Students gather around the dessert station during the Global Kitchen Greece event at Panther Dining Hall.
Florida Tech Campus Dining transported guests to the land of Olympians during their latest “Global Kitchen” event, Greece! The dining hall was welcome to host various traditional dishes, desserts and fun cultural decorations for lunch at Panther Dining Hall.
Beloved throughout the year, the Global Kitchen series is a part of Campus Dining’s effort to introduce international cuisine in a fun way while also celebrating the cultural diversity on campus.
The menu for the Global Kitchen Greece event at PDH.
According to Campus Dining Director Evan Olsen, the Greece-themed event was chosen from student feedback from last year.
“We asked the student body last year in a survey,” Olsen said. “The top three responses were Italy, Japan and Greece. So we did all three!”
Campus Dining drew enthusiastic crowds last semester with Global Kitchen events featuring the culinary arts of Italy for dinner on Sep. 10 and Japan on Nov. 12. The international events at PDH are always a hit, even bringing in those without a relation to the school to fill up all the seats and have lines going all the way outside.
Attendees of the event get into line to fill up their plates with delicious Greek food made on campus.
Students were offered a wide selection of traditional Greek dishes, including moussaka, spanakopita, dolmades, as well as desserts like portokalopita and other pastries.
The planning team also created an atmosphere to reflect Greek culture through themed decorations and music.
Planning Global Kitchen events, both the food and the decorations, involved collaborating with international students on campus. Campus Dining works with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services to connect with students from the country they want to represent for events.
“We call them ‘Authenticity Experts,’” Olsen said. “They help us write the menu, source ingredients, plan the decorations and provide music for the event.”
This collaboration leverages on-campus global connections and ensures the event reflects authentic cultural traditions.
The lobby of Panther Dining Hall setting the tone for the event welcoming in customers with Greek decorations.
Because of the continued strong student participation and positive feedback, Campus Dining plans to continue with the Global Kitchen series with more themed events in the fall semester. Upcoming events will include more international meals, Hissho sushi pop-up days, and other themed events to continue to bring new flavors and cultures to Florida Tech’s dining experience.
Students who are interested in getting directly involved in these events can contact the head of Florida Tech Campus Dining, Evan Olsen.