Getting involved on campus isn’t the easiest thing to do, with commitments oftentimes clashing with schoolwork. As finals tread closer, it’s a relief to find events that prioritize the spirit of community and the importance of culture.

Case in point: Friday evening’s Café du Monde, a celebration of foods and communities from all around the world, organized by 18 cultural clubs.

Spearheaded by DePaul’s French club, Café du Monde (translated to English as ‘Cafe of the World’) was an event all about the collaboration of different cultures through familiar forms of expression: food, dance and music.

“There’s so many different people on college campuses,” said Bella Zamudio, event coordinator and vice president of the French Club. “I think it’s essential to know what the world is like, and have events with different cultural clubs that teach about details specific to their cultures.”

The event had each club occupy a stand with samplings of cultural dishes to share with any of the dozens of students who attended.

University officials showed their willingness to collaborate with the event organizers, bringing in representatives from the study abroad office and the modern language department to spread the word about multicultural programs.

DePaul student organizations like the Albanian club, Serbian club, Black Student Union and Polish alliance brought stands and brochures to attract students hungry for knowledge — and students hungry for food.

“With food, you gain insight into the fact that the world is so vast and not so insular,” Zamudio said. “It can teach us to be much more respectful, kind human beings who try to understand each other.”

Treats like pan dulce and café con leche were found at the Spanish club stand, complemented by soda bread from the Irish Society and virgin aperitivi con patatine fritte from the Italian club.

“Sushi is a huge part of Japanese culture,” said Toti Spyropoulos, a member of the Japanese club. “We’ve got vegetable rolls, tuna rolls, salmon rolls. We also have some matcha from our professor, Chikamatsu-sensei.”

Not only were the foods lovingly displayed by each cultural club, but they each came with a unique history as to what they represent to the culture they come from.

“Both the croissants and the macarons have heritage from other countries,” said Alaina Schmidt, president of the French club. “Croissants are actually from Vienna, Austria. The baker was Austrian originally, and he started making croissants and they became really popular.”

The event wasn’t only about the foods of the world; it was also about the arts. Music and dance filled the space as a medley of performers came into the space.

Performers from DePaul dance group ACE Modern opened the event with a choreographed show, driven by the spirit of dance. Dance soloists Dayna Pinsky and Annette Barron performed shortly thereafter, attuning to culture-specific dances for their respective clubs.

No true dinner party event would be complete without music, and Café du Monde was no exception. A trio of instruments made the space comfortable and exciting.

DePaul students Samuel Fodor (guitar), Adam Blenderman (bass) and Toby Elliott (drums) made the event shine, the sound of their music working to draw guests out of the windy weather and into the party.

Café du Monde was pioneered by the French club, who had been wanting an event like this since spring of 2024. They felt a collaborative cultural event could benefit a variety of clubs and organizations and be a great way for students to get involved with organized events.

“We have a meeting every Friday called Café Francophone,” Schmidt said. “It’s an hour of speaking French, no matter what level you’re at. We try to do different games and activities, and it’s really fun. We end up becoming like a close knit family at the end of each quarter.”

Cultural clubs can be found everywhere at DePaul, and they’re always ready for students to get involved.

“My freshman year I went to some of the events, and they did applications for the board,” Zambudio said. “So I went from going to events, to being the treasurer of the French club. And this year, I became the vice president.”

There’s so much knowledge out there, and students involved in their cultures are prepared to share their worlds with you.

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