Spoon University was founded in 2013 by Sarah Adler and Mackenzie Barth, two Northwestern University students. Living off-campus, they struggled to cook and navigate local dining options, noticing a lack of food media tailored to college students. They launched a food-focused magazine and website at Northwestern, which quickly grew to over 100 student contributors.
The platform expanded to other campuses, driven by student interest, becoming a crowd-sourced food network for millennials. By 2015, it raised $2 million in funding and now operates chapters at over 200 campuses worldwide, offering recipes, reviews, and food-related content
National Geographic: The story of how the lobster roll became New England’s most iconic food