Celebrating Thanksgiving the Caltech Way

By tradition, Caltech celebrates Thanksgiving early and often, with multiple meals and cooking demonstrations to help get students and staff into the holiday spirit.

On the Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving, Caltech's Graduate Student Council and the Caltech Postdoctoral Association host a dinner for graduate students, postdocs, and their families in Chandler Dining Hall. Chandler staff members cook the meal, and the students, administrators, deans, and directors all eat together—a tradition that began in 2010.

For more than 25 years, Tom Mannion, senior director for student activities and programs, has guided the residents of Caltech's student houses through the process of preparing and presenting a holiday feast to share. This year on Thanksgiving Day, more than 400 graduate and undergraduate students will share more than 32 turkeys in meals served in various campus houses.

Mannion also conducts cooking demonstrations for students each year. In the video below, he shares his simple recipe for Southern-style biscuits—as well as the underlying science behind the baking.