Charles City enjoys foods from around the world at Global Cafe

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City community enjoyed tastes from across the globe as the Charles City Arts Council hosted its spring Global Café on Saturday, April 20.

Setting up at the Elks Lodge, 13 chefs prepared 16 dishes originating from foreign cultures from Morocco to the Philippines. French Boeuf Bourguignon, German Currywurst, Irish Colcannon and more were on the menu as volunteers selected their country and one or two dishes to prepare.

“The cool part about this fundraiser is that people get to pick the country and the dish,” said Arts Center Director Emily Kiewel. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

Trying something new this year, dishes were spread out across the Elks dining room, rather than in a single row, encouraging people to make multiple trips for a fresh plate of foods from a region.

Enjoying a solid crowd of attendees, the event welcomed more than 50 people coming in to try new foods and discuss which ones they liked the best.

“I love it because it’s an expression of our community coming together,” said Kiewel.

The Global Café serves as an important fundraiser for the Arts Council, raising money that goes directly into the Charles City Arts Center’s operating funds. While the arts center can rely on grants and other sources of revenue for specific projects and additions, there are fewer opportunities to raise money for its day-to-day expenses.

“Those are the funds that are hard to find,” said Kiewel.

Coming up next for the arts center, Assistant Director Karl Haglund will be May’s featured artist and free youth theater classes will be held in June and July.