November 4, 2026

SVSU students bring global perspective through home-country favorites

International Food Festival will feature dishes from 15 countries

Saginaw Valley State University’s Marketplace at Doan will host a culinary adventure with its 28th International Food Festival on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is open to the public; the cost is $14 (credit or debit card only) or one meal swipe. 

The event is one of the highlights of SVSU’s International Education Week and is presented by SVSU Dining Services and the Office of International Programs with support from the International Student Club.

More than 40 international students will work alongside SVSU dining staff to prepare and serve favorite dishes from their home countries. The students are organized into 16 teams representing 15 countries. Many of the students will dress in traditional clothing from their country and will be available to talk with guests about the stories behind their dishes.

The planned menu and the countries represented include:

• Japrak (stuffed grape leaves) and trileçe (milk cake) — Albania
• Brigadeiros (chocolate truffles) — Brazil
• Stir-fried pork with green peppers — China
• Bombay biryani and sweet lassi — India
• Matzo ball soup — Israel
• Mitarashi dango (glazed rice dumplings) and Calpico — Japan
• Mansaf (lamb and rice with jameed) and tamer hindi (tamarind drink) — Jordan
• Samosas and mandazi — Kenya
• Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and hwachae (fruit punch) — Korea
• Samay Baji (a traditional Newari snack platter) — Nepal
• Jollof rice, chicken, Nigerian salad, and zobo (hibiscus drink) — Nigeria
• Arroz tapado (rice layered with seasoned beef) — Peru
• Lumpiang Shanghai (spring rolls) and mango sago — Philippines
• Lu rou fan (braised pork rice) and pearl milk tea — Taiwan
• Bún chả (grilled pork with noodles), chả giò (fried spring rolls) and palm sugar honeycomb cake — Vietnam

This fall, 123 international students from 26 countries are enrolled at SVSU.