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There were Chinese mooncakes. There was Konafah, a Middle Eastern dessert made of phyllo dough and ricotta cheese. And there was even a mysterious dish called King’s Dust.

All were on display in the Millett Hall Atrium on April 14 for the LEAP Student Bake-Off, which drew about 40 students, faculty and staff who did a lot of munching and nibbling from plates piled high.

LEAP instructor Mailinh Nguyen said the event was designed to enable the international students to experience something that is very much a part of American culture while featuring dishes from around the world.

is an intensive English program in the . It provides full-time English instruction and helps non-native speakers develop the linguistic, academic and social skills they need to be successful in academic and professional programs.

At the bake-off, LEAP students presented 10 different dishes vying for Best Presentation, Best Flavor and First Place.

“Some are from their own culture and some are more Western-style that they like,” said Nguyen. “All of the other students get to test-taste them and vote.”

Mohammed Alshammari, of Saudi Arabia, made a soufflé, a French dessert. “I cook what I like and something from my country sometimes,” he said.

YeKyung Yoon, of South Korea, made a traditional Korean cake. “The major ingredient is rice,” she said.

Isabel Amezquita, of Colombia, baked a banana bread with quinoa and organic eggs. “It’s healthy. I like healthy foods,” she said.

And the winners were:

• Best Presentation: Aml Altwayjri, of Saudi Arabia, for “Salty Cake”
• Best Flavor: Mariam Najdat M Saleh, of Iraq, for “Basbousa”
• First Place: Ying “Louise” Wang, of China, for “Chocolate Cake”