An Evening With Mary Ann Esposito At BCAE

(L-R) Janice Quinn, TBF, Mary Ann Esposito and Diane Manteca.

I was really honored last month when the Boston Center for Adult Education reached out and asked me to moderate/host an evening with Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia the longest continuously running TV cooking show of all time. 

The show is now in it's twenty-ninth year.  She has authored many cookbooks and traveled to Italy countless times exploring all regions and artisan food sources, cooks and many traditions.  We had a crowd of about seventy people and the talk was both very informative and great entertainment with lots of laughs and fun stories about her adventures in the very early days of cooking shows pioneered by public television - long before anyone had even heard of Food TV or the Food Network.



So, last week we got together and talked about the various grades of olive oil and how to distinguish between them, why Americans don't eat rabbit (It's common in Italy - and delicious), shopping at Market Basket and lots of other topics.

After our interview and audience questions there was plenty of time for signing books and taking photos and then indulging in some treats with dishes made from recipes in the book like Zucchini Meatballs and Stuffed Mushrooms.  A great night for everyone!

For more information on the many classes offered, including cooking, at BCAE click here.

For more on Mary Ann Esposito and Ciao Italia click here.

TV Cooking Legend Mary Ann Esposito Event

One of the big questions I always have for people is:  how did you learn to cook?  The answer is often my mother or grandmother but in my case the answer is with Mary Ann Esposito and many of the other TV Chefs I would watch on weekends when I got my first apartment. 

So, I was thrilled when the Boston Center for Adult Education recently asked me to host an evening with Mary Ann to introduce everyone to her new book:  MY LIFELONG FOOD ADVENTURES IN ITALY.  Not only that but audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions, sample a few dishes from the book and get their copy autographed.

The event will take place on Wednesday April 17th at the BCAE building on Arlington Street.  Tickets are limited and Mary Ann always draws a large crowd so get your tickets early and I will see you there.

Cooking Class With Patti LaBelle

When you get invited to meet one of your all-time favorite recording stars, in town for a food event, one cannot say no.  The legendary Patti LaBelle was in town this week, partnering with Hood to showcase their new Calorie Countdown product for a cooking class.  A very small group of bloggers and influencers were invited to cook and meet with Ms. LaBelle and I was lucky enough to be one of them.

Ms. LaBelle is well-known as a great home cook.  When she travels on tour she does so with her pots and pans and rarely dines out due to her very public admission of  having Type 2 diabetes.  She absolutely loves food, sugary, sweet, fatty, and fried and the diagnosis was a major disruption.  Yet, she has learned to cook to accommodate her needs, has published several cookbooks and even hosts a TV cooking show "PATTI LABELLE'S PLACE".

So, she's out there promoting more healthy alternatives.  Exhibit one was this Chocolate Intensity Smoothie.  Less fat and much less sugar, it's not as rich as real but still tasted okay.  She also prepared a Macaroni And Cheese dish made with low fat cheeses.

Having a few moments with her to talk person-to-person was my best part of the event.  I have a strong family history of diabetes and religiously get tested.  We instantly bonded over this.  I told her about my Grandfather, a victim of this disease later in his life.  He had all of his toes amputated to stop an infection caused by poor circulation, a common symptom, much like her own mother.  And I whispered to her the good news:  he lived to be ninety-seven years old and extremely strong to the very end.   

This went beyond the typical media tour, for me anyway.  As a journalist I often approach these things skeptically but, sometimes, beyond the hair and make-up and handlers you break in and discover something human.  Thank you Patti LaBelle for being such a class act!

Socials:
@MsPattiLaBelle
@hphood
@TheBostonFoodie

I attended this event as a member of the media without remuneration or any editorial consideration.