The All Saints Church hosted a pop-up food court dinner on Saturday, featuring international dishes for a cultural affair.
Madeline Kujabi stirred a curry-like concoction of chicken, peanut butter and tomato in a tall, slender metal pot. The dish, called domoda, emitted a heavy aroma, providing an olfactory nostalgia of the home Kujabi left four years ago: The Gambia.
Kujabi came to Syracuse to continue her schooling as an international student. Now a senior at Bishop Grimes High School, Kujabi enjoys sharing her Gambian heritage through eating.
Chef Zaw Thin Nyein shares dish at local event and helps his family acclimate to Syracuse.
Two months ago, Zaw Thin Nyein relocated to Syracuse from Hawaii; now, he is one of the five home chefs featured in the sixth My Lucky Tummy popup food court.
On Saturday night, people gathered at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society, taking a bite of the world. Meanwhile, more than being a food court, My Lucky Tummy provides the attendees a space to “meet people and have some conversations,” said Adam Sudmann, founder of My Lucky Tummy.
The pop-up food court was hosted at the Alibrandi Catholic Center on Saturday, and included dishes from Iran, Bhutan and the Mowhawk Nation.
On Saturday night, more than 400 local Syracuse residents, Syracuse University students, and members of Syracuse’s refugee communities came together at the Alibrandi Catholic Center for My Lucky Tummy, a celebration of cultural cuisine and community.
My Lucky Tummy is a cultural pop-up food court. Held in February, May and October, My Lucky Tummy recruits five local refugee and New American chefs to share their native dishes with other refugees and with locals.