Cookin', but not Boozin'

Though Cabot House's famed jazz nightclub Cookin' will reopen next week, "mixing", as in alcohol, will no longer be a part of the club's ambiance.

Cookin', which reopens October 18, will comply with Harvard's new regulations prohibiting the serving of alcohol at any University-wide event.

But, unlike most house committee chairs who have expressed dismay at the new policy, the student managers of Cookin' say that they hope the lack of beer will keep away those students who came merely to drink.

According to Cookin' president Michael W. Rabow '87, the club was originally designed as a showcase for Harvard musicians to experiment. The managers strictly enforced the Cabot House alcohol regulations, and there were few problems.

However, the reputation of the Quad saloon spread. Performances by popular local bands and the improvisational group "On Thin Ice" packed the basement club wall-to-wall. The intimate nightclub for couples soon turned into what vice president Diane M. Paulus '88 termed "an organized party." Some nights the crowd numbered in the hundreds, and lines formed around Cabot House.

Cabot House administrators stepped in and, in an effort to reduce the numbers and prevent serious problems, forbade alcohol in the club. But before this could have any noticable effect on the turnout, the spring semester reading period began and Cookin' closed for the summer.

Next Friday, when the club opens with a jazz concert by a small group of musicians led by Micael J. Youmans '86, the owners will be able to tell whether Cookin' will still be hot.