{"id":56355,"date":"2024-04-15T17:09:28","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T21:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=56355"},"modified":"2024-04-15T20:45:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T00:45:47","slug":"cuisines-compete-at-international-food-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2024\/cuisines-compete-at-international-food-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuisines compete at International Food Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Harrisonburg, Virginia, couple Mohammad Khatiri <\/strong>and Ayam Ali<\/strong>, who bake cheesecakes and sell them online through the @CakeMe_am<\/a> Instagram account, their first-place finish at EMU\u2019s 10th International Food Festival<\/strong> proves they\u2019re ready to pursue their passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis win tells us that people really love our cheesecakes,\u201d Ali said, \u201cand that we should continue making them and actually start a business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Mohammad Khatiri and Ayam Ali bake cheesecakes and sell them online through their Instagram page. They took home first-place honors at the International Food Festival.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Ali and Khatiri were one of 21 teams of chefs competing in the contest held on Friday, April 12. The competition, regarded as one of the most popular events at EMU, is hosted by the International Students Organization (ISO) <\/strong>and the International Food Festival Committee<\/strong>. It provides a chance for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to share traditional dishes from their cultures and enjoy delicious foods from all over the world. <\/p>\n\n\n

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The International Food Festival is regarded as one of the most popular events at EMU.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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More than 200 guests attended the event at the Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations inside University Commons. Guests could sample various cuisines and vote for their favorite dishes. Chefs with the most votes won a cash prize: $200 for first place, $125 for second place and $100 for third place.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hyo-Jin Chang \u201923 and Austin Headrick were awarded second place for their Korean food dishes.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Harrisonburg couple Hyo-Jin Chang \u201923<\/strong>, who is from South Korea, and Austin Headrick<\/strong> won second place for their Korean dishes of japchae<\/em> (stir-fried glass noodles) and jjimdak<\/em> (a type of chicken stew).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love the idea of all these international people gathering together and sharing their food,\u201d said Chang, who works for the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. \u201cI tried Burmese food for the first time in my life \u2014 it was so good \u2014 and now, I want to visit Burma (Myanmar) sometime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her husband, a CJP graduate student, agreed: \u201cFor me, getting to see people\u2019s reactions as they were eating the food was fun,\u201d Headrick said. \u201cThey were really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Diego Barahona \u201917 serves up some arroz con leche on Friday, April 12. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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A trio of siblings from Honduras, Rodrigo<\/strong> Barahona \u201922<\/strong>, his brother Diego Barahona \u201917 <\/strong>and sister Valentina Barahona<\/strong>, a senior at EMU, won third place for their desserts of arroz con leche<\/em> (rice pudding) and platanos horneados<\/em> (baked plantains). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodrigo competed in the event in 2018, during his first year at EMU. Now that he\u2019s planning to leave the U.S. next year, he wanted to give it another shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was the last dance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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From left: Latino Student Alliance (LSA), Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) and Black Student Alliance (BSA) receive trophies at the International Food Festival.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Student clubs and organizations also competed for a chance to win a trophy, bragging rights and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning clubs were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First place<\/strong>: Latino Student Alliance (LSA)<\/strong> for their tacos, aguas frescas<\/em> (in horchata and fruit punch flavors) and churros;
second place: Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA)<\/strong> for their tteok-bokki<\/em> (Korean spicy rice cake); and
third place: Black Student Alliance (BSA)<\/strong> for their shrimp and grits, flavored with Cajun seasoning, Old Bay and salt and pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The popular event provides a chance for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to share traditional dishes from their cultures and enjoy delicious foods from all over the world.\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Naod Kidane<\/strong>, a first-year computer science major, savored a serving of tibs<\/em> (an Ethiopian beef dish) and injera <\/em>(flatbread). It\u2019s the kind of food he grew up eating in his home country of Ethiopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get a lot of time to cook for myself, so this is a treat for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Student chefs serve foods from the Karen and Burmese cultures.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Peri Moo<\/strong>, a first-year accounting major from Thailand, prepared foods from the Karen and Burmese cultures. He said he enjoyed trying the Ethiopian dishes, which were new to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a fun event,\u201d Moo said. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s also informative. You get to learn a lot about other cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Spanish instructor Wendell Shank loads a plate with Mexican-style tamales.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Other cultures represented at the festival included those from Afghanistan, Belarus, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine and Uruguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll through our photo gallery below to view more pictures from the 10th International Food Festival.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n20240412-International Food Fest-007<\/a>