Photo by Daniel Troise
The smell of delicious foods from well-known Mahwah surrounding restaurants flooded Friends Hall last Friday night as the College Programming Board (CPB) hosted the annual “Taste of Mahwah” event. With food trays from restaurants including CARS, Nicky’s, Littio’s, Nonna’s, and Ju Lung, students were able to enjoy a taste of these local food establishments without having to leave campus.
Nursing major Britney Miller (‘22), a member of the CPB, gave her thoughts and opinions of the event. “All first-year students get a glimpse of the Roadrunner community and get to see what the local environment is about,” she explained.
I was invited to attend the set-up of the event with members of CPB and saw as it unfolded. They began to break down and relocate tables and chairs, accommodating to the large crowds that were about to pull in. Cheyenne Shannon (‘22), a Global Communications and Media major, serves as President of CPB and addressed the committee members thanking them for their time and giving them a run down for the event.
The lines rushed in as the clock struck 10:00 PM and in came over 60 students, rushing to find a seat so that they could sit with their friends. The way the event was set up was that students would sit down and wait for their table to be called up by color.
There were two ways you could have skipped the lines and got food first. Eight VIP wristbands were given out to those had entered contests at past CPB events. They were allowed first access to the food.
After that, those who followed the CPB Instagram (@cpbramapo) were informed that if they brought their own plates and utensils, they would have first dibs on food as well. The purpose of this social media campaign was to promote sustainability and reducing waste on campus, as well as gain a larger social media following.
While a handful of lucky Roadrunners were in line getting their food, I was able to talk to some of the other students waiting at their tables. A student who wished to remain anonymous (‘21, Finance) stated that “I look forward to this event each year. I made sure to wear my sweatpants”, poking fun at the fact that they planned to consume a large amount of the trays that lined the back of Friends Hall.
After all the tables were called up for their appetizers, dinner began. The table was made up of a variety of pizzas, sandwiches, pasta and more. My personal favorite part was Penne ala Vodka sauce that was served.
Overall, I found the event to be quite inclusive and inviting. It allowed students that are not from the area the opportunity to explore local cuisine. Kiki Mullen (‘22), a Psychology major, stated “I’m from Connecticut and I don’t really know a whole bunch about NJ foods. This event was a great eye opener to what I was missing out on.” The College Programming Board is responsible for hosting events on campus, and Taste of Mahwah was just another prime example demonstrating how they know what they are doing.
dtroise@ramapo.edu
