This past April, the High School of Art and Design hosted its annual event, FanfaireNYC, where people from across New York gathered to celebrate pop culture and their unique interests.
As part of the event, food was provided for attendees. However, several people began to feel sick after eating the chicken and rice salad during the event.
“I felt like I was gonna throw up. And then I did, lolz!” said Ciara Petitfrere, a junior and student volunteer. “It felt horrible because it just felt like my whole body was like a ketchup bottle that someone was squeezing everything out.”
Ciara wasn’t the only one affected. According to her and other witnesses, multiple attendees felt sick after eating from the same batch.
“There were other people. One sophomore and this older lady. And I think someone else, but I’m not too sure,” said Ciara. Another student volunteer, Jordan Figueroa, a sophomore, added, “A lot of people were going around saying that their friends were getting sick from the food.”
Despite this mishap, other food items were praised for their delicious taste.
“I had the tres leches; it was my first time trying it. It was so good! And then, like, a hotdog,” Jordan said enthusiastically. Ciara added, “I knew I should’ve gotten the hotdogs.” Attendees also mentioned that the “brown sugar cookies” were a hit and became another valued dish.
Many people enjoyed the food overall and shared recommendations for future events. Most agreed that it might have just been a bad batch of chicken and rice.
While the incident seemed to make the event feel like a disaster, many people considered it a success. “It’s not worth getting sick,” one attendee said, “but I’d still go again.” Principal Maximillian Re-Sugiura commented, “I hope that the folks who didn’t feel well got the attention that they needed.”