FITCHBURG — Crocker Elementary School’s cafeteria was filled with delectable scents, and dozens of students and families walked around the food festival held Monday night, hosted by longtime music teacher Aaron Clark.
More than a dozen tables were set up for second-grade families to share a wide variety of homemade dishes related to their ancestry and cultural background, recipes contributed by the families and included in the cookbook for the second class that Clark helped put together with features close to 50 recipes from around the world.
“I have a great love for this community and these students,” Clark said. “I love the diversity within these four walls and there is so much diversity in Fitchburg, all these cultures.”
Those in attendance sampled a melting pot of dishes such as kielbasa with chimichurri wrapped in corn tortilla, corn arepas, mango lassi topped with ground pistachios, Swedish pancakes with maple syrup, Nutella bites, macaroni and tuna salad, Doritos taco salad, macaroni and cheese, and mango salsa and tortilla chips.
The family of eight-year-old Jessica Guevera, who is from El Salvador, made pupusa, a thick baking sheet cake.
Caroline Collins and her sophomore, Eleanor, 7, brought flapjacks made from oats, sugar and butter.
“It’s like an energy bar,” Caroline Collins said of the recipe. “We are from England, but as you can see there are many cultures represented. It is a very nice school and the city is multicultural. It’s fun for the kids to learn about their classmates.”
Claudia Njangtarh and her daughter Katie, 8, brought rice and stew, a recipe that is a nod to their Cameroonian heritage. It includes boiled and then fried chicken simmered for a long time in tomato sauce, bell peppers and “whatever vegetables your kids like,” the mother said.
Liam Higgins, 8, said he liked “how it tastes” when asked what he liked about his family’s contribution to the shepherd’s pie and pork chops.
Kenzo Nou, 7, and his mom and dad brought back Cambodian shrimp rolls, which he said was ‘lucky’!
“We like to support the school,” says his mother, Marie Nou. “We always try to come to every school event.”
Eight-year-old Genesis Ortiz and her family made Sandwich de Mezcala, or Puerto Rican Party Sandwiches, which consists of deviled ham, pimentos, and Cheez Whiz, all mixed and spread on sliced bread.
Ed Szajner made his famous meatballs with his grandson Charlie Garcia, 8, a recipe handed down “all the way from Italy.”
“Our family has been making these for a long time,” Szajner said, adding that the meatballs are “famous in our family.”
Clark, who has been teaching at the school for 11 of his 24 years, led the event as part of his internship to become principal. He said the ministry of primary and secondary education needs four tasks to receive the certification.
“This one prioritizes writing and speaking in English,” Clark said of the cookbook project and the ensuing food festival. “They all worked together and now people can try the recipes. It’s a great representation of our second class.”
Lynette Gil attended the food festival with her two boys, one of whom is a sophomore at the school. She praised Clark and his efforts to bring the multicultural school community and families together.
“He’s great, he brings music to life,” she said.
Robert Jokela, Superintendent of Fitchburg Public Schools and Mayor Stephen DiNatale were spotted looking at the signs and hearing how good they were, and there was a large thermos full of lemonade to quench everyone’s thirst.
“Eat some food and enjoy it,” Clark said through the microphone. “Thank you for coming and especially thanks to the families who brought food.”
