Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) The Massachusetts Historical Society is hosting a series of programs on how Boston has changed the American diet. They have five programs coming between the end of April and the middle of June, featuring culinary historians, chefs, librarians, and ice cream pioneers.

Eating Other People’s Food
April 27, 5:30 Reception 6:00 Program
Boston’s role in introducing America to a more cosmopolitan cuisine; touching on the bland period of the early/mid twentieth century and contrasting this with the influences of Julia Child, Joyce Chen, and more recent celebrity chefs
Speakers: Laura Shapiro, Alex Prud’homme, Stephen Chen, and Megan Sniffin-Marinoff (moderator)

Where to Go
May 3, 5:30 Reception 6:00 Program
The great places and great personalities that put Boston on the map; looking at some of the big name restaurants like Anthony’s Pier 4, Locke-Ober’s, Jacob Wirth, to important innovators such as Tony Maws, Jim Koch, Chris Schlesinger, Lydia Shire, etc. to socially important neighborhood spots
Speakers: Corky White, Jim O’Connell, Erwin Ramos, and Peter Drummey (moderator)

Sweet Boston
May 18, 5:30 Reception 6:00 Program
Boston’s obsession with sweets as seen through 19th century candy making, 21st century candy making, and the rise of chocolate and the cacao trade in Boston
Speakers: Joyce Chaplin, Michael Krondl, Carla Martin, and Gavin Kleespies (moderator)

Ice Kings
June 6, 5:30 Reception 6:00 Program
Looking at the unusually strong interest in ice cream from the early 19th century ice trade to the rise of premium ice cream through institutions like Steve’s
Speakers: Gus Rancatore, Jeri Quinzio, and Judy Herrell

Final Courses
June 15, 5:30 Reception 6:00 Program
A guided walking tour of the final resting places of some of Boston’s great culinary figures, including Fanny Farmer, Joyce Chen, Gian Franco Romagnoli, Walter Baker, William Schrafft, and Harvey Parker, of Boston’s famed Parker House
Led by the docents of Mount Auburn Cemetery

2) Committee is excited to announce an additional installment of their Monthly Wine Dinner Series on Wednesday, April 26, from 7pm-9pm, celebrating Cretan cuisine and wines from Rhous Winery. Chef de Cuisine Theo Tsilipanos, Wine Director Lauren Friel, and Consulting Chef Diane Kochilas team up with winemaker Maria Tamiolakis of Rhous Winery for a special Cretan Wine Dinner.

Rhous Winery is a boutique winery owned by the Tamiolakis family and situated near the village of Houdetsi in Greece. It is part of the Appellation Peza, the largest wine-producing region in the Heraklion Prefecture. Tamiolakis is a young female winemaker who is part of the “next generation” winemakers of Greece. She, along with her husband, both run Rhous Winery which is a super small production/artisanal winery on Crete (an area that has been known for bulk/industrial wine making in past years). This wine dinner will be extra special due to the fact that she will be onsite to educate attendees and answer any questions they may have

Chef de Cuisine Theo Tsilipanos will present a five-course Cretan menu for the evening, featuring distinct dishes and flavors of the area in a variety of meze and full size dishes.

The full menu for the Cretan Wine Dinner is as follows:
Marinated Spring Salad (shaved artichokes, asparagus tips, fresh peas, fennel, dill, Cretan barley rusks, shaved graviera)
Burke (potato zucchini terrine with fresh cheese, mint, & feta)
Octopus (braised with orange wedges & green olives)
Oregano Roasted Goat (sfakiano pilafi)
Cretan Honey Cheesecake (raisin spoon sweet)

Featured wines include:
Muscat of Spino/Vidiano Blend
Rhous ‘Estate’ White
Vidiano/Plyto
Rhous ‘Skipper’ White
Kotsifali/Mandilaria
Rhous‘Skipper’ Red

The Cretan Wine Dinner is $75 per person. Reservations are required so please call 617-737-5051

3) This May and June 2017, the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) is once again offering Bostonians an exclusive opportunity to mingle and cook with some of the city’s top chefs, as part of its ongoing celebrity chefs cooking series.

Students will learn the craft of cooking in hands-on classes taught by local celebrity chefs. Each chef will emerge from their renowned kitchens and into the BCAE’s state-of-the-art kitchen facilities for a one session interactive cooking class. Under the guidance of these top chefs, students will learn how to create the perfect dishes for all their spring get-togethers, These delicious courses will leave everyone wanting more.

Class Schedule:
Southern Inspired Fried Chicken Feast with Alex Saenz of Bisq
Monday, May 1st from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Restaurant-Quality Comfort Food with Francis Flores of Coda
Monday, May 8th from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Pasta By Hand with Douglass Williams of Mida
Monday, May 15th from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Classic Greek Home Cooking with Theo Tsilipanos of Committee
Monday, June 12th from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Authentic French Bistro Cusisine with Michael Denk of Bar Boulud
Monday, June 19th from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Fine Dining Desserts for the Home Kitchen with Allen Morter of Bistro du Midi
Monday, June 26th from 6:00PM-9:00PM
$70 Tuition/ $60 Members/ Materials $15

Reserve seats now; space is limited. To register, or for more information please visit www.bcae.org or call the Boston Center for Adult Education at 617-267-4430 to sign up.
COST: $70 for Non-Members, $60 Members, and $15 material cost.