San José State’s Student Union (SU) hosted a free Fork and Film event for students on Monday night in the Student Union Ballroom, featuring the Pixar animated film “Ratatouille” (2007).
Held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the ballroom transformed a casual movie night into an interactive five-course dining experience during the film, including the Ratatouille dish itself.
Students signed in through the SAMMY app to enter and secure a spot.
Alexis Graesser, the assistant director of the Student Union Events and Programs, said the event idea was introduced during a planning process last year.
“Last semester was our first round of Fork and Film,” Graesser said. “Our students had seen some viral videos, TikToks of people doing kind of like an immersive dinner experience.”
The SU held the event in October, showing “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (2009) with a three-course meal, according to its Instagram post.
Graesser said that after featuring the film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (2009) last semester, the team chose “Ratatouille” for its strong connection to food and dining experience, along with a creative presentation.
“We had a meeting where we sat down and watched every film, and we just jotted down every food that would pop up,” Graesser said. “Then we worked to determine what would fit within a budgeted menu and what the Spartan Eats was able to do.”
Courses served during the movie included mushroom tarts, potato leek soup, cheese and charcuterie, Ratatouille and mini French tarts and sweets.
The planning process went beyond the menu.
Organizers coordinated decorations and incorporated costumes to bring the movie to life.
“This is the first time our staff has put themselves in costumes for an event like this, so we’re really just trying to play into the theme and have a great night,” Graesser said.
Students sat at decorated tables as dishes arrived throughout the film, engaging them with a new way to experience both film and food.
Students who attended described the event as both relaxing and creative.
Kathy Li, a first-year animation student, said that she found the event online and thought it would be interesting to attend.
“Me and my roommate were just scrolling through the SAMMY app and we saw this as one of the upcoming events and we were like ‘Oh this is interesting,’ so we just chose to come here,” Li said.
Graesser said her team hopes to provide relief from the stress of school for students.
“People meet different students at this event that they have never met before, so they find friends,” Graesser said.
Graesser said immersive dining can be expensive in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, making affordability for students a priority.
The Grand Bay Hotel hosted a Fork and Film viewing of “Coco” (2017) on Sep. 20, 2025 and tickets cost $200, according to the Fork n’ Film website.
“We wanted to ensure that students had access to fun things that we could host for them,” Graesser said.
Li said that she was looking forward to the five-course meal during the film.
“I’ve heard about Fork and Film, but I’ve never been to one before,” Li said. “I’m really excited that the food ties into the movies.”
Riya Seth, a first-year civil engineering student, said she was drawn to the combination of food and film appearing at the same time.
“I’m excited for the free food and the movie experience combined,” Seth said.
As the evening ended, both students were impressed by the food.
Seth said she enjoyed the ratatouille dish, a French dish made from eggplant, zucchini, onions, capsicums, tomatoes and garlic, according to Eat for Health.
“I never had it before, so it was like a really good experience,” Seth said.
With the strong and positive outcome of the Fork and Film event, Graesser said the SU team is looking forward to hosting another.
“I would say … it turned out successful, and look to do it in the future as well,” Graesser said.
The next event the Student Union Events and Programs will host is DIY Finals Fuel on May 4, an opportunity to eat cereal and ramen, according to its webpage.
