August 25, 2025

It’s a stereotype that most college students live on ramen, but three Drexel Culinary Arts and Science students are breaking the mold by using social media to show what they learn at Drexel.

One night, Kayla McCloud and Azarhis Smith were sitting in their freshman dorm, hanging out after a long day of classes. They were watching influencers showcase their cooking skills on TikTok when suddenly, they had an idea.

“We were cooking steak, ... having a nice dinner, … and we were thinking why not record it, … show our major, because … no one really knows that there is a culinary major [at Drexel],” Smith said.

Together with Cristian Ramirez, McCloud and Smith founded the student club ScalesN’ Spices, which is all about cooking and the Drexel and Philly culinary scene.

Now, one year after starting their project, they have been posting videos of how to make beignets, behind the scenes of their culinary classes and multiple restaurant reviews.

“Scales is a space where you can be creative, it’s where you can show your ideas on a plate or show recipes that you want to do… It’s a place where we explore,” said Ramirez.

“It shows that we are more than just cooking and feeding people. It shows the fun side of things, too. People who watch our videos had no idea that this [program] was here, and they come in and love it … we always get good reviews, it’s fun,” said McCloud.

One of McCloud's favorite ScalesN’ Spices moments was the invitation to Amada, a Spanish restaurant in Old City. She and her friends were able to eat for free in return for a restaurant review video, shared on the ScalesN’ Spices Instagram channel.

“It was our first offer to go eat somewhere just because we are making these silly videos, and it meant a lot to us …. We honestly couldn’t be more grateful,” said McCloud.

When they came to Drexel, Smith, McCloud and Ramirez realized that their major didn’t receive the recognition it deserved. Through ScalesN’ Spices, they wanted to change this. “We take pride in what we do, we love what we do, we enjoy what we do, so we just wanted to show it to everyone,” said Smith.

In their videos, they give insights into their classes, senior projects or events organized by the program.

Without the help of the Drexel faculty, ScalesN’ Spices would not be what it is now, McCloud admits.

“They [faculty] love the idea and the initiative that we are taking to have Scales … It's amazing to see how willing they are to make sure that we can use the kitchen, for example,” McCloud said.

“As soon as we told them about the idea, they were on board, they were getting us new ideas and opportunities,” added Smith.

Currently, the ScalesN’ Spices crew is working on a Welcome Week project to showcase their program at Drexel. What exactly they are working on, McCloud didn’t want to say, but you can be sure that she and her friends have creative ideas up their sleeves.

Story and photography by Raphael Bartell, communication '27