On Feb. 2, members of the newly created Culinary World Explorers Club met for an interest meeting. They introduced officers and discussed the club’s goals and upcoming events like potlucks and other cooking activities. The Culinary Club was created in the second semester of this year by freshman and club president Zara Bukhari.

The club’s officers are all freshmen, and the crowd they attracted for the interest meeting was mainly freshmen and sophomores.

Sophomore Akshatha Perumal noted how the club members were primarily underclassmen and expressed hopes for inventive takes on Bellaire’s club traditions.

“I would like to see the club do various types of fundraising events such as bake sales and food booths,” Perumal said. “I would also like to see what they would do for BISA Fest because all the officers are freshmen and don’t have experience with BISA, [so] maybe that would initiate a creative booth from them.”

Culinary Club already has plans for the year, with its Valentine’s Day Potluck on Feb. 14 and plans for Teacher Appreciation Day in the works. Bukhari’s motivation behind creating the club was to teach members cooking basics, which she believes are important life skills.

“My parents were talking to me one day while I was baking,” Bukhari said. “They said kids nowadays don’t really know how to cook and it’s an important life skill for the future because you can’t survive off of fast foods or instant ramen when you’re in college. So that really sparked something in me.”

Freshman and Culinary Club community outreach officer Katherine Nguyen noticed how committed Bukhari was to this idea.

“I think Zara took the initiative to actually start the club,” Nguyen said. “She really wanted to start to help people learn how to cook, and I just happened to be one of the people who helped her make the club.”

Although gaining attention for the club was “one of the biggest challenges” for Bukhari, the turnout for the interest meeting was much better than she expected.

“I think it actually went pretty well,” Bukhari said. “I didn’t expect so many people to come and was a bit nervous at first seeing everybody and the crowd of people.”

For those who are just starting out with cooking, Bukhari says diving in and trying new things is the key to success.

“Go for it,” Bukhari said. “There’s nothing holding you back, and it’s a life skill that’s definitely worth it. You don’t have to be nervous about burning or ruining anything.”

To keep up with Culinary World Explorers Club, join its Remind @bhschef or follow its Instagram @bellaireculinary.