Spanish and Portuguese Studies, UMass Dining Host Food Expert Rosi Song to Promote Sustainability and Catalan Cooking

The Spanish and Portuguese Studies program in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures has partnered with UMass Dining to promote food sustainability and Catalan cuisine with events scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

Events include a cooking workshop with students at Worcester Dining Commons and a public lecture at the Student Union, both led by food studies expert H. Rosi Song, professor of modern languages and cultures at Durham University (U.K.) and co-author of the book "A Taste of Barcelona: The History of Catalan Cooking and Eating."

Song's lecture, "Writing Catalan Culinary Identity," will be held Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom, and will be followed by a reception with some samples of Catalan tapas, cocktails and mocktails. Song has been consulting with Dining Services through the summer to select the menu for the reception and adapt Catalan recipes to local ingredients.

On Sept. 30, students dining at Worcester will be able to try some of Song's creations with UMass Dining, including roast chicken with samfaina, coca (flatbread) with escalivada, and the famous dessert crema catalana. Song will also be on-site leading a workshop for student ambassadors.

"There is no better place to promote Catalan food than UMass," says David Rodríguez-Solás, professor of Spanish and Portuguese studies and organizer of Song's visit. "We are the only public university in the country offering a minor in Catalan Studies. Catalan culture has had a strong presence in our campus for the last 15 years. In addition, Dining Services has demonstrated a commitment to educating our campus community about food."

The UMass Spanish and Portuguese Studies program received the 2025-26 North American Catalan Society Chair Grant to host Song to present on her project RELISH (Reframing European Gastronomy Legacy through Innovation, Sustainability and Heritage). The recipient of a multi-million-euro research grant from Horizon Europe, RELISH is a project that retools the idea of what recipes are to deploy them as tools for education paying attention to storytelling, engagement with climate change and cultural identity.

UMass Dining has been nationally recognized for their sustainability efforts partnering with local farms and fair-trade purveyors, as well as reducing food waste. It has been voted for eight consecutive years number one Best Campus Food by The Princeton Review.

More information about the events can be found on the Spanish and Portuguese Studies program website.