Every other Friday, The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market (BPM), managed by the Trustees of Reservations, welcomes guests for Family Dinner Night — a unique way to kick-start the weekend all together with an unforgettable night out! After a quick tour of what’s in season, attendees gather to cook three farm-fresh courses led by a talented chef and inspired by local flavors and the offerings of the BPM farmers and vendors. After cooking the meal, all gather at the communal table for a sit-down feast at the end of class.
On Tuesday, January 24th, The KITCHEN provided a special Family Dinner Night for the Ladies Group of the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP). During this hands-on cooking class, attendees were led by Chef Cleo Bell through a menu of fresh green salad with quick-pickled red onions from Stillman’s Farm, pecans from Q’s nuts, and seasonal veggies and fresh fruit vinaigrette; hand-made Nella Pasta with shaved Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash with fresh sage, Asiago cheese from Appleton Farms, and sausage from Chestnut Farms; and decadent chocolate brownies made with Taza’s stone ground chocolate.
The KITCHEN is a community gathering place that is restoring the craft of seasonal cooking in Massachusetts, New England, and beyond, through hands-on classes and educational experiences that celebrate the farmers and artisans of this region. Partnered with the Boston Public Market, The KITCHEN embraces a whole-food approach to eating and promotes cooking as an essential cornerstone of a sustainable food system.
“What fun we had coming together exploring new ways of prepping food, creating new recipes, and of course tasting good food and wine. It was simply a great idea. Also a win-win as for us as we had a great time, supported a very good nonprofit organization, as well as local vendors from whom food was purchased.” — Terry Mirabito
As one of the largest owners of agricultural land and the premier steward of the cultural and natural landscape of Massachusetts, The Trustees extends its leadership to transform the local food system by connecting residents and visitors back to the land and sharing the Commonwealth’s collective agrarian heritage through innovative retail and educational experiences at the Boston Public Market in the heart of downtown Boston.
The monthly get together of the ladies’ group of FOCCP was on January 24th at the The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market. Chef Cleo Bell guided 28 women through the cutting, chopping, dicing, sautéing, and mixing, cooking a fabulous dinner and dessert — all made with ingredients from the Market’s vendors.
This was Chef Cleo’s first night at the Market. She exclaimed, “What a fun group for my first night!” A good time was had by all.” — FOCCP President Joanne Hayes-Rines
“What a fantastic time this cook ‘n’ eat program is. We had ‘womanship,’ wine and great food that we prepared with products fresh that day in the BPM.” – Meredith Piscitelli
“The mission of The KITCHEN is to showcase the highest quality ingredients from the farmers and food artisans at the Boston Public Market through interactive learning experiences. We [were] excited to offer the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park this unique opportunity to participate in Family Dinner Night, experience The KITCHEN’s premier hands-on cooking class, and learn about the Boston Public Market vendors and the impact they have in our community.” – Lieza Dagher, The KITCHEN’s Program Director
More information on these wonderful non-profit organizations can be found at the following links:
- For The Trustees of Reservations, visit: www.thetrustees.org
- For KITCHEN’s Family Dinners, go to: www.thetrustees.org/FamilyDinner
- For other KITCHEN events, go to www.thetrustees.org/Kitchen
- For the Boston Public Market Association, go to bostonpublicmarket.org/about#about-the-association
- And, for more information on the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, please go to www.foccp.org.
Jeanne Brady is a FOCCP member and also writes for the Boston Post Gazette.
I did this with my 7 year old and we had a blast! Highly recommend!