The Nova International Student Association (NISA) is inviting NSU students, faculty and staff to share in culinary experiences from around the world at its annual Cultural Taste Event on April 15 at noon in the Don Taft University Center Flight Deck.
NSU is home to international students from over 63 countries, and this event allows both groups to showcase traditional foods from their native countries.
For $2, attendees will be able to sample dishes made by NSU student volunteers. Half of the proceeds will go to Donate to Share, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged African children.
NISA Preisdent Isabelle Verret, a senior and biology major, is an international student from Haiti, and enjoyed her first Cultural Taste Event in 2012.
“I thought it was a delicious way to showcase and appreciate the cultural diversity on campus,” said Verret.
At the beginning of the semester, NISA Vice President and senior biology major Jean Ganter learned about Donate to Share, and NISA decided it was time to incorporate a charity aspect into the Culture Taste Event.
“Donate to Share’s goal is to provide necessary means, such as water, school supplies, food and clothing,” said Verret. “So I had the idea of using Cultural Taste as a venue for fundraising.”
NISA does not have a monetary goal, because this is the first year that the event will be a fundraiser. However, about 75 students attended last year’s Cultural Taste and Verret hopes that number will double this year.
In addition to dishes from around the world, the Cultural Taste Event will include multicultural music and games. The members of NISA’s new executive board will also be announced.
NISA is recruiting 20 student volunteers who will be responsible for preparing food from their respective native countries on the day of the event, and so far, 13 students have signed up.
According to Verret, the students who have already volunteered to cook are from a variety of different countries, including the Caribbean islands and China, but NISA is hoping to incorporate even more diversity.
Interested volunteers can contact Verret at cv297@nova.edu or Jean Ganter at jg1959@nova.edu. Culinary experience is not required.
