About 135 Santa Fe College students, faculty and staff sampled foods from around the world between classes Tuesday afternoon.
The International Food Festival was part of a week of events the Santa Fe’s Multicultural Student Center hosted to raise awareness on multiculturalism. Other events planned for Monday through Friday include a foreign movie screening and language-speaking cafe, the student center’s coordinator Myrna Cabrera said.
Cabrera, who has hosted the free food festival at least 10 times in the past, said this year’s theme was wheat.
“I try to educate students, the faculty and the staff here how people eat wheat in many different places,” she said.
Attendees who visited the tables set up in the Oak Grove on campus tried foods from Lebanon, India, Italy, France, China and the United States. The student center served pita bread, tabbouleh, hummus, naan, chicken curry, fried wontons, doughnuts and baguettes, and the food was catered by local restaurants including Gyro Plus and Indian Cuisine, Cabrera said.
Amha Tesfaye, a Santa Fe political science junior, helped set up the event and served food. The Ethiopian-American student’s favorite dishes at the festival were chicken curry and naan bread.
“It was delicious,” the 24-year-old said. “I love international food and culture.”
As music from across the globe played in the background, Tesfaye met another student who also spoke French and said he felt excited to be a part of such an international space.
Cabrera said the event was aimed at appealing to the five senses.
“(Attendees) will listen to music, they will read information, they will see art, they will smell the food, they will taste the food,” Cabrera said. “They are learning something.”
Note: This article previously spelled Myrna Cabrera's name incorrectly, but was edited to reflect the correct spelling.
