The sounds of sizzling food, clinking utensils and conversations filled Sichuan Kitchen as Cal Poly students and San Luis Obispo community members gathered for the Table of Belonging event.
Hosted by the City of San Luis Obispo’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Sichuan Kitchen, the event brought together six Cal Poly cultural clubs to serve dishes connected to their cultures and communities. Attendees could walk from booth to booth, talk with students and try foods ranging from Filipino adobo to Japanese curry and Arab chicken skewers.
For Matt Pennon, the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager, food was an easy way to create a space where people could learn from each other.
“There’s so much that can be learned from a meal — about culture, about community,” Pennon said. “We really wanted to take an opportunity to bring the city, Cal Poly cultures across both of those institutions together.”
Proceeds from the meals supported both the participating clubs and Sichuan Kitchen.
For students, the event was about more than serving a favorite dish. It was also a chance to share a piece of home with people who may not have experienced it before.
Ezekiel Kasuga, co-president of the Filipino Cultural Exchange, said food is an important part of how people build community.
“When a family is getting together, they have a meal,” Kasuga said. “When you’re getting together with your community, the first thing you do is have a big event and cook a lot of food for each other.”
The Filipino Cultural Exchange served adobo, a popular Filipino dish, while other organizations introduced attendees to food from their own cultures. The setup gave students the opportunity to explain what they were serving, why it mattered to them and how food connects to memories, family and tradition.
For Black Student Union member Paige Blankenship, food can also offer comfort.
“Food is security, and it is an escape from reality,” Blankenship said.
NASA astronaut and Cal Poly administrator Victor Glover also attended the event, speaking with students and taking photos with club members and attendees.
For community members such as attendee Terri Bilick, the event made it easier to recognize the meaning food can hold across cultures.
“I think it helps me recognize that different cultures have things that are important to them and their food, and how it brought all these people together here,” Bilick said.
Organizers hope Table of Belonging can become a recurring event where students and community members can keep learning from one another, one meal at a time.