The Brazos Valley Worldfest and Culture Club is getting ready to host their three-course Culture Club Dinner.
The dinner will take place at D’Vine Cuisine in Bryan on Thursday, Feb. 6 and will promptly begin at 6 p.m. Chef Billy Castillo will deliver opening remarks, with an appetizer and main dish to follow. Each dinner the organization hosts is focused on a different region of the world, and this month’s dishes will draw inspiration from the culinary dishes of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
With cuisine such as Hawaiian pork buns and Fijian Hindu nut candy on the menu, Manager of Community Programs Kim Fox said Castillo has done a great job of taking the club’s cultural ambitions and running with them.
“The chef at D’Vine Cuisine is fabulous and always excited to try a new dish,” Fox said. “I give him the country or region being highlighted, and he researches their cuisine and sets a menu based on what we are able to get here in the area and within our price point.”
Culture Club dinners may represent a small branch of activities the Brazos Valley Worldfest hosts throughout the year, but every event has a common goal that houses cultural inclusion and diversity awareness, Fox said.
“Brazos Valley Worldfest has grown to be more than just a one-day-a-year festival,” Fox said. “Our mission is to promote and celebrate the international diversity and heritage of the Brazos Valley, and we are able to do that year-round thanks to programs like our Culture Club dinners, International Film Series and participating in other community events.”
With College Station and the surrounding area being home to a motley crew of cuisines, Fox said the environment and aura is what sets the Culture Club apart from the rest.
“Although other restaurants in the area offer similar international dinners, the Culture Club is unique in that it brings in other aspects of a culture than just the food,” Fox said. “We set the atmosphere with the music and décor and try to bring in speakers or performers to share even more of the highlighted culture.”
A frequent Culture Club dinner attendee, Assistant to Associate Provost of Graduate and Professional Studies Yvonne Costello describes the event as not only a chance to interact with other cultural interests, but to bring together individuals throughout the community she might not have met otherwise.
“We began going to the Culture Club dinners about a year and a half ago,” Costello said. “It’s easy to find international cuisines in the area, but other aspects of the Culture Club dinner, like dining with other people and learning about the regions that are featured that evening, is unique and very enjoyable.”
When guests sit down at their tables, Fox said that there is more to be anticipated than what the menu gives away.
“Guests can expect more than just dinner,” Fox said. “They can expect a cultural experience.”
The Brazos Valley Worldfest and Culture Club is open to its members, who can purchase tickets on their website.