This year’s One-Book-One-Wolcott summer read invited students to choose from three powerful books: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir by Kwame Onwuachi, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan. The program culminated on Friday with a campus-wide celebration that brought reading, conversation, and community to life.
We were thrilled to welcome an incredible lineup of guests who shared their expertise and passion with our students: Chase Baggs ’17 (Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations representing Little BEEst Hot Sauce), Jenny Yang (Phoenix Bean Tofu), Pat Vasunirachorn (Nori Sushi), Tamar Mizrahi P’28 (Goddess and the Baker), Ghada Awad (Old Jerusalem), Noah Payne ’19 and Dr. O (Young, Black, Chefs), Carlos Bencini (Ben’s Grill), Max Musto (Herbivore Chicago), and Heidi Coudal (Big Delicious Planet). Together, they sparked conversations and led activities that connected directly to the themes of food, culture, and identity explored in the summer reading selections.
The celebration came to a close with a spirited Top Chef–style cook-off, where Dr. O, Noah Payne, and Max Musto battled it out at the grill to see who could create the ultimate burger. After plenty of tasting and deliberation, our student judges crowned Noah’s burger the winning bite for Best Vegetarian Burger, while Dr. O took home the prize for Best Carnivore Burger!
A huge thank-you to everyone who helped bring this joyful day to life—we are so grateful for the energy, creativity, and community spirit that made it unforgettable.
