Gotham Publicity Assistant Wins Bake-Off
At last week's ninth annual Gotham/Avery/Dutton Bake Off, Gotham publicity assistant Alison Hoover took home the big prize for her Saltine Cracker Toffee. It marked the return of a chocolate dessert winning (historically, desserts that avoid chocolate tend to win), although chocolate-free desserts--Dutton marketing manager Carrie Swetonic's Raspberry Cheesecake (which featured a hint of white chocolate, but that's not really chocolate) and publicity assistant Katherine Burns's Sugar-and-Spice-and-Everything-Nice Cheesecake--took second and third prizes, respectively. Hoover got the recipe for the toffee from a friend and said, "Since this was my very first Penguin bake off, I was shocked to find out I had won. I was definitely up against some stiff competition!"
Harris to Talk on African Diaspora's Foodways
On February 10 at 6 p.m. at the Boston Athenæum, Jessica B. Harris will give a lecture based on her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America. Harris, who’s spent much of her life researching the food and foodways of the African Diaspora, takes readers from Africa across the Atlantic to America, chronicling the trials that the people and the food have undergone along the way, from chitlins and ham hocks to fried chicken and vegan soul food. Admission is $15 ($10 for members). Reservations are required at (617) 720-7600 and will be taken beginning January 25.
