LTHForum.com

From our press release:

"Cure the Winter blues with good food and family fun at May Street Market with Purple Asparagus. For Purple Asparagus’ inaugural Project Dine Out, Chef/owner Alex Cheswick prepares a 4-course dinner celebrating the flavors of the season. As an added treat, special guest Olivia Gerasole of Spatulatta makes a personal appearance to demonstrate a recipe from her new cookbook, co-authored with her sister, and sign books. Dishes for kids aged ten and under will be prepared using recipes from The Spatulatta Cookbook. Wines for this event are donated by Stone Paddock.

Purple Asparagus is a non-profit dedicated to bringing families back to the table. Project Dine Out is a new initiative to help parents answer the recurring question of how to eat out with kids in a restaurant without chicken fingers. May Street Market celebrates fresh, farm supported menus created by chef/owner Alex Cheswick that are served with flair in a comfortable atmosphere. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Purple Asparagus’ partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, in which Purple Asparagus members help teenagers cook dinners for their families at the Depository’s Kids Cafes.

The cost for the event is $25 kids ten and under and $65 for adults. For reservations, contact Melissa Graham at 773-991-1920 or email info@purpleasparagus.com. Tickets can also be purchased online

For more information or to set up an interview, contact: Melissa Graham at 773-991-1920 or email info@purpleasparagus.com or Sharon Meyers at 847 571 1499 or email smeyerscomms@aol.com.

Date: Tuesday, February 5
Location: May Street Market, 1132 W. Grand Ave (corner of Grand Ave and May Street)
Time: 5:30pm demonstration and book signing by Olivia Gerasole, Spatulatta Cookbook
Cost: $25 for children 10 years and under; $65 for Purple Asparagus adults.
Reservations: info@purpleasparagus.com, Melissa Graham at 773-991-1920"

By the way, as an added incentive, here's the menu for adults:
First Course
baby spinach salad with smoked bacon and shallot dressing, truffle poached quail egg, and pretzel melba toast
or
lemon grass and sweet potato soup with peanut brittle croutons, and lime crème fraiche
Second Course
Sorbet intermezzo
Third Course
smoked roasted chicken with imported feta polenta, pickled red onion and seedling farms dried blueberry chutney
or
grilled arctic char with fennel confit, fennel pollen dusted doughnuts, fennel and apple salad and fennel frond froth
or
organic parsley risotto with vegetable capellinni, warmed tallegio, white truffle emulsion, and poached quail egg
Pastry
bittersweet flourless chocolate cake, espresso cream, passion fruit sorbet, and crispy milk-chocolate
or
sorbet assortment, ruby red grape fruit, lemon, tangerine and candied kumquats

Metropolis Coffee and Mighty Leaf Tea

For kids:
salad
The Spatulatta Cookbook
pomegranate and grapefruit salad

appetizer
May Street Market
maytag blue cheese cake hearts with spiced pecans, arugula, grilled apples and apple sorbet

entree
The Spatulatta Cookbook
tass kebab with green beans and garlic

dessert
The Spatulatta Cookbook
extra E-Z fudge

Having had the pleasure of participating, along with Melissa Graham and Kay Christ, at the first of these events at the Corazon Community Center I can safely say it's money well spent. The general enthusiasm of the group from Corazon was heartwarming. I was soon proven wrong that a from scratch Indian dinner, including toasting/grinding spices and making samosa dough from scratch, was too much for inexperienced cooks in the time frame. We all learned that afternoon, only a small portion about cooking.

Corazon Community Center



Skewering Shrimp Masala for the Grill


Parents arrive for dinner


Ricardo Aguinaga Jr, Melissa, Kay


A day well spent, hope to see you at May Street Market.

Additional pictures may be found here

Enjoy,
Gary

LTHForum,

Members of Purple Asparagus once again had the pleasure of Cooking with Kids at the Corazon Community Center. This is a program in which Purple Asparagus members help teenagers cook dinners for their families at the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Kids Cafes.

General enthusiasm amongst the kids is high, they seem to really enjoy putting together a from scratch, and I do mean from scratch, Middle Eastern Meal.

Making Falafel from Scratch (including cooking and grinding the chickpeas)



Cooking is fun


Well, maybe not so much fun if you get stuck holding the umbrella over the charcoal chimney.



Parents were greeted by snacks of hummus, pita chips then a Middle Eastern meal prepared by their kids.





A very good time was had by all.



A few additional pictures may be found here. Scroll down to 4.11.08

Enjoy,
Gary