Student chefs at the Holmes Student Center’s Ellington’s fused sweet potatoes with everyday meals Nov. 11 during their creative and tasty Sweeties meal.

The sweet potato feta salad made for a plain appetizer, but the feta cheese added a tart and creamy twist. It was served with spring mix and red wine vinegar. The red wine vinegar added a sweet, strong taste to a very green starter.

The sweet potato hummus with pita chips was smooth and rich. The hummus was served in a glass container, which also had tahini, garlic, paprika, Marcona almonds and parsley. Even though the pita chips were a tad salty, it was hardly noticeable with the creaminess of the hummus.

The herb-crusted pork loin with mash and green beans entrée was flavored with pinot noir, garlic, rosemary and thyme. There was also sauce, which was made of red wine, beef stock and shallot. The pork loin was tender and juicy. The sauce drizzled over the pork loin added even more flavor to the meat, especially with the help of the beef stock.

The mash, which was made of sweet potato and Yukon gold potato, was delicious and soft. The buttermilk and sour cream evened out the taste of the sweet potato, having it be not too sweet and not too salty or sour.

The green beans were crisp. This added a refreshing but natural taste to the dish. Basil was sprinkled on top of the pork, adding a minty flavor to something juicy.

The sweet potato cookie with cinnamon gelato was something I had never tasted before. Made of nutmeg, cinnamon and raw sugar, it was very hard to taste the sweet potato in the cookies. This was because the cinnamon taste dominated the dessert.

Raspberry-colored syrup was drizzled over the cookies and gelato, which added a splash of color to a small dessert. The gelato neutralized the strong cinnamon taste of the cookies.