Learn to Make Grilled Cheese With an Iron From "College & Cook"

"A college food magazine needs to exist," said Miamian Audrey Scagnelli in a dorm room at her alma mater, George Washington University. Scagnelli is founder of College & Cook, an online magazine assembled by undergrads from Florida Gulf Coast, Georgetown, Washington University in St. Louis, Le Cordon Bleu, University of Wisconsin, and Yale, among others.

Scagnelli launched her idea in May of 2011. By January 30, the 86-page online publication went live. An emphasis on DIY, learning to cook, eating local and sustainable foods, and late-night eats thread the debut, which features stunning photography on, say, how to cook with an iron or how to bake five-minute coffee-mug cakes.

A few things highlight the earnestness of the first issue. There's no pimping of Top Chef's Spike Mendelsohn on the cover for an article on cheap eats. The word and is swapped for the ampersand. And the longest feature is the most highbrow, chronicling the meteoric growth of Yale's Sustainable Food Project.

Though Scagnelli cold-called initial contributors from blogs such as Penn Appetit, 17 and Baking, and Lovely Undergrad, two weeks after launch, she's seeing a flood of interest. "It's like Christmas," she said, citing the range of pitches she has received. "It's going to be different this time around." An FSU student will be working on the next issue's design.

The second issue of the quarterly publication is slated for April 10, with a focus on heritage. "We're going to be in Miami in March," said Scagnelli. "Hopefully we can talk to the folks at Versailles."

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