The Art of Food

One of the great things about the Lillstreet clay program is the breadth of creative classes available each session. Many times these classes are either one off or only run once every few years. This infrequency ensures a freshness with every go 'round. The Art of Food, taught by the talented and multi-faceted Catherine Schwalbe-Bouzide, was one such class that ran this summer. Here is a bit of info on the class and some pics of the culminating feast. Enjoy!!

Initial Class Description:
"This class will center on rituals of every day eating and the making of hand made vessel(s) to meld the experience. The context of discussions will include exploring your own history of food, family and the use of local or homegrown ingredients. Students will be encouraged to explore and share their perspective on the hottest topics of food systems, eating, and growing while creating hand built, functional vessels for their own use. A private, guided tour of Angelic Organics Learning Center will be available for all students at an additional $10 each. The class will culminate in a summer feast as an expression of the best of what the season brings (one guest per student)."

Synopsis:
"Day one we made a plate to trade with others in the class. We made vessels, shared articles relating to potters, food, growing, contemporary agriculture, recipes, and more. We sampled Stephanie Samuels' significant other's first honey from his bee hives in Mt. Carroll, IL. We traded for Lillstreet roof top tomatoes for local, urban eggs. We copied and assembled our recipes into a book for everyone in the class; we prepared for the feast, cooked some items in the First Slice kitchen, thanks to head chef Carlos, including fresh mozzarella, and shared our foods with each other on the roof at Lill as the sun set. . Each participant brought at least one guest and now some of those guest want to take the class!"