This story was shared with us by Dana Rakinic
I want to personally thank the Desert Foothills Library for an amazing journey into literature, food, friends and community—a “love affair” that has been going on for nearly five years.
It was in early 2016 when I met with a library staffer to propose a different kind of book club—one that would focus on food— cookbooks, yes, but also food history, restaurants, chefs, memoirs, culinary travel, fiction with a culinary twist….. To my surprise, I was immediately welcomed and assigned a monthly meeting time, and use of the beautiful conference room (and kitchen) for the meetings of this rather odd book club, AND permission to serve food to our attendees!
Our first meeting took place in March, 2016, with an “All About Julia Child” theme— to my everlasting surprise, over 30 people came, and our Literate Foodies group has been going strong since then. We’ve held an amazing 48 meetings— 12 each year—and have explored an incredible range of books and cuisines; our meetings have included chef and author presentations, live cooking demos, panel book discussions, photos and videos AND we have sampled multiple incredible cooking and baking offerings from our generous members at each meeting— the best kept gourmet monthly lunch secret in town!
Most importantly, Literate Foodies created a group of passionate and talented people who became good friends, including my partner in culinary literature, Jan Kruse. While expanding our knowledge of all things culinary, we also learned about one another—how we came to be who we are, in this place, at this time, with such disparate experiences and talents. We became a community of interest and caring. In no small part, that journey was supported by the staff and volunteers at DFL— always accommodating, helping us with wifi, space, books, the BEAUTIFUL new kitchen, and the print and web announcements that carried our message to new friends.
Our last meeting just prior to COVID shutdown was in March, 2020— but it will not be our last. We have remained in touch with one another, and have patronized the Library’s generous outdoor book distribution efforts during this challenging year and WE WILL BE BACK!
With love and thanks, Dana Rakinic
