WASHINGTON DEPOT, CONN., Feb. 1, 2025—Parents of Rumsey Hall School students once again participated in the staging of the school’s annual Lunar New Year celebration, which this year honors the Snake, the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac.
The Snake is said to have appeared sixth by hiding in the hoof of the Horse (seven). She plans meticulously and does what is necessary to achieve her goals. Much the same can be said of the efforts exerted to stage the school’s annual event, in which volunteers in Rumsey’s Chinese Parents Association along with students prepared 2,000 authentic dumplings, which the students served to them and each other as part of the PopUp Café at lunch on Jan. 29.
Lunar New Year’s Day was on Wednesday, January 29th this year, but the events began on Monday at Rumsey Hall when a group of parents, students, and staff came together to prepare 2,000 dumplings. The CulinArt team, led by Director of Dining Services Tom Hinman, provided the filling of ground pork, massaged Napa cabbage, egg, soy, ginger, scallion, and dumpling powder using a parent’s traditional recipe.
After all that work, the parent group, some of whom came from China to celebrate the holiday at the school, were welcomed to a reception at a faculty home. CulinArt prepared a variety of hors d’oeuvres for the occasion, including Plum Chicken Bao Buns, Shrimp with Crispy Wontons, Sesame-crusted Tuna, and rice cakes with cherry and sesame.
New Year’s Eve was the big celebration. As students began the lunch hour in Connecticut, those in Asia were just ringing in the New Year. The CulinArt staff fried and steamed the dumplings to serve with lunch and curated a menu to complement the dumplings. This included Yee Sang Salad, translated to Prosperity Tossed Salad, which symbolizes abundance, prosperity, and vigor. Hinman credits Salad Chef Carlos Galvez for researching and bringing this element to the celebration.
After lunch, the dining hall was transformed for the New Year’s Eve celebration. The event included over 250 attendees for a formal sit-down meal. Dinner was provided by Shu Restaurant in Fairfield, Conn., and funded by the parents. CulinArt organized the meal into plates of appetizers for each table and served ten authentic main dishes at two buffets.
Each year the event gets bigger and bigger,” says Jillian Dufresne, Rumsey Hall’s international student coordinator, “and CulinArt adapts and never discourages us from celebrating in big fashion. They fully embrace the holiday and seeing the staff try new foods and communicate with the parents, despite the language barriers, is so fun! A favorite this year was the addition of Tanghulu, a skewer of fruit in a rock sugar coating, for dessert.”
