Yanique Walters’ advanced foods classes hosted the first-ever International Foods Gala Dec. 8 at Northwood.
“I wanted to give my students the opportunity to showcase their talents,” Walters said.
“I believe in my students, I see them work hard every day, and I wanted to give them this time to showcase to their talents to their parents, to the community, and show them they have the skills, the talent and the ability to lead.”
The event featured a wide variety of international cuisine, including dishes from over 13 different countries.
“My students have been looking forward to this day for a long time,” Walters said. “Even if they act shy, they’re really excited; this is the first time I’ve embarked on such a big event in Chatham County,” Walters said.
Tables were each set up, each displaying different dishes of international food, while also giving some information about the country chosen.
While Northwood hosted the event, high schools throughout North Carolina also attended.
“I just want to say that this is a great opportunity for the students, and for the FCCLA [Family Career Community Leaders of America] programs to put on something like this to bring them together,” said Sherry Williams, a family and consumer sciences consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “Schools are usually so divided; you play each other in sports, and compete against each other in all sorts of things, and this brings everyone together in one environment, and I love that.”
Students from SAGE Academy, Clayton High School, Jordan Matthews and Chatham Central were only a few of the schools in attendance that presented homemade dishes from a chosen country.
“I think it’s very, very important to build a good relationship with the schools in your environment, to actually build up a program like family and consumer sciences,” says Walters. “We try to work together because we think team building, and we’re working to expose our students to greater opportunities, working together is a must for us.”
Students from both FCCLA and from Foods classes did research on the country of their choice, prepared the food, and then gave a presentation.
“I’m here because I wanted to be part of such a great event,” said sophomore Dominique Elliott. “It’s an international taste testing of all the foods around the world; it’s a way of tasting new foods and getting to try new things you might not get to try if you live around here.”
The event was a way for students to demonstrate abilities for not only cooking, but leadership and skills when developing the community, and its clear this event could happen again sometime soon in the future.
“When you go to competition, they always ask you what are some things you look forward to, or, how are you contributing to your community? And I thought, this was a start to developing the community,” Walters said. “So I thought that utilizing different schools in the county, and outside businesses in the community, would be a good way to show off their skills, and eventually help them find things like a job or a mentorship. This is a great event, and I would love to do this again in the future.”
– Meredith Norman