The sound of cheerful music filled the hallways leading up to the Draft Gym. Inside, Grape Jam sang, opening the event. Students, teachers, and parents filled the room.  A strong aroma of food emanated from the long table on the right side of the gym, which featured dishes from Korea, Greece, Mexico, and other countries.

Parker’s 14th annual International Food Fest, which took place Friday, May 18, was spearheaded by French teachers Lorin Pritikin and Cynthia Marker and co-hosted by Parker’s American Field Service Committee and French club.

Music teacher Sunnie Hikawa also played a role.  Pritikin said, “She helped kick off the first annual with Grape Jam and has been doing it every since.”

The idea came from Pritikin, whose children attended Chicago public schools that had international food fests. “I was like, ‘Wow this is so cool,’ and I went every year with them, and they had a very diverse population of students,” Pritikin said. “One year, I thought, ‘We at Parker have a lot of cultural diversity, and having an opportunity for students to bring not only food that may have to do with their culture but also possibly their favorite foods would be great.’”

This year’s Fest was a bit different from those of past years in that the food was prepared by Parker’s Executive Chef Zac Maness and Quest. “The school has encouraged more mindfulness and inclusion when it comes to allergies in the school,” Pritikin said, “which is why Quest prepared the food for nut-free food as well as some gluten-free options.” Pritikin and Marker created the menu with Quest and made sure to incorporate a wide range of cultures.

One of the AFS heads this year, sophomore Maddie Friedman, explained the planning that went into the Fest this year.“There was a lot less planning this year in terms of the students because we didn’t have to hand out sheets to different restaurants and try to get them to donate,” Friedman said.  “It was a lot easier to use Quest but also took up a lot of our budget.”

“The main purpose of the event is to take pride in either your own culture, to be exposed to new cultures, or to celebrate cultures that you like a lot,” Pritikin said. “We do this through food but also entertainment.”

Those who attended the event were able to eat while watching different kinds of entertainment, primarily musical. The 2018 International Food Fest was also a celebration of AFS student Mini Rujjanavet, who is from Thailand, as well as her host family.

“The food was really good, and I loved how many different types of foods there were,” Rujjanavet said. “Everyone seemed to be having a great time as well.”

Sometimes AFS students from other schools around Chicago shadow classes during the day and attend the event at night. This year an AFS student from Italy was able to shadow a Cultures I class and then attend the event.