On May 26, CHS held its annual Multicultural Banquet, organized by ASB Multicultural Commissioners Hudson Serletic, Ava Meyers and Jade Armenta. 

Students gathered for a catered lunch in the upper quad with several meal options from a number of different cultures.  

“We had some Jewish food from Brent’s, we had some American food from In-N-Out, some Jamaican food from Jerk Wings, Mediterranean food from Panini Kabob Grill, food from the Stonefire and Rosti restaurants, which are Italian, and finally foods from Shanghai Bistro and Shalimar,” said Serletic.

The event itself had a high turnout amongst CHS students, with many juniors and seniors who usually opt to go off campus for lunch staying to enjoy the banquet.

“I thought it was a very cool event as it blended many cultures together and allowed me to try many new foods that I haven’t had before,” said junior Ruby Elswick. “I would love to go again. […] I went last year, and I will go next year.” 

Like Elswick, junior Ty Mah enjoyed the event and will be returning next year. 

“I think the banquet was actually very nice, as I got to experience a lot of different foods from a lot of different cultures,” said Mah. “I got there a bit late and didn’t even get to finish all the food that was given to me, so for next year, I will definitely arrive early.”

Armenta jokingly told the Courier some students were even a bit too enthusiastic about the event. 

“A lot of people are clearly excited for the event, some trying to push through the line, which isn’t ideal, but it shows their eagerness,” said Armenta.

The ASB commissioners worked hard to organize catering from numerous restaurants and appreciated the cooperation of the community.

“It was definitely quite the process,” said Serletic. “We had to reach out to a lot of local restaurants and coordinate with them [and] see what kind of discounts we could get. Honestly, the generosity from the community has been unimaginable and so great. It really helped us to do this event.”

This event was actually the second ASB multicultural banquet of the year, including a greater selection of cultures and foods than the winter event.

“The [banquet] held in December was quite a new thing, with it being our first time doing it, as usually we only do this annual event in the summer,” said Serletic. “The one in December revolved more around certain holidays, such as Christmas and Hanukkah. Yet with this banquet, we have foods from many more cultures, thanks to the Google Forms that we sent out in order for people to recommend foods of their traditions.”

ASB plans to continue the banquet tradition next year.