Dickinson students enjoyed about 100 tacos cooked by Top Chef Master competitor and judge Chef Hugh Acheson on Britton plaza as a fundraise for Acheson’s foundation, Seed Life Skills, an organization that aims to better economics curriculums in public schools.

Seed Life Skills “rewrites home economics curriculums for public schools,” said Acheson who started this organization three years ago after “being in public schools and seeing what they needed and what was important for all kids of every shape and color and economic background to know, like what are the skills that will make us a better society.”

This event not only benefits Seed Life Skills, but the students of Dickinson who were lucky enough to enjoy tacos described as “incredible” and “to die for” by students. Noah Frank ’20 even said, “I’m changing my major to taco studies,” after eating a taco from this former Top Chef Master competitor.

In addition to competing on Top Chef Master season three, Acheson judged Top Chef during seasons nine through twelve. He is currently on a 25 city book tour with taco demonstrations at each stop to benefit Seed Life Skills. This is the second time Acheson has cooked for Dickinson students, the first time being last year on the farm.

“We did a dinner here at the farm with the GATHERed series last year and just really truly loved and adored the idea of this place, so it was just good to come back,” said Acheson. “It’s a crowd that I think really likes what we do and we like what they’re doing, and it just works.” Students clearly liked “what they did,” finishing all 100 tacos available in just a half hour of Acheson being on Britton.

Espoir DelMain ’21, the recipient of the last taco, said, “it’s so important people were working on more than just food but also who has access to what foods and why.” She further commented that “the food ingredients and recipes [Acheson] choose were intentional in what communities [he was] valuing and honouring,”which resulted in tacos that she described as “delicious!”

The Chef and the Slow Cooker includes 100 recipes that can be made in a crock pot, but Acheson could not choose his favorite dish to cook, saying he likes to make “anything that’s good and in season.” He concluded that “being a chef, cook and lover of food is having enough skills to adapt to what’s in front of you.”

Acheson visited the Dickinson campus on Tuesday, Nov. 14. All tacos were filled with slow-cooked pork, stewed for 12 hours, with home-made salsa, in a griddled-up tortilla. These were sold alongside t-shirts and his latest cookbook The Chef and the Slow Cooker, with the proceeds going to Acheson’s foundation, Seed Life Skills.