Discovering Heritage: How Food Shapes the Lives of Immigrants

On December 9, Professor Anita Fábos‘ Cultures of Exile class wrapped up the semester in a meaningful way. Instead of a typical classroom setting, students gathered at the African Community Education (ACE) center in Worcester. Here, they presented research projects centered on the foods of local Haitian and African immigrant communities.

Before jumping into the presentations, Kaska Yawo, also known as Uncle Kaska, spoke passionately about the strong ties between ACE and Clark University. His organization employs many Clark alumni and values its connection with student researchers and professors.

The projects showcased a rich variety of themes such as ingredient availability, urban farming, and Haitian food traditions. Students created interactive maps, recipe videos, and even shared plants to reinforce cultural connections to their native cuisines. Each project highlighted vital topics like food security, identity, and the importance of cultural accuracy.

The first group, including Faith Bolques, Keasha Buchar, Maxwell Silva, Riley Schmidt, and Md Khalid Rahman, shared their experiences of cooking traditional dishes on video. They featured recipes like soup joumou, a popular Haitian pumpkin soup, and foufou, a West African dish made with yams or plantains. They emphasized how food is a critical aspect of immigrant life, presenting information in the cooks’ native languages.

Another presentation from Alyssa Martinez, Daisy Jones, Devon Kevetos, Logan Bullock, and Maddie Dillon focused on creating a community herb garden. This garden aims to provide culturally significant herbs and vegetables for the local community.

The final group, including Anna Camilli, Mattie Carroll, Adrian Ramirez, Diana Reyes, and Kaila Rushano, developed an interactive map of food resources available to Worcester’s Haitian populations. Using mapping software, they built an online map that highlights essential resources and information hubs tailored to immigrant communities.

After the presentations, community members reflected on the work, praising its cultural relevance and suggesting more collaboration between Clark University and immigrant groups. Yawo expressed hope for ongoing partnerships, stating, “The relationship between Clark University and ACE has been very strong.” He emphasized the organization’s desire to keep nurturing cross-cultural exchanges.