For the Ohio State community in the Peruvian Association, food and family play a key role in connecting them with the country. This is why on September 4^th, 2024, undergrads, grad students, and faculty alike joined together to celebrate Peruvian culture through food at the Familia Dinner hosted by the Ohio State University Peruvian Association. The event, which marked the start of a new school year for the organization, took place on campus and did not require attendees to have any Peruvian lineage to attend. The club and their meetings are open to all Buckeyes under the Peruvian Association’s inclusive mission “To promote Peruvian culture to all students and faculty that are looking for a place to connect with our culture.”   

The Familia Dinner is one of the Peruvian Association’s main community events throughout the semester. The club’s executive board brought in a variety of Peruvian staple dishes, all of which were homemade. Some of the foods brought included:  

One student, Daniel Gaudiano del Bosque, said he greatly enjoyed the food, and that the ceviche tasted exactly like what he had eaten when during his experience of traveling to Peru. “You could tell that it was homemade” Gaudiano del Bosque said. Another student, Max Arenas, particularly enjoyed the Aji de Gallina for its flavorful and tender nature. 

The large turnout and interest the event garnered was especially inspiring to Peruvian Association Faculty Advisor and Professor of Food Science & Technology Monica Giusti. Giusti, who was born and raised in Lima, Peru has been with the club since it was founded back in 2021 and has watched it grow from small student initiative into the thriving organization it is now. “This club has been able to not only bring together the Peruvians in Columbus at Ohio State, but also to bring many other students and other people that are in some way curious about Peruvian culture,” Giusti said.   

 Events such as the Familia Dinner bring a diverse community into the Peruvian association and encourage students and faculty to connect and engage with Peruvian culture regardless of previous experience. In one activity, Giusti demonstrated the wide scope of experience by having participants raise their hands to indicate how they were connected to Peru. Attendees ran the gamut from Buckeyes born and raised in Peru, those who had Peruvian heritage but grew up elsewhere, and those who were simply interested in learning more.   

For Peruvian Association President Tania Novoa, coming to Ohio State and joining the Peruvian Association personally gave her a community to explore her Peruvian heritage. Novoa, who half Peruvian and half Ecuadorian, grew up learning more about her mother’s Ecuadorian side. The Peruvian Association gave her the opportunity to connect more with not only Peruvian culture, but also the Peruvian community found at Ohio State.