When the lunch rush at Gilbert’s slows down, Easton Area High School senior Alex Cohen contributes her chalk drawings to the blackboards to add some color to the cafe.
“I started doing this around Thanksgiving,” Cohen said. “At first, I drew the Leopard, but ever since I did that drawing for the Lafayette versus Lehigh game, I’ve continued with it. We had a bunch of chalkboard markers, so it seemed like a good idea because it helps when things get slow here.”
Cohen got her job at Gilbert’s after working at The Trolley Stop for four months before it closed. She now works at Gilbert’s three days a week.
Most of Cohen’s drawings, which take roughly 20 minutes to complete between her kitchen tasks, find a home on the blackboard behind the cash registers. During the last few months, Cohen has been adding drawings that reflect the late winter season.
For the Super Bowl in mid-February, Cohen drew the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs logos above her Valentine’s Day drawing of Snoopy carrying valentine cards. As Mardi Gras approached, she added colorful masquerade masks, streamers, feathers and a trumpet with musical notes to celebrate the New Orleans holiday.
Students across campus have taken notice of Cohen’s drawings. “I see the drawings every time I go to Gilbert’s, and I think they’re really cute,” Maria Cangro ’24 said.
“The drawings are really cute and it’s one of those small things that makes you smile and mention it to your friends in conversation later in the day,” Olivia Bamford ’24 said.
Cohen is already thinking about what she wants to draw in the future. She is considering the upcoming holidays as her major source of inspiration.
“I guess once it gets to March, I’ll do St. Patrick’s Day,” Cohen said. “I guess once we get into spring, I’ll do flowers or something.”
