Cultivating a Sense of Belonging One Bite at a Time 

Submitted by Ining Tracy Chao, Associate Dean, Global Partnerships and Learning Services 

When 14 recipes from around the world were submitted by students, when comments like “this biriyani tastes like what my mom makes at home,” or “I love the pad thai noodles,” and when students went to Chef Lorraine’s office with tears to give a hug of gratitude, we know SLC is a welcoming community, and everyone can feel at home.  

For the second year in a row, Global Learning Centre partnered with Brown's Food Services and St. Larry’s Pub to host the month-long Taste of Cultures on all three campuses. The dishes, and the cultural stories that go with the ingredients and spices, came from our diverse student body. Over 600 participants tasted the delicious foods and voted on their favourite recipes. Soon these dishes will be available at the cafeteria and at the pub. 

New this year is the Project Management students organizing the engagement and voting on the days of the event. The finale will be presented at the Kingston cafeteria on Friday November 17th from noon to 2pm. They will announce the winners from a draw that was running on everyday of the food tasting. Also new and innovative this year is the virtual reality demonstration. Participants put on the VR headset and visited the cities and countries where the recipes originate. It was a feast for the mouths and the eyes.  

A special thank-you goes to Terry McGinn, St Larry’s Pub Manager. Her kitchen staff cooked every dish with passion and perfection.  Also thank-you to the Global Citizen volunteers that have supported this event from day one and were dedicated to be there every single day and support in any way possible.  Rasha Fahim and Marie Penaranda Vargas at the Global Learning Centre spearheaded the event with the help from Events and Banquet Services. And finally, the Innovation Hub supplied the VR equipment and provided training for the VR experiences.