Students in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics gathered in Lyman Hall this weekend to celebrate diversity in America through a common interest: food.

My Lucky Tummy, a pop-up food court, held its annual sold-out dinner on Saturday, at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society. With the help of students in the Falk school, the pop-up dining experience featured dishes made by members of Syracuse’s refugee and immigrant community.

In preparation for the community dinner, The Falk College Commercial Kitchens in Lyman Hall hosted international chefs from Burma, Eritrea, Japan, South Sudan and Somalia on Friday. Many Falk food studies students joined the experienced chefs by volunteering to shop for groceries in North Side’s international stores as well as preparing food for the event.

Adam Sudmann, a Syracuse resident, founded My Lucky Tummy in April 2013 with the concept of gathering together a diverse community through showcasing home-style cooking from around the world.

“I discovered that Syracuse is a huge resettlement city for people around the world and I thought, ‘let’s do something fun. Let’s make an event,’” Sudmann said. “It’s all about leveraging the refugee community in such a way that it can make Syracuse more interesting.”

Inspired by the program’s ability to bring together a city of diversity, Evan Weissman, an assistant food studies professor, and his students immersed themselves into the annual project.

“It’s valuable for students to have the opportunity to learn about different cultural food ways. It’s truly a learning experience,” Weissman said. “It’s nice to learn about other people because it creates mutual respect and makes relationships more of a two-way street.”

This year’s pop-up food court hosted three separate seatings on Saturday at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The event sold out immediately, serving 350 people in the Syracuse area. On Friday, the international chefs and food studies students gathered in the Falk College kitchen to prepare the various dishes. Each individual was assigned a role or task in the kitchen.

Those in attendance at the meals were offered a variety of dining options this year. The menu included catfish and lemongrass from Burma, sourdough flatbread and collard greens from Eritrea, lotus and sake from Japan, smoked guinea hen and peanut butter from South Sudan and nutmeg, white sesame and cardamom from Somalia.

Patience Oyat, a chef from South Sudan, prepared the dish called Gwenomakitalo, which consists of smoked guinea hen, peanut butter and piri piri chili.

“This opportunity unites people,” Oyat said. “It is important to bring different kinds of food and different kinds of people sharing together. I love it.”

The dinner celebration also provides a tangible way of learning. The volunteer students have the opportunity to work alongside chefs of different cultures and become more comfortable in a “high-steamed environment,” Weissman said. The experience also allowed students and local citizens to expand their cultural experiences and network with local organizations.

After yet another successful dinner celebration, Sudmann reflected upon the experience with pride.

“Our differences are interesting but we somehow come together,” Sudmann said. “There’s just so much pride, curiosity, hopefulness and optimism.”

Published on February 1, 2015 at 11:01 pm

Contact Elissa: emcandio@syr.edu