Culinary Adventures series takes students to Latin America

Chef Chris Bruce is serving up the various Latin American cuisine to an attendee, Jack Fogarty. (Photo Credit: Peter Gross)

Three hundred students, staff, professors, and visitors indulged their taste buds in Latin American cuisine at the dining hall last Friday, Oct. 21. Saa Andrew Gbongbor, cultural diversity coordinator at STU,  is the lead organizer of the Culinary Adventures Series.

Gbongbor started this initiative in 2023 and said that the goal of the Culinary Adventure series is “to show representation."

“There is no better way to show representation … if you look around campus, there are different colours, different people from everywhere. If you miss that representation, there is no STU.”

Gbongbor prides himself on the fact that all dishes were made from international student recipes and the music was chosen by Latin American students. 

To craft the menu, Gbongbor sends out emails to international students asking what food they miss most from back home.  This time around, the menu included Ecuadorian street food such as french fries with sausage bites and mayo. 

Not only does he let students submit their recipes but he also requests for music from the region. 

“I just want to try everything. I want to make sure I eat everything,” said Gbongbor.

Chris Bruce, chef at Aramark food services said that cooking Latin American food using student recipes was  “not one of his specialties.”

Bruce said he watched a lot of videos to learn the recipes and recreate them as closely as possible. 

"I came to UNB from Nova Scotia [as a student], and that was a huge culture shock, I cannot imagine coming halfway around the world and everything being foreign and not knowing the food … [The food] makes them feel more at home … Just bring a piece of home here … I cannot bring the people, but I can bring the food."

Camila Baquerizo, a fourth-year student from Ecuador, said it was crucial to have Gbongbor as the diversity coordinator, especially “with a lot of changes that the government has made regarding our students.”

She said this type of event is a way to show international students that the university appreciates them. 

 Emiliana Balseca, a fourth-year gerontology student from Mexico, was very excited to showcase food from home during her campus tour. (Photo Credit: Peter Gross) 

“[I feel] a lot of pride, especially today that I am giving a tour and seeing my culture being represented. It is very exciting. It is very nice to talk about my background and the different things that I have experienced. It also makes me feel welcome and that people care,” said Balseca.

Baquerizo said the Culinary Adventures Series is an important part of STU because it reflects the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“It is such a fantastic way of letting the students know that we hear you … we appreciate you, and even though we cannot give you your home, we want to make this space feel like home for you," said Baquerizo.