This past weekend, students eating at the Rhode Island School of Design’s the Met dining hall were treated to more than just food. The dining hall’s Japanese-themed brunch featured a variety of Japanese dishes and a performance from Japanese drumming group Gendo Taiko.
These themed brunches, hosted every Saturday and Sunday, are some of the busiest meals at The Met. For “Met brunch,” as these meals are called, RISD Dining serves a selection of specialty dishes specific to a theme in hopes of showcasing different cuisines, according to Suzi Cozzens, the assistant manager at RISD Dining and a professor of graphic design.
This weekend’s Japanese-themed brunch featured miso soup, yakisoba, miso cookies and other dishes inspired by the cuisine. In previous weeks, themes have included Italian food, the color green and Hello Kitty, among others.
The brunches began last academic year, and were originally hosted without a theme, Cozzens said. At the beginning, the brunches were simply an opportunity for RISD Dining to experiment with different in-season foods and create a new dining experience for students.
But when a chef at RISD Dining started to explore food from different countries, the idea for a themed brunch was born. For the first brunch — focused on Hungarian food — the dining team “researched Hungarian foods, Hungarian music (and) Hungarian artifacts,” Cozzens said.
RISD Dining begins preparing for each brunch four weeks in advance. Cozzens and Will Jones, a kitchen manager and chef at The Met, discuss what they think students will enjoy and consider what ingredients are in season before selecting a theme.
Alongside the specialty dishes, Met brunch often features an “experience” related to that week’s theme, Cozzens said. For last week’s experience, RISD brought in the Gendo Taiko drummers. Cozzens hopes this added aspect helps students expand “on the idea of the community, of the experience of lingering here a little longer.”
Some students like Sasha Lee, a first-year at RISD, come to Met brunch every week. Lee said they love to see the different themes and “the sense of community” the brunch brings.
But Met brunch attracts more than just RISD students. While Brown students have to pay out of pocket to attend brunch, some Brunonians make the trek down College Hill just to partake in the festivities.
Jack Blocker ’25, who attended Met brunch for the first time this weekend, joked that waiting in line to get a yogurt bowl from Brown’s Andrews Commons is “not as fun” as RISD’s weekend fare.
First-year RISD student Khyree Bonds said they often bring friends from other schools to Met brunch. But they told The Herald they felt “alienated” by the absence of a Black History Month-themed brunch, noting RISD hosted a brunch celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month last year.
David Gould, executive chef and catering director at RISD, wrote in an email to The Herald that while The Met did not organize a Black History Month-themed brunch, RISD Dining “held several events per week throughout the month to celebrate.”
“Our team hosted popup events and station takeovers throughout the month that highlighted Black Chefs, restaurants and makers based in New England,” Gould explained. “The month before, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a brunch designed to honor him and his work around his favorite food and recipes.”
Cozzens hopes Met brunch provides an opportunity for students — often too busy to enjoy a lengthy meal together during the week — to spend more time together.
Met brunch presents a “wonderful culmination of the week for students, but also the beginning of a new one,” Cozzens said.
