CCV students hail from more than 85 countries, and the College celebrates this rich cultural diversity each year at its annual International Food Festival. The event brings people together to “share a dish, share a culture,” and is the biggest, most inspiring potluck this lucky staffer has had the privilege of attending. Last Thursday marked the Festival’s 23rd edition, and dozens of CCV students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered in Winooski, eagerly dishing up foods from around the globe.

Here’s a sample of what was on the menu, along with country or culture of origin:

Yemesser Alicha and Injera bread (Ethiopia and Eritrea)
Roasted chicken, rice, and yogurt sauce (Turkey)
Sweet and savory buns (Hong Kong)
Arroz a la Valenciana (Nicaragua)
Eggrolls (Vietnam)
Samosas (Nepal)
Yellow chicken, fried plantains, cucumber salad, and carrot rice (Angola)
Sagamité (Abenaki)
Sambusa Beef (Somalia)
Coconut Cake (Turkey)
Belgian waffles and peanuts (Angola)
Aunt Karen’s Potato Bread (Germany)

There was a Turkish Mosaic cake, which looked and tasted like a giant Toblerone, only better. There was vanilla strawberry matcha tea. There were crafts for kids, mehndi body art, and tables crowded with friends and classmates and colleagues. I was curious to know what brought so many out to the event, and guests were happy to share:

“I wanted people to try a little bit of my culture and some food that I love, so I wanted to share it and I hope people like it. I think that it is great because we are all able to bring a little bit of our country of origin if we came from another country, and we are also able to meet new people and socialize a little bit. We are all here as a community.” – Heytan, CCV student

“This is one of the highlights of CCV life. Because we have the opportunity of seeing different dishes from all over the world that represent the cultural and linguistic diversity of CCV. And with a dish come the students. So it’s a very unique opportunity.” – Gilberto, CCV staff

“Vermont is a white place, and so getting to try food, and it’s free?! And we’re skipping math [class]?! Oh my god.” – Em, CCV student

“So I can see all the people’s happy faces when they have good food.” – Tashi, CCV staff

“I wanted to make something from my country. I’m from Angola, and this is how we eat.” -Kitutala, CCV student

Director of student advising Amy Stuart is a founder of the International Food Festival.

Amy Stuart is CCV’s director of student advising. She brought the Festival to life more than two decades ago and has been a member of the planning committee ever since. Thursday marked her last Food Festival as an event planner: she’ll retire from CCV this summer after close to 30 years of dedicated service. She reflected on the impact of the IFF, and shared an intention for its future: “That the International Food Festival marks the 23rd time we’ve gathered as a community is evidence of our innate need to nourish ourselves and share… to connect, listen to and learn from one another. The sense of gratitude and belonging I feel, and that my advisees feel, is what we’re after at this event. I think it is what we’re after each day we come together in shared spaces—class, meeting, and virtual Teams rooms. May the 24th, 25th, and the rest of CCV’s International Food Festivals continue to reinforce present-time connections for longstanding relationships.”