Culinary Adventures
A SIG is a group of OLLI members who share a common interest and would like to meet outside the normal OLLI classroom environment to discuss and enjoy their mutual interest while they socialize.
Culinary Adventures is an OLLI Special Interest Group (SIG) for those who love food. It currently has about 70 members who choose which once-monthly events they would like to attend:
Group coordination: The group has a three-person steering committee, and each month a different member of the committee takes responsibility for coordinating an adventure on a particular food-related topic.
When we meet: Once a month. Meeting days and times vary depending upon the event.
To learn more or join us: Contact one of the following members of the Steering Committee: Kerry Manning (kmanning104@verizon.net); Pat Mulcahy (pemulcahy@verizon.net); or Virginia Costello (virginia.costello@verizon.net).
Our Next Event:
Buon giorno! Culinary Adventures' final event of the Spring Session will be a tasting tour of the North End, followed by lunch. You can also join us for just the luncheon portion of the event. We will be tasting fine Italian olive oils, balsamic vinegars and savoring other Italian delicacies. We plan to meet at 10:30 a.m. in the North End. This will be a walking tour, so wear your comfortable shoes. We have not finalized all of the details, but are expecting the tasting tour to last for about two hours. After the tasting tour we will relax and enjoy lunch at one of the North End’s fine restaurants. More details will come the first week of May, including the names of the shops we will be visiting, an approximate time we will spend in each establishment, and our lunch menu.
DATE: Monday, May 20
TIME: 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: North End of Boston
Space is limited, so if you already know that you are interested and would like to reserve a space, please reply to: kmanning104@verizon.net.
If you have taken the tasting tour in the past, but would still like to join us for lunch, RSVP for Lunch Only to kmanning104@verizon.net.
A Few Examples of Our Past Events:
In April 2013, we sampled the cuisine of Persia at LaLa Rokh Restaurant in Beacon Hill, the only Persian restaurant in Boston. They designed a $25 fixed price family-style lunch menu for us with three appetizers and a choice of an entree. One of the owners discussed the menu options with us and gave us a primer on Persian cuisine. The restaurant also has displays of Persian art, so it was a feast for all of our senses.
In March 2013, Culinary Adventurers celebrated Boston's Restaurant Week by dining at Aquitaine Bistro located at Legacy Place in Dedham, MA. Inspired by Parisian neighborhood bistros, Aquitaine offers an authentic French dining experience.
Our first event for the 2012-2013 season was a tour of the Westport Rivers Winery located in Westport, MA on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. The beautiful vineyard property spans 200 acres along the coast of Westport. It is owned and operated by the Russell family. These 4th generation vinters are best known for their World Class sparkling wines made in the traditional French method of Champagne as well as extraordinary white varietals. The Chardonnay is outstanding! We had a wine tasting outdoors, a tour of the vineyard, and an explanation of the harvesting process. We also had an opportunity to see the pressing room where the wine is made and stored. Cost: $10 per person included an etched logo wine glass. We had lunch down the road at the Bayside Restaurant, the first certified green restaurant in Massachusetts. They have sandwiches, salads, and fish items on the menu. Restaurant price range is $10-20.
In April 2012, the Culinary Adventurers had a class on herbs and spices with Cambridge School of Culinary Arts graduate Genevieve Forde. They explored Asian herbs and spices and more, and learned how to prepare selected international dishes, where to buy ingredients, and which herbs and spices have medicinal and other qualities.
In March 2012, participants visited Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley for cuisine, camaraderie and conversation. You may be familiar with the Blue Ginger chef Ming Tsai's Emmy-nominated television series, “Simply Ming,” which is aired on public television. In the series, Chef Tsai creates offerings which reflect the East-West theme.
In January 2012, participants visited Harvard's Schlesinger Library, which has one of the world's greatest collections of historical cookbooks, including the papers, recipes and cookbooks of Julia Child. This collection of more than 20,000 cookbooks spans over five centuries of global cuisines, and includes African American and Alaskan coast Eskimo cookbooks, as well as many others documenting not just recipes but historical milestones and ways of life. OLLI members enjoyed a presentation by food historian Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, author of Savoring the Past: The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789. A tour of the library followed the presentation.
