About Jank But Dank & Submissions

Jank But Dank was started as a class project, but we plan to expand it even more branching to college students around the world in regards to food, and cooking in specifics. Today, only about 50% of the population of the United States regularly cooks at home. We are sure that a fat percentage of that is due to college students who dont have the time, knowledge, or resources to cook a hearty, yet healthy meal at home. To those college students there is always some time we have to spend in the kitchen. Even if it is less than half an hour, the feeling of being in the kitchen can help ease your mind from the stresses of the school day. As for the lack of knowledge, cooking is about trial and error. If you make a mistake, it could end up being a masterpiece. Now for the resources. We can directly connect with you guys on that. We live in a house with four other guys. Six college guys in an 800 square feet house, you can bet that our kitchen does NOT compare to that of Acquerello (one of many Michelin starred restaruants in San Francisco). In fact our kitchen is usually dirty, cluttered, and the appliances are older than the people who live there. Our goal is to create delicious, healthy meals in the classic college student house kitchen. The website focuses on cooking at home, concoctions made by college students for late night snacking, or meals throughout the day. We like food ALOT here so we open the website for discussion, questions, recipes, funny experiences in kitchens. Although we emphasize on cooking at home mainly, conversations about restaurants that are worth a visit is also encourgaed on the page. We take submissions for the site through the email below. A survival guide for eating college style is coming soon also, so stay posted for more information. Food is a need for all humans, but it is also a great catalyzer for conversation. 

Submissions: JankbutDank@gmail.com

About the Authors

Quinlan Berger 

I am a junior and, originally from New Jersey.  I have always been a very pick eater throughout my whole life.  I have never really been able to understand why because my mom who is originally from Southern California would always cook Mexican food and all different types of dishes while I was growing up.  But I would always be the one in the family eating fries or some other “basic” food while the rest of the family members were feasting on healthy vegetables and maybe pork.  My parents at first really tried to get me to branch out and try new foods but eventually I think they in a way gave up because I was always so stubborn about it.  My dads interest in Cajun food however after a business trip to New Orleans peaked my curiosity and for the first time I really wanted to branch out and try something new.  After trying alligator for the first time, I realized that I had to be a little more open in the foods that I try.  I never would have thought that I would enjoy alligator which I still eat quite frequently to this day.  This was when I was a junior in high school I believe and ever since that I have definitely been a lot more willing to be more adventurous with the food I try.  But this also helped me change my diet because I was willing to try healthier foods as well which I should have been eating all along.  I hardly ate spinach or salad to be quite honest but after eating the alligator, I knew I had to branch out for the sake of my health.  To this day, I still consider myself a picky eater but a rather more adventurous picky eater than before.  I thought it would be great to create a project which offers recipes for fast meals that a college student like me can prepare even with our busy schedules.  Eventually it would be great if our project could possibly be turned in a cooking book that would pretty much be a freshman food survival guide to college.  I wish my parents had given me a little book about what meals to prepare especially on a college students budget, it would have been a life safer. 

Kevin Dehbozorgi 

I am originally from Yorba Linda, California, and a junior Media Studies (focus in journalism) major at the University of San Francisco. Throughout my life food has been incorporated into my mind by several factors. My cultural background, my dad, and my personal interests all drove my passion for food. I come from a Persian family and meals are a huge part of Persian traditions. At least once a week my family would get together and enjoy a meal with several classic Persian dishes. There is a Persian saying that says, "The best Persian food will be found in the home". I couldn't agree more with that phrase. Delicious meals surrounded by people you love and care about, it cannot get better than that. My dad's impact on my life gastronomically started when I was a baby. My father grew up on an orchard and farm in Shiraz, Iran through his adolesence. He experienced fresh, sustainable ingredients, right in his vast backyard. By living on this farm he was able to learn to appreciate the value of plants and animals. Through this process of seeing how his food gets to his plate he understands the true quality and respect people need for their food. By experiencing this himself, he taught me the beauty that nature can offer us in order to keep our stomachs and bodies satisfied. A couple of my first memories tasting different foods has been with my dad. I tried my first strawberry and fig with my father, and both were interesting memories for my palatte. As I grew older I helped my dad cook and bake different things ranging from flatbread to steaks over an open flame. Along with cooking with my dad, during these times I was lost on what I wanted to do career wise. (Much) Later I realized that I wanted to talk about food as a career. Two people that have become my idols, and I hope to one day follow in their footsteps are Francis Mallmann and Anthony Bourdain. Cooking food is the one entity that truly differentiates us from animals. We are able to change the compounds and taste of certain foods by cooking. In order to survive we have been cooking for the past 1.9 million years. This is food's job, not only to sustain our lives physically, but to create an aura of emotion and connection with one another.