Read, Cook, Eat: Jhumpa Lahiri’s "The Namesake"Special EventIn-Person
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2026
5:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m.
The School of Cooperative Technical Education
321 E 96 Street
New York, NY 10128
Our partner, Coop Tech, is hosting this event.
Join us for an evening of literature and cooking as we explore Jhumpa Lahiri’s symbolic use of food in her novel, The Namesake. While preparing a selection of vegetarian dishes, we’ll discuss how Lahiri’s meals evoke longing, belonging, and the complex negotiations of identity and assimilation across generations and continents. Lively conversation and delicious food will mingle in this hands-on exploration of culture, story, and taste. An excerpt from the novel will be required reading. Food allergies can be accommodated.
Cost: $15 (a $45 value, includes supplies and dinner)
Early booking exclusively for Academy Fellows*
Through December 26th, Fellows can purchase a ticket for $15. Space is very limited!
*You are a Fellow of the Academy for Teachers if you have been accepted to, and attended, an in-person master class.
Eric Zimmerman
John Faciano teaches at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, where he has taught AP literature and composition for over thirty years. He is an ECF mentor and Fellow with the Academy for Teachers, and one of the proud coaches of the Academy’s famed softball team, The Detentions. Out of the classroom and off the field, John can be found searching thrift stores for that elusive first edition of Ulysses.
Niki Rosenthal has been a culinary arts teacher for ten years with the NYC Department of Education, currently teaching at the School for Cooperative Technical Education (Coop Tech). She brings over ten years of experience working in the food industry at fine dining restaurants, catering companies, and in school food service. As a teacher, she prepares students to enter the culinary field or just gain life skills, and engages and empowers students by connecting with them and incorporating the diverse cultures represented in the student population.