A new global food tradition is starting in Wilton, thanks to students at the High Mowing School.
On Saturday, April 8, eight seniors from the High Mowing School came together at the Second Congregational Church for the inaugural cultural dinner hosted by the Wilton Collaborative Space (WCS). Six different countries were represented at the event: Jordan, Bermuda, South Africa, Uganda, Puerto Rico and Sierra Leone.
The buffet included hot cross buns from Bermuda, a fragrant rice dish from Uganda known as pilau, a South African pastry-style bread called amagwinya and a popular bread dish from Jordan known as mana’eesh.
According to High Mowing senior and team coordinator Holly Sparks, the purpose of the dinner was celebrate cultural diversity in the community through the universal language of food.
“We wanted to offer food that represented their cultures,” said Sparks.
During the dinner, the students and community members shared recipes and sentiments about their dishes. For many, the hot cross buns from Bermuda were a personal favorite. High Mowing senior and hot cross buns chef Michael Simons said the cultural dinner was an opportunity to share a taste of home with the community.
“It felt good to bring something from home to a new place,” said Simons.
After the event,Wilton Community Center President Donna Crane said it’s important that Wilton recognizes and embraces cultural diversity.
“Wilton doesn’t know how much culture it actually has,” said Crane. “It’s important we make [the students] feel welcome and part of our community.”
Based on this year’s event, students and members of the WCS are planning to make the cultural dinner an annual tradition in Wilton for years to come.