The smell of carved turkey and peach flambé filled Cleveland State University’s Viking Marketplace Thursday evening as hundreds of students, families and community members gathered for Vikesgiving, the university’s annual Thanksgiving-style celebration offering a warm meal and a sense of home ahead of the holiday break.

Vikesgiving has grown into one of CSU’s most anticipated fall events. Organized by Viking Food Co. and CSU Hospitality, the dinner aims to welcome students who may remain on campus for Thanksgiving, international students experiencing the holiday for the first time, and Cleveland residents who join through the university’s open invitation.

“It is an annual event through our partners, Viking Food Co.,” said Luke Robson, senior director of hospitality at CSU. “Students can either use a meal swipe, they can pay for single access or use guest passes, which is very important. They can bring their friends in the spirit of Thanksgiving.”
 

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Robson, who oversees operations across the Rec Center, Student Center, Conference Services, the Wolstein Center, the Viking Card office and more, worked closely with the dining team to make the event accessible and festive. He made sure that Vikesgiving had a large variety of activities to entertain attendees of all ages, as families often bring children to the event.

“I try to accommodate activities that appeal to both children as well as university students,” Robson said. “We try to run the gamut of what we're offering.”

Inside the marketplace, students moved through stations of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, shrimp cocktail and desserts. Jamie Finland and her marketing team handled the décor — warm lights, fall colors and table displays — and collaborated with Viking Food Co.’s chefs to build a menu that’s both traditional and fresh.

“We stick with the staples, but we like to add something different every year,” said Finland, director of marketing and hospitality for Viking Food Co. “This year we had fresh carved turkey, a hot chocolate and hot cider bar, and a peach flambé station.”
 

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Faculty volunteers, staff and student employees helped serve the food, with many other volunteers joining from CSU’s hospitality areas.

“A lot of the administrators and faculty volunteer to serve at the stations,” Robson said. “It’s a way to give back to the community and show that we appreciate our students being here.”

Finland added that Vikesgiving often plays a meaningful role for international students, many of whom have never celebrated Thanksgiving before coming to Cleveland State.

“We promote through CSU Global because a lot of those students don’t know what Thanksgiving is,” Finland said. “A lot of our student employees are from India, and this is their first time seeing these foods. It’s exciting for them.”
 

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The line this year stretched through the hallway before the doors opened, and by early evening nearly every table in the marketplace was filled.

Brazil Jackson, a journalism and public relations major, returned for her second Vikesgiving and said the event has grown noticeably.

“This year is definitely way more people,” Jackson said. “It’s packed, and it’s a lot more engaging. They’ve got a lot of different things to have fun, not just dinner.”

She said the timing also helped improve the experience.

“Last year they had it way earlier, so it was like eating a Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the day,” she said, laughing. “This was nice in the evening. Thanksgiving dinner, you go home and take your butt to bed after all of that comfort food!”

Jackson loaded her plate with turkey, yams, stuffing topped with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy and shrimp cocktail. She said her favorites were the mashed potatoes and the shrimp, “a banger!” she laughed.
 

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Jackson also pointed to the sense of belonging the event created.

“It's family-oriented if you don’t have this at home,” she said. “It’s cozy, it brings us together.”

Along with the meal, Vikesgiving also supports Lift Up Vikes, CSU’s food pantry. Guests were encouraged to bring nonperishable donations, and entry automatically put them in a raffle with prizes valued at more than $100.

“For a lot of the kids, this might be their second home,” Finland said. “We want this to be a place where they feel cared for, and giving back is part of that.”

Organizers expect Vikesgiving to continue expanding with new food stations, décor themes and cultural outreach. Viking Food Co. and CSU Hospitality will release this year’s Lift Up Vikes donation totals in early December.