With an ever-growing list of restaurant options in Utah County, multicultural students shared their recommendations for finding a variety of authentic cultural foods.
Utah County has many small businesses run by owners who aim to share parts of their culture.
"I think for a lot of people, one way that we stay connected to our culture is through the cuisine," Makeliah Law said. Law is from Mililani, Oahu, and moved to Lehi, Utah, when she was 12.
"There are more native Hawaiians living off the island than on the island," Law said. "There are a lot of small businesses here that have opened and brought their recipes and memories with them not just for the local people from Hawaii to enjoy, but for Utahns to enjoy as well."
Law recommends Clark's Lava Malasadas Food Truck.
"They can be nostalgic and remind people of home," Law said.
Malasadas are Hawaiian-style donuts often covered in sugar. Clark's Lava Malasadas opened in 2014 and is owned by Duane Clark, who aims to bring "genuine island taste to the mainland."
The food truck schedule changes weekly, but those interested can find their malasadas at the Lava Shack in Springville on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Law also recommended other places, including a Side of Aloha in Draper and Captain Remo Fresh Fish Food Truck.
"The better authentic places I have been to are food trucks," Alfred Vargas, whose parents are from Chile, said.
Vargas said he recalls his parents taking him to food trucks and "small little huts" that people they knew owned. "They don't get noticed, so growing is difficult for them," Vargas said.
Some popular Chilean restaurants in Utah County are Seacheeii Chilean Food Truck in Lehi and Chile Poh! in Provo.
"I like to go to Asian markets and get kimchi because it's fresher than a grocery store," Abbie Francis stated. "Their soy sauce is better, and their seaweed is better ... I think it is because it is coming from a more authentic place. I like that they have Korean snacks, too."
Francis shops at the Asian market that is located near Provo Center Street.
Francis' mother is South Korean, though she grew up in Indiana. "The Korean food is much better there," she said.
Francis also recommended Ombu, an all-you-can-eat Korean Barbeque restaurant in Salt Lake, Midvale and Orem.