Latino Food Festival in Portland celebrates culture and community

Arepas, arroz con pollo, burritos, pupusas, rellenitos, tacos, and tamales. Those were just some of the many dishes that you could try at the annual Latino Food Festival held Saturday, September 7, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s Guild Hall.

“These are recipes from families that have been cooking this for their whole lives, so this gives us an opportunity to share it with the rest of Maine,” says Eduardo Anzurez, who is originally from Mexico but now lives in South Portland. “In Maine, we’re kind of a minority, so it really does mean a lot to us to be able to share this food and see how the rest of the community feels about it, and it seems like the community likes it because they keep coming back, and the festival keeps growing.”

The festival drew hundreds of people from throughout the area and from all different backgrounds, all coming together to enjoy the food and the company.

The various dishes were made by families whose roots are in Central and South American countries such as the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela.

“I come here because it is kind of nice to have people from many different countries,” says Daniel Corona, who lives in Bath but whose family is originally from Mexico. “It’s nice to enjoy meeting people from other countries and to enjoy the food. That is the best thing to do – enjoy the food.”

“It’s to celebrate the diversity of Latin culture, meet people, have some kind of networking, get to know who else is around here, just connect with other people, talk about what I do, and enjoy the food,” says Cynthia Koch, a dental student originally from Arequipa, Peru. “Enjoy the food. That’s the main thing. For instance, for me, Dominican food is very new for me, so I'm still learning about different kind of foods, even if we speak the same language.”

While the festival is hosted by the cathedral, it is put on by the diocese’s Office of Hispanic Ministry and Sacred Heart / St. Dominic Parish in Portland, which is the spiritual home to many members of the Hispanic community and where Mass is celebrated in Spanish every Sunday. All proceeds from the festival benefit the parish and its programs.

“The festival raises funds for the parish, but it's also a wonderful time for us to get together as a community from all over the place,” says Father Michael Sevigny, OFM Cap., director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry. “There is no other place like it to meet and share all kinds of different foods from different countries. It's really a great day for us to gather and just to share, so it makes me happy.”

Among those happily enjoying the festival was Bishop James Ruggieri, who stopped by to sample some of the food and mingle with some of the volunteers and guests before heading north for Masses at Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish in Lincoln.

Along with the food, the festival also featured music and dancing with traditional costumes, and there was face painting and other entertainment for children.