Daniel Cockriel/Winonan

Table space was in short supply as attendees of the Asian American Club’s Pho Night fundraiser gathered in line outside Winona State University’s Alumni House Feb. 27.

Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish that consists of broth, rice noodles, various herbs and meat, usually chicken or beef.

The dish is popular as both a restaurant item and a street dish in Vietnam and abroad.

This semester marks the second time the Asian American Club has hosted a Pho Night fundraiser, the first of which occurred in the fall.

Asian American Club adviser Conan Kmiecik said the club ran into complications planning the event. “Last semester, the student club members really took care of things,” Kmiecik said.

“We came across some additional obstacles organizing the event this semester, however. The first time we hosted this event it was fairly low key, but after the first Pho Night was covered in the Winona Post, and this week’s event added to the WSU Update, we knew we would be even busier,” he said.

One of the most notable changes to this event was the need to secure a serving license this time around. This process could have proved troublesome, but thanks to an agreeable staff member who was both helpful and involved in the licensing process, the license was acquired after a mere 4 hours, as opposed to the possible 14 days listed on the application, Kmiecik said.

Kmiecik—who also serves as the Program Coordinator for Winona State’s English Language Center—shares cultural ties with the Asian American Club and Pho Night. His mother is Vietnamese.

“I volunteered to advise the Asian American Club because I thought it was important for them to have an adviser that comes from a similar background as they do,” Kmiecik said.

The hard work arranging the event seemed to pay off, as evidenced by the seemingly endless line that extended out the front door of the Alumni House, spilling onto Wabasha Street for the majority of the event.

Stephen Garcia, a Winona State student, said, “This is my second time attending Pho Night. My roommate actually dragged me along to the first Pho Night in the fall, but I liked it so much that I knew I would go again whenever they hosted the next one. You can’t beat a home cooked meal for five bucks.”

Former Winona State student and current Winona resident Michael Kemp echoed this sentiment. “I didn’t attend the first event in the fall, but I heard that it was a great success, and decided to keep an eye out for the next Pho Night,” Kemp said. “It’s more affordable—and probably better—than whatever I would cook at home for myself anyway.”

The Asian American Club plans to use the proceeds from Pho Night fundraisers to fund a club retreat, possibly an outdoor education experience or camping trip.

Plans are currently being made to host a third Pho Night, which will likely again occur in the fall and contain a whole new set of organizational challenges for the Asian American Club.

The club is currently looking at moving to a larger venue next semester, as interest in Pho Night is expected to grow even further. This means it will be increasingly important to find the proper balance between venue size, increased costs associated with a larger venue and how many people can be served, Kmiecik said.

Contact Daniel at [email protected]