A taste of each other’s cultures
Festival brings cuisines, people together Sunday
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Perhaps as satisfying to many people's palates as the wide choice of ethnic foods was their representation.
"This is a way for us to also share our food, our music and our culture with the community," Angelica Diaz, the Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana (OCCHA) organization's executive director, said.
Specifically, Diaz was referring to the primary thrust behind Sunday's 14th annual International Food Festival in OCCHA's dining hall, 3660 Shirley Road, on the South Side.
The four-hour cultural gathering and fundraiser featured foods that represent mainly four cultures: Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Also available for dining in or taking out were meat pies and other fried selections from Puerto Rico, Diaz said.
The menu selections, which were $15 each, consisted of a Puerto Rican cuisine with rice with pigeon peas, roast pork and pasta salad; a Dominican feast of rice with beans, sweet plantain beef lasagna and a green salad; Arepas Venezolanas with chicken, pork, shredded beef or a combination; and a Mexican feast of chicken fajitas, yellow rice, salad and dessert. In addition, a tray of assorted desserts representing several Latino countries was included.
Venezuelan arepas are thick and round flatbreads, cooked on a griddle, that are made from ground maize dough, cooked cornmeal, salt and water. They are then split open or baked to form hollow, warm pockets that are typically filled with beef, chicken, cheese and other foods.
A goal of the food fest was to raise at least $5,000, money that will go toward OCCHA's programs and services, Diaz noted.
To make a contribution, call the organization at 330-781-1808, or donate online at www.occhaohio.org.and click on the "Donate" tab.
OCCHA's next large fundraiser is its gala, set for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at Mr. Anthony's Banquet Centre in Boardman. Tickets are being sold online, Diaz said.
The nonprofit OCCHA organization, established in March 1972 primarily to identify problem areas in the Spanish-speaking community and develop programs to address them, seeks to improve the quality of life for Hispanics and others in the region's multicultural community via social, economic, cultural and educational offerings.
The wide-reaching array of services and programs includes health screenings, fairs and workshops, special meetings, recreational programs and educational workshops for senior citizens, translation and interpretation offerings, emergency assistance for food and clothing, summer day camps and scholarship opportunities for youth, and technical assistance with communication. In addition, the agency provides employment services such as help with job searches, interviews and filling out applications, workshops on job skills and readiness, and referrals to prospective employers via job listings.
OCCHA also offers a mental health navigator program to clients in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties. Its main goal is to work with members of the Hispanic and multicultural communities and their families through discussion and collaboration to find the most suitable referrals based on clients' needs.
The program makes referrals to professional counselors for those who are experiencing stress and anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, grief and loss, depression, trauma, relationship problems, divorce, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance-use disorders, anger management and other difficulties.
Diaz expressed gratitude toward OCCHA staff and volunteers, as well as the sponsors who contributed to Sunday's food festival, including El Vallarta Mexican restaurant for donating the Mexican dish.
Providing a few hours of entertainment was the Mahoning Valley Latin Orchestra.