After more than two years of cancellations due to COVID-19, Aragon was able to host the 16th annual International Food Fair on May 5 in Center Court.
“The Aragon International Food Fair celebrates [Aragon’s] wonderful cultural diversity via food, music and dance,” said Sabrina Ocampo, the event’s chairperson. “With food from dozens of countries and many traditional performances, it was an eventful two hours.”
Performances varied from Irish dances and Mandarin songs to the Aragon Dance Team’s routines, all emceed by junior Nick Schick.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the food stalls were set up outside to comply with current regulations.
“Planning itself was a bit hectic, but we were able to pull it off thanks to the multitude of volunteers who stepped in to offer a helping hand,” Ocampo said.
Being outside didn’t stop volunteers from bringing a wide variety of food.
“We brought a few authentic dishes from our country [like] . . . Mexican bread, … Mexican rice pudding … [and] a traditional plate called mole,” said Norma Mota, a member of the Latino Parent Group and a helper at the Mexico table.
English teacher Lindsay Bussey ran the Aragon BSU table, which represented the African diaspora.
“We sold jambalaya with chicken sausage, Seven-Up cakes, cornbread [and] fried chicken,” Bussey said.
Making these dishes was not only pleasant for the parents, but also a way for them to give back to the community.
“We’re so happy that [the International Food Fair] is back,” Mota said. “It’s a very fun event [and] we love to see people enjoy the food.”
Besides the food booths, there were other booths like the Precious Plastics booth, which was set up by an Aragon club that recycles plastic water bottles and other recyclable materials into objects like clocks and clipboards.
“We work with people from three different continents to get our stuff done,” Schick, a member of the Precious Plastics Club, said. “We have people in Senegal [and] the Netherlands.”
Even though the event coordinators had less than half of the usual time to plan the International Food Fair, they were satisfied with how it turned out.
“The event was a total success,” Ocampo said. “We raised $5,500, which exceeds our goal of $4,000. The money raised goes back to the PTSO [Parent Teacher Student Organization] and is used toward funding scholarships for six graduating Aragon seniors.”
Ocampo hopes that nothing will suspend the International Food Fair in the future.
“[The International Food Fair] is not only important from a fundraising standpoint, but [it] also ensures we continue to celebrate the cultural diversity that comprises the Aragon student body and community,” Ocampo said. “This is what the community needed [to do] to get back to some sort of normalcy.”
The Aragon community plans to continue holding the International Food Fair every year.
