By Barbara Bradley
Photos by Bob Dunham
Adventure awaits the residents of John Knox Village at the end of each month when we travel during the Taste of dinners to cities or to countries to celebrate their cuisine. Executive Chef Jeff Hollen chooses our destination and prepares a delicious meal of local favorites.
Mary Henderson is ready to sample Mardi Gras cuisine.
A recent trip took us to exciting New Orleans for the Taste of Mardi Gras. We had a Cajun Sausage and Cheese Tart to start, followed by Mardi Gras Pasta Salad and Cornbread. Our entrée was Shrimp, Chicken and Crawfish Jambalaya with Yellow Rice Pilaf. We topped off the meal with King Cake Cupcakes for dessert. Residents dressed for the occasion in Mardi Gras colors or with head pieces and masks designed for Mardi Gras.
Karen and Jerry Yaris dress for the Taste of Mardi Gras in the
Barker Center.
In January, diners attended a Taste of India to enjoy Tandoori Chicken. The highlight of the evening was the entrance of seven resident women dressed in saris provided by India native Gita Doshi. Gita also shared personal items from her home, which were on display for residents to view.
From left, Mary Henderson, Carolene Anderson, Ann Decou, Lorraine
Gallagher, Cynthia Davie, Jeannine Rodriguez and Gita Doshi were
ready to travel to India in January.
Looking at last year, we started off in January with a Taste of Jamaica where we had Red Snapper Escabeche, Pickled Vegetables, Black-Eyed Peas and Jamaican Rum Cake. For April’s Taste of dinner we had Dry Rubbed Beef Brisket, along with Pecan Pie with Bourbon Sabayon. Sounds like Kentucky! In May we attended a Taste of China for Vegetable Sui Mei, Pork and Shrimp with Ponzu Sauce, and Egg Fried Rice. Germany was the destination for Taste of Oktoberfest. Chef Jeff chose Bratwurst and Frikadelle (little hamburgers) and German Potato Salad.
Nancy and Dave Denny visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras
This month our May dinner is in celebration of Memorial Day when we go to The Taste of Red, White and Blue.
Betty Loucks joins in on the fun at a recent Taste of Mardi Gras.
Thanks to the creativity of Chef Jeff Hollen, where else can you see the world without leaving your own back yard?