Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Saturday, October
17, 2009
Quick Article Index . . .
David Leite knows
Portuguese cooking . . . for Americans!
Meredith Wildes Cornell opens “Greeting the
Seasons.”
Westport River Watershed Alliance Receives
Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant.
New Tadpole Tales Session in November.
New England
leaf peeping with a top-of-the-world view!
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David
Leite knows Portuguese cooking . . . for Americans! EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
October 15, 2009
Contemporary Portuguese flavors were
showcased at Partners Village Store Thursday evening to a capacity crowd, as
southcoast
native David Leite,
author of the highly praised new book The New Portuguese Table:
Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast visited Partners for a recipe tasting, talk and book
signing. “There
were 48 registered guests,” Lisa Cusack of Partners said. “We turned many
away from the door. It was a record turnout.” Six
recipes were prepared for the book signing thanks to the culinary skills of
Sarah and Suzy of Partners’ deli: Mini Lamb Meatballs, chilled Fava Bean Soup
with Apples, Portuguese Pizza, Goat Cheese/Walnut and Honey Puff Pastries
(yum!), Green Olive Dip, and Tuna Spread. Leite’s
beautifully-pictured cookbook is as much about his 10-year odyssey through
every region of Portugal, as it is about multitude of recipes contained
therein. Mixing his words
like select ingredients David Leite cooked up a verbal soufflé filled with
old world wisdom and new age taste, and thoroughly entertained his audience
in the process. Leave it Partners to know how to put on a book signing! Part
showman, eloquent speaker and thoroughly engaging, Leite spoke about his
European journeys, his recipes, and his research to uncover the Portuguese
roots of some of his family’s dining traditions. If you want more you’ll just
have to buy his book. And there may be a cooking show in his future if
someone just takes the time to discover this sociable and well-spoken author. “Locals
in Portugal won’t like my recipes,” Leite said. “The flours are dissimilar,
and the meats are cooked in a manner not suited to their taste. However,
visitors and tourists buy my book there. This cookbook is really geared to
the American palette.” Leite
is a three-time James Beard Award winner. He discussed how Portugal’s current
generation of cooks is using traditional ingredients in fresh new ways. A
selection of six delicious dishes from the book was available to sample
thanks to the culinary skills of Sarah and Suzy of Partners deli. Following
the presentation, Leite autographed The
New Portuguese Table, which was available for purchase at a discounted
price. The book, highlighting the cuisines of all the country’s provinces as
well as its islands, includes more than 100 recipes, both classic and
contemporary. This beautifully photographed and lusciously written book is
accessible to home cooks and will make a wonderful holiday gift.
Chuck Williams (above left) of
the Eagle Trading Company was one of the first to receive his signed copy.
“I’ve been dealing with rare, old, out-of-print cookbooks for a long time,”
Williams said. “For the past five years I’ve been taken in by Portuguese
cookbooks. I have a whole counter full. I’ve got a good understanding of
Portuguese cooking. David’s book is the most interesting, and truly
Portuguese.” Leite also signed
his book for longtime Westport resident Eleanor Gay (above right), a local
cookbook author herself. Gay wrote Collections of Recipes. David
Leite was born in Fall River. His father emigrated from the Azores, his
mother was born here. As a child and young man, he wanted nothing to do with
Portugal, its food, or its culture.
Only
when his grandmother died and her recipes were lost did Leite begin to
embrace Portuguese culture, launching him on a ten-year journey to preserve
his culinary heritage and understand how it had changed since his family
arrived in America in 1959. The resulting book, The New Portuguese Table, is a true labor of love and a beautiful
celebration of Portuguese culture. For more information on the book and the
author, please visit www.LeitesCulinaria.com . For
more information about this book signing or other future events, please
contact Partners Village Store, 865 Main Road, Westport, MA 02790, (508)
636-2572 or info@partnersvillagestore.com. Meredith Wildes Cornell opens
“Greeting the Seasons.” EverythingWestport.com Friday,
October 16, 2009 Click
here to view
hi-resolution photo album. 15 photos.
The
Opening Reception was held on Friday, October 16 from 5 - 7 p.m. An
exhibit of paintings entitled “Greeting the Seasons” was presented by The
Tiverton Arts Council during an opening night celebration at the Tiverton
Town Hall. The exhibit features the paintings of local artist and beloved
teacher Meredith Wildes Cornell.
Ms. Cornell on
herself. “If
I stand back from this work, I see it’s mostly land or seascapes, for the
greater part painted outdoors, plein air if you must,” said the artist. “So
they are divided (as much as color and space will allow) into four groups or
the SEASONS. Huh! The first thought of the morning is ‘what is it like
outdoors’. I’m a dreamer, anticipating the next calendar quarter while still
immersed in the present.”
Clockwise from upper left: (1) Boundary Ribbon, Oil; (2) Waiting,
Waiting, Oil (top) and Sea Fence,
Oil; and (3) Blackbirds Rising,
Oil. “Blackbirds is one of my
favorites,” Ms. Cornell offered. It’s one of the few I’ve done from memory. I
was driving by a field and the birds suddenly flew up and away. It was quite
startling!” “Growing
up on that hilltop peninsula where the windswept in over the water through
the pastures and buffeted the old farmhouse with 360 degrees of view
unstopped, from the distant steeple to the North to Cuttyhunk to the South,
even the wind-plastered windows were exciting there. But perhaps they are
more so now, in a wooded dell where the vista is an intimate one. Close, the
trees become vertical presences, protecting, cooling. All the life they
harbor is nearer, the colors more vivid, horizonless, like wagons pulled
round. The world is smaller, quieter, birdsong distinct and clear.” “So
the woods and time have brought my subjects to me. The old palette is tiny
but loaded with color, toted around in a crumbling market basket loaded with
the necessities for the job. Rocks from the shore, leaves blown in from the
truck body, scruffy, abused brushes…the easel is a yard sale find. My first
still stands in some webby corner, tall and twisty-legged, homemade on the
barn brow fifty years ago.” “Long
years of painting together, teaching, critiquing or otherwise bothering a
group of fine painters has blessed me with friendships I treasure.”
The
exhibition is sponsored by the Tiverton Arts Council. This is a town created,
five-member committee, charged with the duty of enhancing and promoting the
arts in Tiverton and educating the public as to the value of the arts in
building community. The
exhibition at the Tiverton Town Hall will run from October 15, 2009 to
January 4, 2009. The Tiverton Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from
8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Westport artist
Madeline Ferraz sharing thoughts with Meredith Wildes Cornell. Westport River Watershed Alliance Receives
Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
October 15, 2009 The
Westport River Watershed Alliance has been awarded a matching grant from the
Massachusetts Cultural Council’s (MCC) Organizational Support Program. Public funding such as MCC’s plays a vital
role for organizations as it allows the organization to leverage new money
and also educate the public about the Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting
the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences throughout the state. The Alliance is grateful for the funds made
available again this year. Since
first receiving the MCC Organizational Support Grant twelve years ago, WRWA
has been able to expand its award-winning Watershed Education Program that
serves over 3,000 students, publish its bi-monthly newsletter RIVER NEWS, and
host river activities. MCC’s
mission is to promote excellence, education, access and diversity in the arts,
humanities and interpretive sciences in order to improve the quality of life
for all Massachusetts residents and to contribute to the economic vitality of
our communities. The not-for-profit cultural industry has a multi- billion
dollar economic impact in the state and supports every community. WRWA’s
mission is to restore, protect, celebrate, and sustain the natural resources
of the Westport River and its watershed which encompasses six towns:
Dartmouth, Fall River, Freetown, and Westport in Massachusetts, and Little
Compton and Tiverton in Rhode Island. WRWA accomplishes its mission through
education, advocacy, and community outreach. To receive a report or further
information, call the office at (508) 636-3016 or visit www.wrwa.com. New Tadpole Tales Session in November EverythingWestport.com Thursday,
October 15, 2009
WRWA’s
mission is to restore, protect, celebrate, and sustain the natural resources
of the Westport River and its watershed which encompasses six towns: Dartmouth, Fall River, Freetown, and
Westport in Massachusetts, and Little Compton and Tiverton in Rhode
Island. WRWA accomplishes its goal of
protecting the watershed through education, advocacy, and community
outreach. For further information on
WRWA, please contact the office staff at (508) 636-3016 or visit www.westportwatershed.org. New
England leaf peeping with a top-of-the-world view! EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
October 17, 2009 Photos/EverythingWestport Click
here to view
hi-resolution photo album. 39 photos.
It’s nice to get
out of Westport once in a while, and what better way than to go from
sea-level to the highest point in New England. That’s right –
Mount Washington, at 6288 feet, is the highest peak in the Presidential Range. On a clear day you can
see Canada, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. Want to take a
memorable fall foliage trip up north? Then travel through the White Mountains
National Forest to Bretton Woods, and take the Cog Railway up to the summit
of Mount Washington. You’ll come away with a whole different take on
traditional leaf peeping in New Hampshire. But bring
something warm. It was 60 degrees
at the Cog Railway base station, and minus 3 at the summit! And be sure clear
skies are forecast; otherwise your head will be in the clouds.
Click here to read about
the history of the Cog Railway. Equipment
has changed a mite since then with biodiesel locomotives replacing the
wood-burning, steam-driven Peppersass, and passengers now sit inside
comfortable enclosed railway cars, enjoying the dizzying spectacle of the
1200 foot sheer drops and the climb’s 39 degree slope. It’s
a safe and exhilarating way to spend an afternoon. And
don’t worry, it looks scary but is really quite enjoyable.
Clockwise from above: (1) Old ‘Peppersass’ now enjoys
retirement under the watchful eye of Mount Washington; (2) an iced-up
telescope speaks volumes on the summit’s October temperatures; (3) original
flyer on the planned cog railway; and (4) the railway’s cogged tracks bring
you on an adventure like no other in New England.
The world outside your railway car window looks like
it’s been knocked off its axis as you wind your way up the mountain! - - - - - End - - -
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Events of Westport All rights
reserved. |
