Thursday, March 27, 2025
The Taste of Marion event, on Feb. 27 at Marion Street Elementary School, drew over 200 gastronomically adventurous attendees, who celebrated the diverse cultures represented in the school community. With people of more than a dozen nationalities sharing their rich culinary traditions, the event showcased a wide variety of food from local families and restaurants.
“It’s been a huge success, and it’s all thanks to the enthusiastic group of parents and community members who have truly come together to make this happen,” said Hillary Scott, who helped steer the event for the first time as co-chair, along with Joshua Schulman. “It’s really been a team effort.”
Scott and Schulman, both a part of the Parent Teacher Association who have been involved with the Marion Street School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee since its inception three years ago, described an array of international dishes, including Guyanese, Haitian, Italian, Irish, Dominican, Chinese, Malaysian and Moroccan cuisine.
The Taste of Marion event grew out of the DEI Committee’s desire to create an inclusive, community-building experience.
“We wanted to just have an event where we acknowledge that we have a lot of people who have kids who go to Marion Street, and they’re from all over the world,” Schulman said.
In 2023, its first year, the event exceeded expectations when people from a wide range of backgrounds shared food and stories about their cultures. The event has grown each year, in both the number of participants and the diversity of the dishes they have shared.
“Food is such a great way to bring people together,” Schulman said. “It’s a conversation starter, and helps bridge cultural gaps. It’s also a perfect way for families to connect, share traditions, and learn from one another.”
Some of the students who took part said their favorite dishes were jollof rice, Jamaican patties and churros.
The Hakim and Gaffoor family’s tandoori chicken is a staple at the event — marinated in yogurt and spices, leaving the chicken tender. It was gone within an hour, which Mohammad Gaffoor said was a testament to the attendees’ enthusiasm for exploring other cultures.
Gaffoor said it only took him a couple of hours to prepare the dish, making it what he described as a “high payoff” offering.
His wife, Sharmin Hakim, had made khichuri, a Bengali lentil dish with a combination smoky and earthy flavor.
Hakim said that the event brings the school community together. “There will be people who don’t come to every event,” she said. “But they make sure to come to this one.”
In addition to a wide variety of dishes, some attendees sported traditional clothing as well. For many, the event has become a celebration not just of food, but also of connection and community.
It’s a great way to bridge cultures, Scott added, and makes for wonderful conversations in which parents can make new friends alongside their children.
"Food brings people to a table,” Scott said. “They’re sitting down, they’re doing something, appreciating flavors and tastes, and that opens up dialogue about stories or traditions or family members or things like that.”
The event wrapped up with attendees leaving with full stomachs, new acquaintances and a renewed appreciation for Marion Street School’s cultural diversity.
