ATHABASCA — Almost 400 guests attended a celebration of culture via cuisine during the book-end event for the Alice B. Donahue Library’s One Book, One Community program, which highlighted the story of an Edmonton family’s journey through two conflict-stricken countries.
Taste of Athabasca, held Nov. 4 at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, was deemed a success by organizers, attendees, and participating chefs alike. Cheryl Andrews, program coordinator for the library, said she was “thrilled” to see the turnout, and there was talk — from both sides of the serving tables — about Taste of Athabasca 2024.
“I was so happy to see the amount of community members that came out to celebrate,” said Andrews. “I heard a few people say they were surprised at how many different cultural representations we had in our community, so what a great thing for people to discover.”
A final count took put the event’s attendance at 395 guests for the two-hour event held in the fieldhouse, alongside the farmers' market. Twenty-four vendors served guests a wide range of food, from traditional tamales and homemade raspberry perogies to fried plantains and Brazilian chocolates.
One dish guests couldn’t miss was Jagwinber Kaur’s aromatic chickpea curry. “People were saying that they could smell curry from the front door,” laughed Kaur. Originally from Dehli, India, Kaur and her family have been in Athabasca for 14 years, and her dish wasn’t the first she prepared for the event.
Kaur said she had also participated in past iterations of the event. “I don’t know the exact year, but I was so happy (to see) something like that, because it’s a small community,” she said.
Noel Callihoo, cook for Athabasca Native Friendship centre, attended the event for both business and pleasure. She served bannock and a traditional three-berry jam for the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre, and enjoyed the other flavours on display after the bannock proved popular.
“It’s very nice to see the whole community come together as one. I’m very impressed,” said Callihoo. “Food always makes people happy, right?”
When asked what her favourite dish of the day was, Callihoo responded with: “Just about everything. I can’t tell you what’s the best, because it’s all different … it’s a good way to introduce everyone to all the cultures we have here in our little town.”
Another favourite was the spread of Filipino food, which included spring rolls, rice cakes, and pancit — a dish featuring thin noodles and veggies, topped with a squeeze of fresh lime. Rod Cunanan of the Athabasca Lion’s Club said he was proud to represent the local Filipino community and is already looking forward to the future.
“This is a well-attended event, people are happy, and they’re just enjoying everybody’s culture,” said Cunanan. “We’ve had a warm welcome from the community, and some people are still asking … ‘why didn’t you cook this,’ or ‘why didn’t you cook that.’ It will come for next year, and the next year’s event.”
Because the event was part of the One Book, One Community program, Andrews said she is unsure if the library will be able to host it again next year. “I don’t know what the next year’s book is, so I don’t know that Taste of Athabasca necessarily is the right fit for it, and it’s a lot for the library.”
“There was a lot of interest here today, and I told a few people ‘if you want to keep it going, somebody’s got to take it over,’ and I won’t use any names, but there was interest,” said Andrews. “People should stay tuned because no one wants this to go away.”
