brings communities together. It was a bit of a challenge to find a theme to base the book around, but in the end I chose this theme of food in communities and cultures, combined with creativity.

My Personal Pursuit brought me into contact with many members of the community, even those I never really talked to before. I also had a great supervisor; I was helped by a cook at the UT Faculty Club, who guided me in technical cooking skills and how cookbooks in general should work.

If I had more time to further improve on this project, I would like to use more design tools to build a fancier cover lay-out, and try out all the recipes myself. It would also be great to tell a more visual story inside the book through food photography.

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