A tradition that began years ago, the Roosevelt School’s annual world cuisine event “The Taste of Roosevelt” has become a school favorite.
“The town really looks forward to it,” said Roosevelt School Principal Alfred Orecchio last week.
In an area where many share the common bond of an immigrant background, the “Taste of Roosevelt” asks students and their families to bring their favorite international cooked food items to be showcased for an evening in a gym full of hungry people. Participants pay a $10 ticket price to enter but are allowed an all-you-can-eat feast of items from around the globe.
“I had the paella and I enjoyed that.” – Princpal Alfred Orrechio
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From Colombia to Romania
“I had the Paella, and I enjoyed that,” said Orrechio.
Beside the Paella, a rice and meat mixture that originated in Spain, layered pizzas from Romania were brought in by the Berisha family, and dulce de leche and arroz de coco dessert dishes were provided by Rose Lamdia and Gelsomina Ticallo.
Lamdia and Ticallo said the dessert recipes were a favorite from the coastal part of Colombia known as “La Costa.” They were served in ready-to-grab individual serving size cups.
At the Cuban table were Omar and Mari Giner, who brought large trays of arroz con pollo, a chicken and rice dish from Cuba, and maduros, which are sweet plantains.
Omar is chef and owner of La Isla restaurant in Hoboken.
“I love it. I drive him nuts, because at every family party, I want to him to make arroz con pollo,” said Mari.
The couple, who came to represent the “Pinar Del Rio” province of Cuba, have two children at the school. This was their second year at the “Taste of Roosevelt.”
“It’s awesome! I think this is great for the kids. The PTO here is awesome. They did a great job,” said Mari.
Also at the event were Alejandro Chavez and Jose Apila, owner and manager of the newly opened “Flaming Burritos” restaurant in nearby Union City. The duo brought their burritos to represent Mexico.
“We have from chicken and beef to vegetarian [burritos],” said Apila. “We just started, but people love it.”
An opportunity to raise funds
To raise money for the Parent Teacher Organization at Roosevelt, each class at the school had students donate items to place inside of a themed gift basket. Tickets were sold and participants would place stickers with their identifying numbers on the basket they were most interested in winning.
“It’s a good event, the mayor loves it, and we’re going to keep it going,” said Orecchio.
Melissa Rappaport may be reached at mrappaport@hudsonreporter.com