Author Archives: Catherine Lambrecht

Beyond the North Wind: Exploring Russia through Food

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Join us on Wednesday August 12, 2020 – ZOOM

Book Cover

Presented by Darra Goldstein, PhD
Professor and award-winning author

No samples available at this virtual presentation, though feel free to try these recipes for Sour Cream Honey Cake and  Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes) (Courtesy of 10 Speed Press &  Stefan Wettainen, Photographer)

We welcome you to join us as Russian scholar and award-winning culinary authority Dr. Darra Goldstein shares highlights from her latest book Beyond the North Wind: Exploring Russia through Food. Darra will take us on a journey above the Arctic Circle, to Russia’s northernmost reaches, where the extremes of climate have inspired an inventive, resilient, and earthy cuisine. Continue reading →

Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table

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Join us on Wednesday September 2, 2020 – ZOOM

Book cover of Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare's Table

Presented by John Tufts
Actor, Author

If you ever wanted to see Shakespeare sizzle, now”s your chance. Join our “Zoominar” as actor/cook John Tufts dishes up an historically savory stew of Elizabethan and Tudor Culinary delights that the Bard himself whetted our appetites for in his iconic plays.

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16,000 years of Global Potato History

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Presented by Raghavan Iyer
Author, Teacher

No samples available at this virtual presentation, though feel free to try these recipes:

Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake
Hasselback Potatoes with Cardamon Butter
Potato Leek Pie
Ultimate French Fries

Our speaker, Raghavan Iyer, is the author of “Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, and Baked–and Fried, Too!: A Celebration of Potatoes in 75 Irresistible Recipes.” And he’s going to have one heck of a spudworthy program for us. Here’s his tater-tot preview:

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When Potato Fields were Prisons: Unfree Farm Labor in McHenry County during World War II

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Presented Samuel Klee, Ph.D. candidate
(Program in conjunction with the Highland Park Historical Society)

During World War II, some farmers in Marengo, Illinois negotiated with a large food corporation and federal agencies to make local farm fields into restricted, prison-like spaces. When the Curtiss Candy Company brought Japanese-Americans from the Tule Lake Internment Camp in California to cultivate and pick potatoes in 1943, the Marengo community struggled with the federal government and the candy company to eliminate the outsiders’ presence.

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Chicago’s evolving restaurant scene: How can the cherished small guy survive?

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Presented by Master Chef Michael Lachowicz
Owner, George Trois, Aboyer, Silencieux, in Winnetka

Remember when you could get a great meal at an independently owned restaurant where the chef was often the owner, dishing out their unique culinary perspective? Well, as large restaurant groups continue to take over our dining scene, more independents are finding it difficult to compete. Continue reading →