CIS is a culturally diverse community and this means lots of delicious international cuisines just waiting for us to discover! You can now find these recipes in a special cookbook created by the Lakeside PTA, packed full of favourite dishes from around the world. The Lakeside PTA created the cookbook with a special goal: for students and their families to cook together at home and learn about the history of special recipes from their classmates’ home countries.

“One of the most beloved traditions at CIS is the UN week and its PTA food festival where over 70 nationalities are united under one roof to bring their best of traditional and regional food, “ says Komal, president of the Lakeside PTA. “Unfortunately, we had to miss it this year due to COVID.”

So Komal and the PTA team came up with an alternative plan to keep the food festival celebrations alive by creating something that would instead bring families “together” in their own kitchens. Beginning in January, a small group of four parents — Komal, Genevieve, Ekaterina and Sonja — put their heads together to brainstorm possible alternatives. Genevieve suggested the cookbook idea and Ekaterina volunteered to collect recipes from all the country representatives. The duo then compiled the recipes in a book: the “CIS International Families’ Recipes” cookbook.

With over 30 recipes from Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Tunisia and the USA, each recipe has clear instructions on ingredients and prep time, as well as information about the origin and history of each recipe.

“I’m happy to say that our efforts have been immensely appreciated by the CIS community,” says Komal. “The Lakeside PTA is always happy to bring a smile to the faces of all our parents, staff, teachers and students so we’re glad everyone loves the cookbook.”

Thank you to the Lakeside PTA for collaborating on this wonderful community initiative. Another example of CIS values in action. Bon appetit!

View or download the cookbook here.