Through the chaos of high school life, food is often a way to destress, foster memories, and bring people together. Taste and texture ease hard feelings, bring delight, and offer comfort in a way nothing else can. Take a look at some of students’ favorite comfort foods.
Freshmen Annette Tompkins and Willa Nagel-Allhoff share a love for mashed potatoes, a traditional American staple.
“It kind of warms your heart [and] just makes you feel warm,” Tompkins said.
For Nagel-Allhoff, the creamy classic has been a comfort food since second grade. She has grown up eating mashed potatoes and recalls savoring them after visiting the orthodontist.
Both students enjoy mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, with Nagel-Allhoff especially relishing her mom’s homemade version. For them, the dish is a simple but reliable favorite that radiates a sense of comfort and familiarity.
For senior Sam Rousseau, comfort comes in a mug. Hot chocolate has been a staple since childhood, tied to Christmas Eve viewings of The Polar Express. “We would mix big marshmallows in together,” Rousseau said.
Rousseau especially cherishes the beverage’s soothing essence. “It’s the perfect amount of creaminess but also flavor,” he said. “It makes me feel warm inside and cozy, instantly.”
Now Rousseau drinks hot chocolate a few times a week. “Usually [I drink it] on nights after I’ve done a lot of homework, as a quick reset before bed,” he said. Drinking hot chocolate on both holidays and difficult nights, Rousseau added, is a family tradition passed down from his parents, who grew up drinking it themselves.
Sophomore Cody Ross finds comfort in Starbucks’ strawberry cake pops.
Ross was introduced to the sweet treat by his grandmother when he was younger. “We used to go to Starbucks every morning when I’d go to school,” Ross said.
Now, he enjoys Starbucks cake pops on a regular basis, appreciating their nostalgic flavor. “My grandma is probably one of my favorite people,” he said.
Senior Juliet West finds comfort in pasta. “It’s really delicious, and it makes me feel cozy,” she said.
The food reminds her of some of her favorite family memories, including a trip she took to Barcelona a few years back. “We went to an Italian place [in Barcelona] and they had really good pizza and pasta,” she said.
While West appreciates many variations of pasta, she reserves a special place in her heart for her father’s home-cooked vodka pasta. “He’s really good at cooking, and we eat it as a family,” she said.
Sushi is junior Josiah Staadt’s comfort food. He was introduced to the meal as a kid by his older sister and has since grown a particular fondness for the spicy variety.
For Staadt, the dish has always been a source of warmth and comfort, carrying a deep personal significance. “I first had it when I was 6, and it was after a really big, stressful thing happened to me,” Staadt said. “Ever since then, every time I eat sushi, it just helps me.”
