Dining halls dish out global flavors at International Food Bazaar

“I'm from the East Coast, where there's a lot more ethnic food,” said Natalie Lanasa, a sophomore studying animal sciences and a student employee in the Rendezvous Dining Pavilion. Lansa stood behind the counter, stirring a pot of traditional beef stew from Western Africa as she spoke. “Montana doesn’t really get a lot of that.”

Many might agreewith Lanasa’s statement: Bozeman isn’t generally recognized as a hub of international cuisine. However, last Wednesday Feb. 12, the MSU dining halls put that notion to the test.

Miller Dining Commons and Rendezvous Dining Pavilion welcomed MSU students and the Bozeman community for the annual International Food Bazaar (IFB). For over 30 years, the IFB was put on by the Office of International Programs and held in the Strand Union Building, according to its website. After a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the event moved to the dining halls in 2023. Since then, the dining halls have taken charge of organizing the IFB. 

“This is what we do,” dining hall Executive Chef Jill Flores said. “We put big dinners on, we order food, we prepare food, we cook food. We have the skill set to do a really nice job at this — that's why the dining halls took it over.”

Flores — who serves as the executive chef for both dining halls and the on-campus bakery, Indulge Bakery — explained that the event is a welcome challenge to both her and the staff at both dining halls.

With cuisine hailing from over 34 countries on six continents, the dining halls had something for everyone. Rendezvous featured a variety of items, from Chinese vegetable spring rolls, German currywurst, South Korean lettuce wraps and homemade kimchi to French crêpes — the dining hall offered well over 30 types of dishes. 

“Every dish that we prepare, there has to be a recipe for it, it has to be analyzed, we have to understand the allergens,” Flores said. “These are not our regular menu items so we have to build that all out and make sure we have everything accurate so everything is safe for the public to eat.”

According to Flores, the planning and production of this event usually starts about six months to a year beforehand — meaning that right as one bazaar finishes, the teams start planning for the next year's IFB. 

“Everyone was involved,” Flores said. “It takes a bit of everything, cause not only are we creating the menus, we have to place orders. We have an auxiliary team that helps create the menus. We have folks that help us with advertising. Everyone has a hand in this.” 

Chef de Cuisine of Rendezvous Rob Strauch detailed the effort that coordinating this event takes. 

“Sourcing a lot of international cuisines can be really difficult in Montana,” Strauch said. “Some of these specialty items can take anywhere from six to 10 weeks to get here. So, we have to put our ducks in a row and make sure we communicate with our suppliers way ahead of time.”

Despite the amount of planning this event requires, Flores explained that it has helped make lasting connections in the MSU community. 

“We have a peanut soup — last year the African students came in and showed us how to make it. I think that is a really special connection,” Flores said. “Getting to try new dishes and new cultural things — it goes both ways: we benefit, students benefit.”

Although the IFB won't return until next February, both dining halls have begun hosting more events for students and the Bozeman community to enjoy, according to Strauch.

“I would say this semester more than ever, we are trying to do lots of little events and pop-ups and specials — things that the dining halls haven’t been doing to the level which we have this year,” Strauch said. “For example, at Rendezvous, every Tuesday we do a plated taco special for Taco Tuesday. We’ll often get some local tri-tip and grill out and make carne asada or we’ll do braised chicken overnight. It's a really fun way to try and explore some different cuisines.”

To keep up to date with the dining halls and see more information on the next IFB, visit https://www.montana.edu/culinaryservices/diningoncampus.html.