The festival, hosted by the International Students Organization (ISO) and the International Food Festival Committee, is one of the most popular events on campus. It provides a chance for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to share traditional dishes from their cultures and enjoy delicious foods from all over the world. This year’s event drew 233 attendees, including more than 175 students.

“It’s the one night of the year where the University Commons transforms into a global buffet and your taste buds get a passport,” a blurb promoting the event read.

ABOVE: The winning teams and cooks from Friday’s International Food Festival pose for a group photo at the Student Union. BELOW: Community members and students serve traditional Albanian (left) and Ethiopian cuisine (right).

A total of 11 teams participated in the competition. Those sampling the dishes could vote on their favorite cuisines through a QR code at each table. 

As announced on Friday, the winning individuals/small groups were:

• 1st place: Kurdistan (shfta, dolma, breany, salads, kubba, bammya, fasolya, rice, and paglawa) 
• 2nd place: Ethiopia (injera, misir, and tibs)
• 3rd place: Albania (lasagna, white rice with chicken and sauce, byrek with beef, byrek with cheese, and byrek with leek)

The winning clubs were:

• 1st place: Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance/APISA (sweetened coconut rice, mango slices, and salted coconut sauce)
• 2nd place: Latinx Student Alliance/LSA (tostadas, lettuce, sour cream, pico, and horchata)
• 3rd place: Black Student Alliance/BSA (jollof rice, African-style fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and bissap juice)

Other cuisines competing included those from Jamaica, Pakistan, Palestine/Syria, and the United States.

ABOVE: Members of the Latinx Student Alliance won second place in the competition. BELOW: Students serve dishes from Palestine/Syria (left) and from the Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance.

As a first-year student at EMU, Reuben Wenger was attending the International Food Festival for the first time. The biochemistry and peacebuilding double major from Hutchinson, Kansas, said he enjoys trying new foods and had been looking forward to the event.

Choosing just one dish from the night was tough, but the food from Kurdistan stood out to him. “It was well-seasoned,” said Wenger, who was penning an article on the event for The Weather Vane. “They had different salads with textures and tastes I’ve never had before.”

Aram Hanson, an instructor for EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP), was among the winning team of cooks serving Kurdish food at the festival. He credited his teammates, who were all IEP students from Kurdistan.

“It feels absolutely great,” he said. “Our students are the ones who deserve it, because they cook really well.”

Daven Molina, a sophomore majoring in international business and marketing, said his favorite part of the night was “seeing all the smiles.” He added that it was his first time trying shawarma, and it was an instant hit.

“I’ve never had it before,” he said. “I got hype from the Avengers łľ´Ç±ąľ±±đ—editor’s note: character Tony Stark suggests trying shawarma in the 2012 film—but when I actually tried it, I was like, This is very delicious.”

Another student, EMU senior Jean Betancourt, said he liked the Kurdish food most, particularly the kuba (a dumpling‑like ball filled with seasoned meat) and biryani (a hearty rice and meat dish). 

In addition to the festival’s culinary diversity, he said his favorite part was the sense of community. “There’s always a lot of people here. You can talk to them, and it’s just a fun vibe.”

Adding to the fun vibe was DJ Adam Wirdzek (also known as EBRO), web content and strategy manager for marketing and communications, who dropped deep dubstep and cultural recommendations from the crowd.

Aram Hanson, an instructor in EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP), along with two of his IEP students, Dastan and Shalaw, conquered the competition at the 11th annual International Food Festival on Friday with their crowd-favorite Kurdish dishes.

Competing in the event for his first time, Hanson and his students prepared dolma (vegetables stuffed with rice and meat), biryani (a rice and meat dish), chicken tikka (kebabs), kuba (a type of dumpling), baklava and a variety of salads.  

“It seems that many people here liked our food, and that feels great,” he said after being announced as a winner. He added that two of his family members recently opened a restaurant called Kabob Corner on South Main Street in Harrisonburg, and that if people enjoyed his Kurdish food, they would love the dishes served at the restaurant.

For placing first in the individuals and small groups category, the trio of Kurdish cooks received $200 in winnings. A second-place prize of $125 was awarded to Mohammad Khatiri and Ayam Ali, the cheesecake-baking duo behind , and a $100 third-place prize was given to EMU staff member Amina Anwar for her Pakistani biryani.

Since winning last year’s competition, Khatiri and Ali have been busy selling their cheesecakes through their Instagram page and said they plan to launch a website soon. Khatiri said he was glad to be back at the festival for another year. “We enjoy the whole vibe and like trying different types of food from different countries,” he said. 

The winners of the student clubs category received a trophy and bragging rights. They are:

• First place: Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA)
• Second place:  Black Student Alliance (BSA)
• Third place: Latinx Student Alliance (LSA)

A total of 14 teams participated in the competition. Those sampling the dishes could vote on their favorite cuisines through a QR code at each table. 

Hosted by the International Students Organization (ISO) and the International Food Festival Committee, the festival is one of the most anticipated events of the year, drawing hundreds of students, faculty, staff and other EMU community members to celebrate the rich flavors and traditions from around the world. Micah Shristi, director of international student services, said that more than 275 people participated in this year’s festival. He said that students represent 55 countries at EMU.

“A diversity of cultures, languages, and belief systems make our EMU community stronger,” he said. “Nothing demonstrates this more deliciously than the International Food Festival.”

The turnout at the event included many students from other schools who were on campus for the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship conference held over the weekend. One of those students, Abby Chappell Deckert of Bethel College in Newton, Kansas, said she enjoyed the Pakistani biryani. “I think it’s great,” she said while in line for cheesecake. “It’s really interesting to try food from other countries, and I think it’s a great alternative to the usual everyday ‘caf’ food that people get.” She said that Bethel has a very diverse student body, but does not have a similar food festival of its own.

While EMU juniors Maria Longenecker and Leah Beachy may have disagreed on which cuisine earned their vote (Longenecker favored the Ethiopian dishes while her friend preferred the Kurdish ones), they said they both considered the festival among their favorite events of the year. “That Kurdish food was bussin, and you can quote me on that,” said Beachy, using a slang term for “delicious.”

In between bites, Harrisonburg Vice Mayor Dany Fleming and his wife, Carol, campus visit coordinator for the admissions office, took in the upbeat music and positive energy at the Student Union. “I love the diversity that EMU brings and has brought historically to Harrisonburg,” the vice mayor said. “Part of the reason we are such an international city is specifically and directly because of EMU and the work they do around the world.”

Friday’s event, held at the Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations inside University Commons, also included an announcement from ISO student leaders about seven new flags added to the hall: Belarus, Dominican Republic, Malawi, Mongolia, Puerto Rico, Sudan, and Uruguay. 

“These flags are more than fabric,” said EMU senior and ISO co-President Fiker Yigzaw. “They are a testament to the stories, journeys, and contributions of our international students, past and present. Let’s continue to learn from one another, share in the joy of cultural exchange, and embrace the vibrant global spirit that unites us all.”

Take a look at more photos from the 2025 International Food Festival in our Flickr gallery below:

“This win tells us that people really love our cheesecakes,” Ali said, “and that we should continue making them and actually start a business.”

Ali and Khatiri were one of 21 teams of chefs competing in the contest held on Friday, April 12. The competition, regarded as one of the most popular events at EMU, is hosted by the International Students Organization (ISO) and the International Food Festival Committee. It provides a chance for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to share traditional dishes from their cultures and enjoy delicious foods from all over the world. 

More than 200 guests attended the event at the Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations inside University Commons. Guests could sample various cuisines and vote for their favorite dishes. Chefs with the most votes won a cash prize: $200 for first place, $125 for second place and $100 for third place.

Harrisonburg couple Hyo-Jin Chang ’23, who is from South Korea, and Austin Headrick won second place for their Korean dishes of japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and jjimdak (a type of chicken stew).

“I love the idea of all these international people gathering together and sharing their food,” said Chang, who works for the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. “I tried Burmese food for the first time in my life — it was so good — and now, I want to visit Burma (Myanmar) sometime soon.”

Her husband, a CJP graduate student, agreed: “For me, getting to see people’s reactions as they were eating the food was fun,” Headrick said. “They were really happy.”

A trio of siblings from Honduras, Rodrigo Barahona ’22, his brother Diego Barahona ’17 and sister Valentina Barahona, a senior at EMU, won third place for their desserts of arroz con leche (rice pudding) and platanos horneados (baked plantains). 

Rodrigo competed in the event in 2018, during his first year at EMU. Now that he’s planning to leave the U.S. next year, he wanted to give it another shot.

“This was the last dance,” he said.

Student clubs and organizations also competed for a chance to win a trophy, bragging rights and joy.

Winning clubs were:

First place: Latino Student Alliance (LSA) for their tacos, aguas frescas (in horchata and fruit punch flavors) and churros;
second place: Asian-Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) for their tteok-bokki (Korean spicy rice cake); and
third place: Black Student Alliance (BSA) for their shrimp and grits, flavored with Cajun seasoning, Old Bay and salt and pepper.

Naod Kidane, a first-year computer science major, savored a serving of tibs (an Ethiopian beef dish) and injera (flatbread). It’s the kind of food he grew up eating in his home country of Ethiopia.

“I don’t get a lot of time to cook for myself, so this is a treat for me,” he said.

Peri Moo, a first-year accounting major from Thailand, prepared foods from the Karen and Burmese cultures. He said he enjoyed trying the Ethiopian dishes, which were new to him. 

“This is a fun event,” Moo said. “I feel like it’s also informative. You get to learn a lot about other cultures.”

Other cultures represented at the festival included those from Afghanistan, Belarus, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine and Uruguay.

Scroll through our photo gallery below to view more pictures from the 10th International Food Festival.

Each attendee was given several white tickets for food and one red ticket for voting. The winners, who were decided by the number of red tickets, were as follows:

• 1st place: Black Student Alliance (BSA) representing African American culture with fried chicken wings, mac and cheese, and sweet tea
• 2nd place: Mohammad Khatiri, representing Saudi Arabia with cheesecake and fettuccine
• 3rd place: Wendell Shank, with Mexican-style chicken tamales and posole

BSA won several years in a row before the festival took a two-year hiatus due to COVID. When the food festival returned last year, BSA did not compete. This year, BSA picked their winning streak back up.

Members of the team included Sha’Dymon Blanton, Nia Boyd, Kylik Bradshaw, Donesha George, Nardos Haile, Royale Parker, Brii Redfearn, Rachael Saeli, Merry Yirga, and advisor Celeste Thomas.

“We’re proud of our team. It was a long day of cooking and a collaborative effort filled with lots of fun and laughter,” said Haile (middle). “We’re happy to bring African American cuisine to a wide range of people,” added Yirga (left). “We’re very proud of each other, and we love our team.”

“In Saudi Arabia, we admire food so much that we try anything new. If we don’t like it, we add and change ingredients so it tastes better to us,” said 2nd place winner Mohammad Khatiri (left). “We love changing recipes and trying new ones, which is why there are a lot of small businesses in Saudi Arabia selling food in food trucks, in small restaurants, or even on Instagram.”

Khatiri gave crowds a taste of his cheesecake and encourages anyone who did not get to try it or who wants more to order from his Instagram, @Khatir_khakes.

EMU language and literature professor Wendell Shank (far right), 3rd place winner, made Mexican-style tamales and posole. “EMU is an international community, and this festival is a wonderful way to have people come out and show food that they’re proud of, that they’ve experienced and enjoyed around the world, and that brings them pride and joy,” Shank said.

Hebron Mekuria (left) and Noel Abeje (right) of Ethiopia made tibs, kitfo, and siga wot. Aman Seyoum and Ruth Seyoum, also representing Ethiopia, made tibs, tikil gomen, and shiro, which is what they “would eat at home.”

“EMU is kind of my second home now because we’re international students,” Aman said.