July/August 2009
Around the Quads
Taste of Morningside Heights Raises $1,000 for Charity
More than 250 students braved torrential wind and rain to sample culinary offerings donated from 18 local restaurants at the first Taste of Morningside Heights, held under a tent on Low Plaza on April 20. Co-sponsored by Inside New York, the Center for Career Education and Bacchanal Events, the event raised nearly $1,000 to help local charities — via Columbia’s Community Impact initiative — fight hunger and food insecurity.
Katie Han ’09, dining editor for Inside New York — Columbia’s comprehensive annual guidebook to local culture — was the event’s mastermind. With New York’s restaurant business struggling and philanthropic efforts at a minimum, Han wanted to find a way to provide local businesses with some extra exposure while raising money for Community Impact.
“Morningside Heights is a unique neighborhood in that the University plays such a huge role — whether direct or indirect — with all of the businesses and restaurants here,” she said. “I wanted to see if we could create a tradition that would be beneficial for Columbia and for the neighborhood, and I think this is a good cause.”
—Text and photos: Daniella Zalcman ’09