Digging into a taste of international cuisine

CMC Steamboat’s Cultural Meals program hits Brazil in March

By Andy Stonehouse

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – An authentic and delicious way to experience the broad culinary wonder of South America’s largest country hits the CMC Steamboat Springs campus from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.

Foodies and interested travelers are invited to take part in this month’s CMC Cultural Meal, a Brazilian feast that’s the latest part of the college’s community-based culture and dining outreach program.

For $18 per person, participants can sample a wide variety of Brazilian favorites and learn more about the multicultural African, Indigenous and European traditions that helped influence those tastes. Dinner will be held in CMC’s Naes Dining Room.

Created by a CMC culinary arts student

Daniel Baer, a CMC Steamboat culinary arts student, developed the idea of a cultural meals celebration series, allowing locals to take a multi-course culinary tour of the world, one destination at a time. They’re the full deal, as well, with main courses, breads and desserts from different nations.

“For me, these dinners are never just about food. They are about bringing culture, history and identity to the plate,” Baer said. His approach, both as a student and as a chef, is to heighten awareness of the real background of the regional meals he serves to the community.

“My goal is always the same, to represent each country with respect, to study its roots before cooking its flavors and to bring the community closer to the world,” he said.

This month, Baer’s menu turns to items including feijoada, Brazil’s national dish of black beans, plus other tastes including fried bananas, cassava, crispy pork belly and garlic-sauteed collard greens. He’ll also have tastes of Brazilian carrot cake, finished with a Brigadeiro chocolate glaze.

“Brazilian cuisine is not just food, it’s history you can taste, culture you can feel and identity you can share,” Baer said.

Baer has crafted the experience with the help of CMC and the support of Sodexo, the company that serves as CMC Steamboat campus’s food provider.

Around the world

Earlier in February, Baer focused his attention to the cuisine of South Africa, where the amazing blend of African, Dutch, Malay and Indian influences – and a history of migration, resilience and cultural fusion – helped create diverse tastes such the Babotie beef curry, yellow rice and traditional Afrikaner pumpkin fritters.

The resulting explosion of flavors, aromas and stories helped define that nation, he says, and bring people closer around the table.

Since October, other dinners in addition to South Africa and Brazil have focused on the cuisine of Germany, Morocco and Poland.

“Thank you to everyone who has joined us so far and continues to support this cultural journey through food,” Baer said. “We create more than a dinner; we create a moment of connection.”

CMC Steamboat Spring’s Naes Dining Room is on the third floor of the campus’s Academic Building, 1275 Crawford Ave., Steamboat Springs. For more information on the event and menus, contact Daniel Baer at 970-291-7925.