Scissortail Park Food Festival Brings People Of Different Backgrounds Together

An international food festival took over Scissortail Park Saturday, but this is about more than good food. Organizers said the goal is to form connections between people from different backgrounds.

OKC Black Eats is teaming up with Scissortail Park to bring dishes from around the world here to Oklahoma.

Food trucks parking along Scissortail Park created a melting pot of foods to try from different cultures.

“They smell the food and they're just like what is that,” Julien Miller said.

Smells of fresh seasonings, southern barbecue, and fresh maize tortillas filled the air at Scissortail Park bringing people to small businesses.

“I want them to think that their taste buds are on fire, and they love the food. It would encourage them to want to seek out more of our cuisines that are represented here in Oklahoma City,” Apollo Woods said.

More than 50 food trucks and vendors set up shop at the park bringing meals they grew up eating to Oklahomans.

“I'm Mexican, so my parents are also Mexican, and this is everything we eat at home,” Adriana Guardado said.

“It's a start to get your taste buds to say I want to try and look for more,” Woods said.

Miller is bringing Laotian-style chicken to Oklahoma City.

“It just looks good. It kind of just sells itself,” Miller said.

Miller lives in Nevada but grew up here in Oklahoma. He said he spent a lot of time eating Vietnamese food and fell in love with Southeast Asian dishes.

“I think Oklahoma City is a very, I mean look around it's a very multicultural, multiethnic type city and I think people are really open, especially with food, they're open to different types of food and cuisines,” Miller said.

“When we're using culture and cuisine the way that we are it creates intersectionality. As you look around the park people are stuffing their faces with good food, they're having conversations and meeting new people and that's what food does,” Woods said.