Author: Sarah Corsa
Nothing makes a dorm room feel like a beachside resort quite
like Tressy’s Banana-Lime Surprise and a reggae mix.
This recipe/playlist combination is one of many on
SandwichFunk.com, a website created by Occidental alums Avery Henderson and
Tyler Morgan ’12. The collaboration melds Henderson’s musical affinity and
Morgan’s cooking skills into a blog that pairs recipes with playlists based on
the cook and prep time, the vibe of the food and sometimes the time of year.
“If it’s like a summery salad, then maybe [the playlist] is more
upbeat tunes, if it’s like a mac and cheese and it’s cold outside then we’ll do
some nice jazz,” Henderson said.
Food blogs, such as the successful “Joy the Baker” and “Cupcakes and Cashmere,” notoriously target an older female demographic. With Sandwich Funk, Henderson and Morgan acknowledge that this demographic is not the only group of people cooking. Their website intends to
introduce cooking to a younger audience and use music to conquer the age and gender divide. Each recipe is designed for busy young adults who might not have the
resources of a full kitchen.
I chose to make the most dorm-friendly recipe possible, which
meant chopping up bananas, adding lime juice and mixing in some brown sugar.
Even with my amateur cooking abilities, it was easy to pull off. In mere
minutes and with the help of Buju Banton’s “Love Sponge,” I had been
transported for a much-needed mini vacation. Although I am slightly biased
toward bananas, the tangy lime added an initial zest while the brown sugar contributed a subtle caramel sweetness.
The idea for the website emerged from Henderson and Morgan’s
passions while they were at Occidental. Henderson was a music minor and
Morgan the head of Well Fed, the food justice club on campus. All the residents in
their house were music fans as well. Their idea was finally realized because their
roommates doubted they could actually pull through and complete the project.
“We just bought the domain name on the spot so we could just
sort of prove them wrong,” Henderson said. Sandwich Funk officially went live on Oct. 9th.
Some
recipes are created by the duo, others are adapted and many come from a history
of family cooking on both Henderson and Morgan’s sides. Tressy’s Banana-Lime
Surprise, which I made, is a dish from annual family vacations in the Bahamas.
“Every picture that is up [on the website] we cooked and we took
the pictures of,” Morgan said. “They’re all original.”
Now that the blog is up and running, their next goal is to
continue adding content so they can expand to more of a social media
platform that allows visitors to upload their own recipes and respective
playlists, as well as rate and respond to others’ posts. So far the pair has
reached out to Dave’s Chill and Grill near campus to submit a recipe and
playlist. They would like to incorporate other restaurants as well.
The website itself is not only visually appealing (and not just
because of the food), but simple and easy to navigate, despite the fact that neither Henderson or Morgan have any coding experience. The writing for each of the
recipes is entertaining, and I want to make some recipes just so I can listen
to the playlist that goes along with it.
The fusion of music and food may open a two way street, in which people discover new music because they like the food that is paired with it, or vise versa. Next, I may need to venture out of my dorm room and make my way down to a more extensive kitchen so I can see how fried artichoke hearts and The Flaming Lips go together.
Check out Sandwich Funk online because, as the website says,
“No lasagna should be left without an italo-disco accompaniment.”
www.sandwichfunk.com
www.facebook.com/sandwichfunk
Twitter – @sandwichfunk www.twitter.com/sandwichfunk
Instagram – @sandwichfunk
www.pinterest.com/sandwichfunk
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