International Students Serve Up Their Favorite Dishes at Smith College’s Annual IS Day

The enticing smell of foods from around the world filled the Julia McWilliams Child ’34 Campus Center as Smith College celebrated IS Day, a beloved food festival where international students prepare their favorite dishes from home and share them with the Smith community. Now in its 80th year, the longstanding tradition is a global blend of flavor, friendship, and connection.

During the weekend before the event, the real culinary magic took shape as 38 students took over the kitchens in Comstock House to prepare 22 different recipes from distinct cultural regions. “As much fun as the event is, the weekend scene in the kitchens is really the heart and soul of this event,” said Caitlin Szymkowicz, interim director of the Lewis Global Studies Center. “It’s such a delight to see students working together to get a little taste of home, getting to know one another and our dining staff.”

This year’s menu was a treat for the palate and included Russian Honey Cake, Pakistani Shami Kebab, and South Korean Tteokbokki. Giullianna (Giulli) Paz Agüero Ferreira ’27 was not only an IS Day student chef, she also helped organize the event. “It’s exciting to know international students at Smith are seen, and that we get to share a bit of home with our friends, professors, and staff,” she said. “It fills me with joy knowing how much domestic students and the campus in general love IS Day!”

On the day of the event, hundreds of hungry food lovers waited patiently to be served at each station. Every dish received rave reviews. Here, three of the student chefs who created dishes for IS Day discuss what they served, what their favorite recipe represents, and why IS Day means so much to them.

Giullianna (Giulli) Paz Agüero Ferreira ’27

Majors: Economics and Italian studies

Hometown: Asunción, Paraguay

Dish: Chipa guazú (corn souffle)

Preparation: “It is very simple and has only six ingredients: fresh corn, onions, eggs, mozzarella cheese, corn muffin mix (not in the original recipe), and salt. You mix everything and bake it in the oven.”

Memory: “This dish represents family to me because we usually eat it on the weekends or whenever we eat asado (Paraguayan barbecue). This is how we Paraguayans celebrate anything and everything and it just reminds me of home and being around a table sharing a meal with the people I love. Oh, what I would do to share an asado with my family right now.”

Different Tastes: “The biggest difference between American food compared with Paraguayan food is the quality of ingredients. One of the original ingredients of this recipe is fresh corn flour, which, unfortunately, we don’t have here.”

The Meaning of IS Day: “The opportunity to share a piece of my home with others opens up conversations around what our countries are like, what and who we miss, and how we are bridging that gap.”

Audrey Naadu Banie ’27

Major and minor: Government major, economics minor

Home country: Ghana

Dish: Red-red

Preparation: “Fried sliced ripe plantains, boiled black-eyed beans cooked in palm oil in a tomato base. Both the plantains and beans end up looking red.”

Memory: “Red-red is the dish my mother and I would eat on Saturday mornings after chores. These chores were often long and hard, but the aroma of fried plantain and cooked beans wafting through the air kept me salivating and pushing through to the end. Served with cassava flakes and avocado, red-red is perfect for any occasion. It brings back many memories for all Ghanaians. For me, it makes me feel like I’m home.”

Different Tastes: “I haven’t seen a lot of American dishes made with palm oil, but many Ghanaian dishes are. Another difference is the spices that are used; we often use Badia Complete Seasoning and Maggi seasoning.”

The meaning of IS Day: “International students miss home throughout the year, and this is one of the few times that we get to reminisce about home cooking—and students, faculty, and staff get to taste food from all over the world that they’ve never had before.”

Alyssa Chan ’29

Major: English language and literature

Home country: Hong Kong, China

Dish: Hong Kong style French toast

Preparation: “Two slices of bread, with peanut butter in the middle, dipped in an egg/milk mixture and pan fried. Usually eaten with either condensed milk, golden syrup, or white granulated sugar and butter.”

Memory: “It reminds me of eating breakfast with my family on the weekends, and it’s really easy to make.”

Different Tastes: “In Hong Kong, we eat more rice and meat, and most everything is steamed.”

The Meaning of IS Day: “IS Day is a great event because I think it’s important for other cultures to have visibility and our diversity as a student body to be celebrated.”