Ellen Hu ’24
Editor-in-Chief
Every Thursday at 9:45 p.m., 5C students line the length of Pomona College’s Smith Campus Center while chatting with their friends or anxiously texting their groups to get there soon. All of them eagerly wait for a wagon of bread to arrive.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, The Claremont Colleges have seen the rise and success of two student-run organizations providing food and drinks. Claremont Challah and Milk and Honey both operate out of Pomona College’s Smith Campus Center and are quite popular among the student body.
Claremont Challah is a student-run club through Pomona College that sells individual-sized challah bread every Thursday at 9:45 p.m. and Friday at 9:45 a.m. While the sales begin at 9:45, oftentimes students will begin lining up for the bread as early as 9 p.m.
“People should get in line early if they want a special flavor,” Emma Fukunaga ’24 said. “They sell out and you don’t want to miss it.”
The club consistently sells cheesy garlic, chocolate chip, cinnamon, and chocolate chip cinnamon options, but also offers a flavor of the week that is announced on Instagram each Thursday. Matcha red bean, everything but the bagel, and pesto parm are just a few offerings on their regularly rotated flavor roster.
The bread can be purchased using flex or Claremont Cash and costs $4 for each piece. According to the club’s Instagram account, Claremont Challah aims to “increase food justice and access to the community.” Proceeds from their sales go towards local charities, food banks, and mutual aid funds, which are decided at the end of each semester.
Claremont Challah is always looking for volunteers — opportunities to bake and sell the challah are available through the club’s Instagram account. Volunteers receive one free challah as compensation for their time.
Oftentimes students waiting in line for challah also visit Milk and Honey to grab a boba fix for the week. Open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9:45 p.m., the student-run boba shop operates out of what is usually Cafe 47.
Their menu consists of four different drink categories and offers three types of toppings. In addition to the regular menu items, the organization creates specials that change every week.
In the spring 2023 semester, some of the special flavor offerings included matcha coconut, wintermelon rose, and a chai brown sugar latte. Drink prices range from $4.50 to $5.50 and can be paid for using flex or Claremont Cash.
For more information and to stay up to date on each of these organizations, follow Claremont Challah at @claremont_challah and Milk and Honey at @milkandhoneyclaremont.
Image Source: Ellen Hu ’24
