By 6:30 p.m., the line stretched from the LaFortune Ballroom on the second floor down the stairs to the entrance to the Huddle Mart. By the time they reached the front of the line, juniors Grace Rudnik, Jordan Leniart and Claire Wiley said they waited for 45 minutes for their chance to eat
Participating restaurants included Aladdin’s Eatery, Cinco International, Elia’s Mediterranean Cuisine, Ichiban Golden Dragon, Mango Café, Satay House, Soho Japanese Bistro, Weiss Gasthaus, Zing Japanese Fusion, the Spot and Fiesta Tapatía. Each restaurant donated the food that it served.
Two of the participating restaurants opened in the last few weeks — the Spot and Cinco International.
The Spot employee Melanie Barreto described the eatery’s Latin American menu.
“Venezuelan food is our specialty … we also have some international food from Peru and Spain,” Barreto said.
Fatima Lopez, who works at Cinco International, said she recommended “basically everything” on the menu, but especially the chicken alfredo.
Sophomore Bernadette Miramontes said she had not known about the event prior, but decided to wait in line for more than 30 minutes anyway.
“I just saw the line and thought it must be good … I hope there’s vegan food because the dining hall doesn’t really have vegan food except on Indian night,” Miramontes said.
ISSA planned International Taste of South Bend as part of its celebration of International Education Week, according to Rosemary Max, director of international programs for ISSA.
“I think this event allows us to support local restaurants and bring good food to campus in conjunction with international education week, which is an event celebrated around the U.S.,” Max said.
Jasmin Avila, assistant director of communications and outreach for ISSA, had worked on the event for three months. She said she hoped the event promoted diversity and culture.
“NDI is dedicated to advancing international study, exchange and scholarship by cultivating Notre Dame's global alliances and partnerships," Avila said. "In this sense, ISSA seeks to offer a variety of support services, programs and activities to help international students and scholars make the most of their time at the University.
“ISSA works to serve the international community at Notre Dame, a community that includes more than 1,400 students and scholars from over 90 countries. One way that we do that is creating and hosting events like the International Taste of South Bend, which celebrate and promote diversity and cultural understanding on campus and in the greater community,” Avila said.
