| |||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
 
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Students offer guests a Taste of the World By Duane Bonifer Columbia resident Sarah Custer took her three children around the world on Thursday, April 2, 2026, and she didn't have to leave Adair County. That's because Custer and her children spent part of the day at the Lindsey Wilson University International Marketplace, held in the university's Doris and Bob Holloway Health & Wellness Center. The immersive experience featured samples of students' native cuisines as well information about their home countries' cultures. Students cooked the dishes, some staying up until the early hours of Thursday to perfect the culinary treats. The annual event, which has been held for more than two decades, attracted more than 200 members of the campus and local community. A total of 13 countries from five continents were on display this year, and patrons voted on which country was their favorite food. Brazil came out on top with a menu of: Brazilian hotdogs, which included mozzarella, potato sticks, corn and mayonnaise; pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread); and a chocolate confection known as brigadeiro, which is chocolate powder with condensed milk and butter. Uganda was runner-up with a buffet of beef stew, spaghetti with tomatoes, jollof rice, white rice, seasoned chicken, samosa (stuffed baked pastry) and mandazi (sweet fried breads). South Africa finished third with its malva pudding. Homemade dishes Many of the foods offered were made from family recipes, such as the pierogi served by Polish students Natalia Gorska '27, Maciej Janusiewicz '28, Sara Motyl '26 and Monika Szwarc '26. "It's grandma's recipe," said Gorska. Rebekah Burnside, an exchange student from Lurgan, Northern, Ireland, made fifteens -- no-bake sweets made of 15 crushed graham crackers, 15 marshmallows, 15 cherries and condensed milk. "It's not high effort, but it tastes delicious, especially if you have a cup of tea with it," said Burnside. Apparently patrons agreed, as Burnside's six batches of fifteens were gone in about 30 minutes. Learning experiences Custer used the event as a teaching opportunity with her three children -- Allen, 7; Alifair, 5; and Isabel, 4 -- all of whom she homeschools. "We're using this as a world history lesson," said Custer, who was attending her first International Marketplace. As the Custer family made their way to each table, Custer pointed out facts the children have learned about each country, then they sampled foods made by the Lindsey Wilson students. Allen said he enjoyed the Ugandan dishes, Alifair was a big fan of Australian fairy bread and the dishes from Brazil, and Isabel said she enjoyed several of the desserts, including the brigadeiro. "She liked basically anything sweet," said Custer. Part of campus culture International students have been an integral part of Lindsey Wilson's campus for more than 70 years, and this school year they account for more than 160 students from more than 40 countries, according to LWU International Student Affairs Communications and Global Student Support Coordinator Makayla M. Wright '24, who also coordinated this year's International Marketplace. Planning for the event started in December. Wright said most of the ingredients for the students' native dishes were available at area stores, although a special order was made so that vegemite scrolls could be served by Australians Max Groom '26 and freshmen sisters Rachel and Tessa Kilchenmann. Wright said she made a few adjustments to this year's International Marketplace, such as inviting university mascot Blue Raider Bob, adding a photo backdrop, and including the university's Global Citizens Club and host families. Alexia Konsavage of Columbia was one of the host families who attended this year's event, along with daughters Brielle, 4, and Emersyn, 3. She and her husband, Noah, are a host family this year to two Lindsey Wilson students -- freshmen Ela Cippico of Zagreb, Croatia, and Lara Reis of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. "We really enjoy getting to know about the country we host and showing the international students everything Kentucky has to offer," said Konsavage. "And we love to come to this because we get to eat all the foods from around the world." Lindsey Wilson student Addie Mouton '29 of Columbia said she enjoyed her first visit to the International Marketplace. "Everything is so good," said Mouton, a criminal justice and psychology double major. "It's really cool seeing new cultures and what they eat. What they eat is so much healthier than what we eat (in America)." That's one of the reasons Lindsey Wilson employee Farrah Phillips and her mother, Amy, have returned for several years to the International Marketplace. "The food is wonderful," said Amy Phillips, who enjoyed dishes from Brazil, Colombia and Japan. "We don't get that around here." This story was posted on 2026-04-05 09:11:41
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.
More articles from topic Lindsey Wilson University:
Students present work, find inspiration at English Conference LWU Singers to perform April 17 at Crestwood UMC LWU creates Pulaski Co. Government Scholarship LWU student designs new Presidential Medallion LWU Education students learn from one of KY's best teachers LWU speakers separate leaders from imposters Students get advice, make connections with business leaders Lindsey to begin 4+1 Bachelor's-MBA Program in the fall Blue Raider Band unveils new uniforms for 2026-27 Lindsey Wilson group participates in TCA Day on the Hill View even more articles in topic Lindsey Wilson University |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
 
 
 
 
|
|||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | |||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| |||||||||||
