The Wilfrid Laurier campus was truly blessed this past Tuesday night with a visit from television foodie, model and delectable dish himself, Antoni Porowski.
On Nov. 19, the Students’ Union hosted, “An Evening with Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski” in Laz 1001 that was open to Laurier and non-Laurier students.
Falling in line with the Students’ Union’s promotional campaign, #SUdoesThat, to raise awareness among the student body at Laurier about the events and programming organized through the SU and funded through the Social Programming Fee, avocado loving Antoni proved to be quite popular with the campus community.
Arriving at the event proved to be hectic, with a large crowd waiting in the atrium of Laz Hall with no clear distinction or organization of where the “line” started or ended.
After the general confusion over seating and waiting in lineups passed, Antoni finally graced the stage in front of a packed room of eager Queer Eye fans.
Twan Dieker, VP of programming and services, moderated the question and answer portion of the night, guiding Antoni through a stream of quick-witted back-and-forths that proved to be hilariously off-topic at times, but incredibly entertaining.
The Fab Five star regaled the audience with stories from his past and his Canadian roots, describing his journey and growth from an “angsty” young adult into the charming Netflix personality he’s known to be today.
Relating to every student in the room, he exclaimed, “College is fucking hard!”
Antoni seemed effortless onstage in spite of his self-professed social anxiety, and navigated the questions he was asked with ease and appropriate depth and thoughtfulness.
Casually waving off the phone alarm that could be heard in the audience, he made everyone laugh as he joked his way through his answers and stories.
A corgi, a personal favourite dog breed of Antoni’s, was brought onto the stage as a surprise for him, and he gushed over the well-trained pup to the chorus of “aww’s” that could be heard from the crowd.
The night fully showcased his charming personality, and it’s clear that he enjoyed being there.
After the Q&A portion of the evening, Antoni flexed his food muscles by preparing a simple dish that’s inexpensive to make, but slightly more refined and flavourful than a typical student meal.
He called up a girl from the audience to help him make the dish, chatting with her casually while he chopped his in-season citrus and praised the versatility and flavour of fennel.
The salad he made was a recipe from his cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, and it was apparent that he could have thrown together pretty much anything and people would have gladly watched him without complaint.
After he finished his cooking demonstration, Antoni left the stage and the night came to a close.
Not only was he down to earth, he also proved to be engaging and insightful throughout the course of the hour he was there.
With his natural charisma and quirky charm that made him a joy to watch, it’s comforting to know that at the end of the day, People Magazine’s Sexiest Reality Star is really a humble little Canadian boy at heart.
