HOULTON, Maine — July 6, 2024 — Robertino Ridley enjoyed some quality time with his 6-month-old son, Gray, at the 3rd Annual International Food Festival in Houlton on Saturday night. Ridley made Jamaican curry chicken for the festival. (Kathleen Farren Tomaselli | Houlton Pioneer Times)
HOULTON, Maine – Bidding for Robertino Ridley’s turmeric-based Jamaican curry chicken started at $50 Saturday night. The bids then went up to $150, $160, $200 and $240, making it the highest auction bid ever at the Houlton International Food Festival.
“There’s a lot of hard work behind what you all attempted today,” said Ruba Haddad Bossy, chair of Houlton Rotary’s International Service Committee, during the festival’s auction.
Hundreds of people gathered at Houlton Middle School on Saturday night to sample cuisines and delicacies from around the world. Foodies and novices alike sampled exotic and ancient dishes from 21 countries prepared by Houlton locals. The festival was designed to celebrate differences through the universal language of food.
As well as bringing his own specialties for tasting, Ridley also donated vouchers for Jamaican specialties to be marinated for two days for the auction that will conclude Houlton Rotary’s third annual International Food Festival.
HOULTON, Maine — July 6, 2024 — Dressed in traditional Jordanian dress, 10-year-old Zeeda Bossy works on an order for an international flag bracelet. Bossy created bracelets representing 21 countries at the 3rd Annual International Food Festival in Houlton on Saturday night. The festival effort was led by Bossy’s mother, Ruba Haddad Bossy. (Kathleen Farren Tomaselli | Houlton Pioneer Times)
What began as an international dessert festival three years ago has grown beyond just a culinary experience to now include live performances, children’s activities, a gift shop, live auction and more, with this year’s focus on kids, focusing on ways to spark their curiosity about the unusual.
During the opening ceremony, Chief Clarissa Sabattis of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians sang the Wolastoq Honor Song, Joanna Johnston performed an aria from the French opera “Carmen,” and Haddad Bossy took to the stage to teach the Jordanian dance to the large group.
Additionally, she read The Sandwich Shop, written by the Queen of Jordan.
“It’s a story about an American girl and a Jordanian girl, two friends who do everything together except food,” she said. “We were preparing for the kids to try something new, and if you don’t like it, that’s okay, but please give it a try. It’s made with love, so please give it a try.”
The tasting session was scheduled after the opening ceremony, and comments quickly spread about what to try next and how delicious or surprising the dishes were. Amidst the rich aromas and conversation, the small plates were bursting with new flavors and an experience that taught participants more about the countries from which the recipes originated.
Among the dishes served were Ridley’s Jamaican curried chicken, beans from Uganda, Maliseet Indian yellow hominy soup and fried bread, 17th-century baked goods from Romania, Bavarian pretzels from Germany and rice-filled pollo guisado from the Dominican Republic.
“It all happened so quickly,” said Amanda Nkamwesiga, who made the Ugandan beans and flatbread with her husband, Gilbert. “We had people say, ‘I don’t like beans, but I love this.'”
Suzanne Hiltz of Das NeiderHiltz Haus made 120 of her famous Bavarian pretzels, which sold out quickly, and she also donated two 2-pound pretzels that sold for $115 during the live auction.
HOULTON, Maine — July 6, 2024 — Ruba Haddad Bossy calls for bids during the live auction at the 3rd Annual International Food Festival in Houlton on Saturday night. (Kathleen Farren Tomaselli | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Haddad Bossy, originally from Amman, Jordan, met her husband, a native of Holton, while working as a boarding school teacher there, and their oldest daughter was born there before moving back to Holton eight years ago.
“It means a lot to me to have my children wear traditional Jordanian clothing and come here and talk about food,” she said about sharing their culture at the festival.
She noted that, like Haddad, there are families living in Houlton from other countries, including Jamaica, Romania, South Korea, Uganda, Ghana, Canada and Germany.
This year, the committee asked local businesses to sponsor the country for $100, and $2,100 had already been raised before Saturday’s festival.
All proceeds from sponsorships, auction sales, and the festival gift shop will benefit the Rotary International Service Committee’s international service projects.
