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Monday, September 9, at Verrill Farm in Concord
[Event submission courtesy of The Culinary Guild of New England]
CONCORD, MA—The Culinary Guild of New England begins its 46th year on Monday, September 9, from 7-9:30 PM at Verrill Farm in Concord (11 Wheeler Road) with its annual opening meeting featuring Curio Spice Founder Claire Cheney. Renowned for designing and building a growing collection of artisanal and single-origin spices and spice blends that have been directly sourced from small, sustainable farms around the world, Cheney will guide attendees in sampling spices, as well as talk about her journey with spices and the development of her business.
The evening opens with a reception from 7-8:00 PM featuring hors d’oeuvres made by Verrill Farm that incorporate some of Curio Spice’s blends, including some that are sold at Verrill Farm’s store. It will be followed by the meeting and presentation by Claire Cheney from 8:00-9:00 PM, and desserts made by Guild members from 9:00-9:30 PM.
Cheney founded Curio Spice in 2015 to source spices directly from small, sustainable farmers and shares their stories through her unique blends. As a Massachusetts and Maine native, she learned to forage for wild foods and build her own curiosity cabinets. After graduating from Oberlin College where she taught herself to cook while writing essays about food history, she worked in the specialty food business in Boston for more than a decade. The mission driven Certified Benefit Corporation—a for profit company that uses the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy—values organic, fair-trade ingredients, supporting women, and enriching the local community, while making sure we all have the chance to eat well.
Space at the opening meet is limited, so an early response is advised. Admission is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. If one joins within two weeks of the meeting, the additional $10 for non-members can be applied toward the organization’s $95 annual membership dues. The deadline to purchase tickets is Saturday, September 7. Tickets are available at bit.ly/CGNEOpeningMeeting. To become a member visit www.culinaryguild.org/new-member-application/. Membership includes generous discounts from the organization’s culinary business partners, invitations to all Guild events such as private cooking classes, demonstrations, and dinners, bi-monthly e-newsletters, and access to the member directory.
The event promises to be a source of inspiration for aspiring chefs, entrepreneurs, and food enthusiasts, encouraging them to pursue their culinary dreams with passion and dedication. The opening meeting not only honors the organization’s rich history, but also looks forward to a future of culinary innovation, creativity, and collaboration.
Founded in 1979 by a handful of female culinary professionals (mostly from the Boston area), including such luminaries as cookbook author and TV personality Sara Moulton, cookbook author Lora Brody, former Boston Globe food editor and current contributor Sheryl Julian, late Maison Robert owner Ann Robert, and Julia Child’s producer Ruth Lockwood, during a time that support for women in the culinary field was severely lacking, members of the volunteer-run Culinary Guild of New England today are just as likely to be passionate home cooks and bakers and those with a curiosity about food, in addition to professional bakers, chocolatiers, caterers, and restaurateurs, food marketing consultants, farmers, and cheese makers.
For more information visit https://www.culinaryguild.org.