Saturday will mark a milestone for the All Nations Club as they host the 25th International Food Festival, an accumulation of recipes chosen by NMU’s international student body.
The festival has always been a success, said senior international studies major Katie Joseph. As president, Joseph wants the message of international collaboration to be evident.
“The idea is to try and bring international food from all over the world to a global level so we can show everyone in Marquette what delicious food there is,” Joseph said. “Food really does bring people together.”
Members of the club submit traditional recipes from their country to be created and served to the public. The dish has to be relatively easy to make in bulk, since the festival sees between 200 and 250 people on average.
“The entire community loves it,” Joseph said. “I think it’s the largest international event in Marquette. It really gathers a lot of people.”
Food preparation and decorating started Wednesday in the Jacobetti to ensure a smooth process for the festival. The event will take place in the Jacobetti Center Commons area from 5-7 p.m.
The set-up will be different than past years, Joseph said. The food will be broken up by regions of the world. Each dish will be accompanied by background information and stories to present a better learning experience for those in attendance. Like years past, flags loaned by the International Programs Office will be hung to celebrate every country.
A variety of foods representing the nationalities of the All Nations Club members will be available. With nearly 30 Korean students, there will be many Korean dishes such as Korean barbecued ribs and kimchi pancakes, Joseph said. Brazilian pao de queijo, Ecuadorian ceviche, Spanish arroz con leche, Egyptian basbousa and German potato salad are just a few of the other dishes that will be featured.
The All Nations Club adviser, geography professor Weronika Kusek, said she’s excited about the variety of dishes that will be served.
“I really look forward to the desserts. I’m a dessert person and they will be great,” Kusek said. “I heard there was food from Poland, and being from Poland, I can’t wait to try it.”
In the past, the International Food Festival has been accomplished exclusively by the All Nations Club. This year, NMU’s English Language Institute (ELI), collaborated to bring new ideas to the table and raise awareness for the ELI program.
The ELI program helps international students with English skills before they pursue a degree in the United States, said ELI instructor Tiffany Comfort. ELI students are volunteering and submitting recipes.
Comfort said she loves working with the students and helping them advance their skills to succeed here.
“In a classroom, I could have three or four students from every part of the world,” Comfort said. “Last semester we had a student from the Congo sitting next to a student from Saudi Arabia who was sitting next to a student from South Korea who was next to a student from Mexico. Getting a different perspective on different topics is amazing.”
In addition to providing volunteers for the festival, Comfort’s husband will be the musical entertainment, providing sounds of Ecuador, his home country.
The Jacobetti Center and the culinary students have contributed a lot of time to the festival, especially Chris Kibit who has been coordinating the actual food itself, Joseph said.
Attending the festival is important for the community because it’s an opportunity people in the U.P. don’t get, Joseph said. The learning experience offers a lot to both students.
“Even though NMU doesn’t have a ton of international students compared to other universities, they still exist,” Joseph said. “Sometimes there’s a lot of isolation in the U.P. and you don’t necessarily get to see a ton of people. But if you look around, there really are a lot of cool people from other cultures.”
Kusek said she hopes there is tremendous support from the community to parade the hard work of all the students.
“I am really proud of this organization. They do so much. Their commitment to promoting a cultural interaction and diversity on the NMU campus is priceless,” Kusek said. “Their efforts in facilitating the cultural interaction between American and international students is something I don’t think is recognized by the campus community.”
Tickets can be bought from members of the All Nations Club. In addition, the secretary in the International Programs Office is also selling them.
Students can purchase tickets for $7 at the door or $5 in advance. Non-student tickets are $12 at the door and $10 in advance.
