April has ushered in the 5th annual Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage month at the University of Wisconsin. This year’s theme — “Ingredients, Identities, and Intersectionality”— features a variety of culinary and cultural events across campus throughout the month of April, according to the event lineup.

The APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee kicked off celebrations April 6 with the APIDA Heritage Festival, a day long event at the Multicultural Student Center that brought together APIDA identifying students and Registered Student Organizations to create art projects, practice calligraphy, and, enjoy many Asian foods.

APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee Chair Elaine Pajanustan said Asian-American food analogizes the experience of being an Asian-American person.

“With the popularization of Asian American food, there are all these kinds of fusions that have been happening in Chinese-American food, Indian-American food — foods that reflect people’s experiences as an Asian American,” Pajanustan said.

2024’s theme statement builds on this message, proposing that food shapes identity, serves as a reminder of cultural heritage and bridges gaps between people and cultures across the Asian diaspora.

At the APIDA Heritage Festival, attendees could choose from a variety of Asian foods, like aloo gobi, stir fry chicken, samosas, lo mein, and many others.

Building on this year’s theme, the APIDA Heritage Month Planning Committee has worked in concert with WUD Cuisine and will host Indian-American food journalist Priya Krishna at Union South April 22 as the month’s keynote speaker. Krishna is the author of several best-selling cookbooks, a food reporter for The New York Times, and has been nominated for awards by the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals, according to Krishna’s author bio at The New York Times.

Festivities for APIDA Heritage will come to a close with the APIDA x Asian American Student Union Gala April 26 at the Pyle Center, a formal event that will feature performances, another keynote speaker, and APIDA cuisine, Pajanustan said.

Having a month to celebrate APIDA heritage and the places to do so on campus is essential to establishing community and a sense of belonging on campus for APIDA individuals, Pajanustan said.

“It’s to bring the community together and find a sense of belonging on campus, especially since this is a predominantly white institution,” Pajanustan said. “I know so many APIDA students who have felt lost coming in, and really creating that space to celebrate their identities and have an actual space for them to meet each other and have fun in community has been really important.”