Monday, March 24, 2008

cookery talk

tonight mom and i attended a talk at the local barnes & noble on the topic of cookbooks. this monthly program is facilitated by kim ode, a star tribune journalist who invites cookbook authors, chefs, and those interested in cooking to talk cookbooks. the convening sports a weighty title, the "edesia book club," named after the roman goddess of good food, but the night's talk was far more low-key: a homegrown chat about flavors, methods, and good food.

mediterranean food was the topic at hand, and invitees included randi roth, a local cook with a flair and curiosity for cookery, and hometown restaurateur and chef, brenda langton, of the beloved cafe brenda.
randi roth, brenda langton, and kim ode

what fun to hear tales from the cook next door, whose travails through a particular mediterranean tome have fueled her interest and palate, and what a treat to sit down with brenda, who opened cafe brenda 22 years ago after visiting the infamous greens restaurant in san francisco.

here's brenda, waxing poetic about one of the featured cookbooks, arabesque, by claudia rodin.

after listening to tales of food preparation lovingly told, mom and i were sold: tomorrow night we're taking nancy pearl to cafe brenda. reservation: made.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

cafe brenda sounds delicious. the edesia book club is such a great concept. maybe you should export the idea to the west coast!

jini said...

it really was a fun evening....really nice to have sarah there with me!
the caponata that kim brought for sampling was outstanding. that recipe alone might make it worthwhile to buy the book!