Soup & Bread

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Building Community One Pot at a Time
Presented by
Martha Bayne

Martha Bayne explores the social role of soup and its history as a tool for both building community and fostering social justice. She examines the classic model of a soup kitchen, national initiatives like Empty Bowls fundraisers and Sunday Soup dinners, as well as casual soup swaps and community soup cookoffs. Soup, she explains, means different things to different groups: For the activists of Food Not Bombs, the act of serving soup can be a political statement; to others it can be art practice, social service, or ministry. But though the context may change, the essential connection remains the same: In extending hospitality over the soup pot, a connection is formed and community ties are strengthened. Continue reading →

Chocolate With a Taste of Pakistan

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East meets West in crossover confections

Presented by
Uzma Sharif, proprietor
Chocolat Uzma Sharif, Chicago

Uzma Sharif has some sweet tales to tell. Join us as this acclaimed Chicago chocolatier recounts the confectionary influences of her Pakistani heritage, and the history of pastries in South Asian countries. She will also touch on the special ingredients that are used in her culture.

Uzma says she has had a sweet life, surrounded by family and food. Growing up as a first generation Pakistani-American in Chicago and occasionally visiting her family in South Asia, Uzma recalls being greatly influenced by her grandfather, a renowned pastry chef in Pakistan. Continue reading →

High Tea

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Below Stairs: A Servants Life in Early 20th Century England
Guest Speaker Leslie Goddard
in Character as Margaret Powell

Maid pouring afternoon tea

What was life really like for the servants who worked below stairs in the era of Downton Abbey?  While we enjoy an ‘upstairs’ tea, literary dramatist Leslie Goddard will take us ‘downstairs’ to experience life below stairs in the stately homes of early 20th century England.  Goddard will portray British domestic servant Margaret Powell whose 1968 book Below Stairs was among the inspirations for the popular television series Downtown Abbey and directly inspired the 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs. Continue reading →

From Cinnamon To Saffron

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Demystifying Indian Cooking in the Western World
Presented by
Ranjini Rao
Foodie, kitchen poet and social media branding professional

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

Right from the chicken curry served out of a food truck in a bustling New York city street, to the jhalmuri served at Eat.St in King’s Cross in London, Indian food today has become more mainstream and less exotic than it used to be.  Everyone seems to like a taste of something Indian, a deep-fried samosa or a scoop of biryani, but they’re often a little intimidated by what they believe it entails – long hours of slaving in front of the stove and a gazillion spices to pepper everything with. Continue reading →

The Frosting on the (Filipino) Cake

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A family carries on their matriarch’s dessert legacy

Presented by
Maribel Anama, Proprietor,
Mrs. A. Cupcakes@the Pickwick, Park Ridge

If Philippine food and culture is a mystery to most of us, then Filipino desserts are a best kept secret.

Join us for a look at some sweet ethnic history as Maribel (Delia) Anama talks about the influence her baking maven mother, Gloria, had on her while she was growing up in the Philippines. It was her mother’s influence that led her to a career in baking, ultimately becoming an entrepreneur, opening her own sweet tooth emporium in Park Ridge.  Continue reading →