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Elegant Entertaining at Restaurant Jean-Louis

gb — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:54:33 +0000

“Elegant Entertaining”: Seasonal Recipes from the American Ambassador’s Residence in Paris
By Dorothy Walker Stapleton and Philippe Escoffier, Photographed by Francis Hammond

January 26, 2009
at Restaurant Jean-Louis
61 Lewis Street
12:30PM

Join the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich and Just Books on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 12:30 for lunch at Restaurant Jean-Louis of Greenwich.

Greenwich resident Dorothy “Debbie” Stapleton, wife of Ambassador to France Craig Stapleton will share her life at the embassy from 2004-2009. Hostess at thousands of dinners, lunches and receptions at the rue Faubourg St. Honore residence in Paris, Mrs. Stapleton will discuss the history of this “glamorous and hidden treasure”

Enjoy lunch and learn why “The art of cuisine is perhaps one of the most effective forms of diplomacy.” Copies of Elegant Entertaining, Seasonal Recipes from the American Ambassador’s residence in Paris will be for sale and signed personally by Mrs. Stapleton

RSVP to $29.00 Prix-fixe lunch (tax and gratuities not included) at
Restaurant Jean-Louis of Greenwich
61 Lewis Street
Greenwich, CT
203-622-8450

Premier plat
Soupe de legumes d’hiver a la Tomme de Savoie
ou
canelloni de crevette, inspire de “A la table de l’Ambassadeur”

Plat Principal
Saint Jacques au cresson, inspiree “A la Table de l’Ambassadeur”
ou
Osso Buccco de Chevreuil a la diable

Dessert

Cookie Swap

gb — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:41:39 +0000

Just Books
28 Arcadia Road
Old Greenwich, CT
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
4:00 – 6:00 PM

Author Event & Book Signing

JULIE USHER
COOKIE SWAP: CREATIVE TREATS TO SHARE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Free and Open to the Public

Just Books welcomes celebrated pastry chef and food writer Julia Usher as she introduces her new book Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year (Gibbs Smith; $19.99). Usher has designed extraordinary desserts for such magazines as Chocolatier, Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appetit, and Modern Bride, and such books as Vera Wang on Weddings and For the Love of Food. Usher is a former contributing editor at Chocolatier magazine, a James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards finalist, and a director of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

Ever since sampling the dazzling pink daisy cookies at her first cookie swap, Julia Usher has been a lover of all things sweet. As a young child, Julia cultivated her budding cooking skills by riding the apron strings of her mom – an accomplished home baker who ran a tight kitchen. “Make it from scratch or don’t make it at all” was her mother’s favorite mantra. By the age of 12, while other kids were still tinkering with their Easy-Bake ovens, Julia was wowing friends and families with lavishly decorated yeast breads and multi-layer tortes. Julia was also known on occasion to whip up a very lifelike soap and mud frosting cake for her sometimes pesky little sister. In 1994, Julia decided to turn her passion into her profession by enrolling in the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She graduated valedictorian, receiving the coveted M.F.K. Fisher Prize for outstanding scholarship in 1996. One year later, Julia opened AzucArte, a boutique bakery widely lauded for its wedding cakes that tasted as wonderful as they looked.

Sand Sculpture Contest

gb — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:18:06 +0000

Sand Blast
Greenwich Point Park
Tod’s Driftway
Saturday, July 18, 2009
1pm

The Greenwich Arts Council’s perennially popular Sand Blast!, sand sculpture festival, is held at Tod’s Point each summer. This year it will be held on Saturday, July 18, at 1pm.

Intended purely for the fun of creativity, all participants are winners with gift certificates and ribbons (courtesy of our sponsors and partners, Dept. of Parks & Recreation, Smart Kids’ Toys, McDonalds, and Paul Hopper Architects).

HISTORY OF GREENWICH POINT (From the Friends of Greenwich Point Website)

HISTORY OF GREENWICH POINT

From Monakewego to Greenwich Point

The Siwanoy Indians used it as a fishing camp and called it Monakewego – shining sands. Purchased by Daniel Patrick and Robert and Elizabeth Feake in 1640 (along with the rest of what is now Old Greenwich), it became known as Elizabeth’s Neck. A member of the Ferris family bought the land in 1730, where it remained for more than 150 years.

But in 1884, this beautiful spot so close to New York City caught the eye of wealthy banker J. Kennedy Tod. Buying parcels through various agents, Tod acquired the Ferris property over the next three years and began the process that eventually turned the “shining sands” into “Tod’s Point.”

Tod’s vision for the waterfront estate he called Innis Arden was bold. Joining two small islands with fill, he built a tide-control gate and created a lake from a tidal marsh. Next came a road around the lake and a causeway to provide access to the mainland. A stone mansion, boat house, guest cottage and other buildings were erected; a barn housed cows and sheep grazed on the nine-hole golf course. For some years the Point’s sandy beach and golf course were open to Old Greenwich neighbors and guests staying at the local inns, but Tod eventually believed his hospitality was abused and the Point was closed to all but invited guests.

Tod died in 1925, his widow in 1939, and Tod’s Point became the property of the Presbyterian Hospital of New York. The RTM adopted a resolution in 1940 that the town acquire the Point – and the beach was leased for town use from 1942 to 1945. It took five years to overcome strong opposition to the purchase from some town residents and to negotiate the price.

Finally, on December 13, 1944 (according to RTM records), “The Trustees of Presbyterian Hospital voted to accept $550,000 for 148.5 acres including Great and Pelican Islands. We have assured the citizens of Greenwich that it is our intention and desire that the use of Tod’s Point should be along dignified lines without undesirable concessions or other features which would be unattractive or objectionable to the general neighborhood or to those making use of the property for bathing and wholesome recreation.”

Town records show that in July, 1943, 17,704 persons came to Greenwich Point; by July of 1944, that figure was 71,830.

In 1946 the still-impressive stone house was converted (by its future occupants) into family apartments for returning WWII vets. But by 1960 the building had deteriorated and needed extensive repairs to bring it up to safety codes. Again amidst controversy, Tod’s grand mansion was razed in 1961.

Many of the original buildings remain: the Queen Anne Building houses lockers and marine biology classes; the Chimes Building is used by the Old Greenwich Yacht Club’s Community Sailing program and provides storage lockers for sailors; the Cowbarn and former stables serve as storage and work areas for the park staff. The gates that once marked the entrance to Tod’s estate can be seen on the grounds at the Innis Arden Club in Old Greenwich.

New Greenwich Red Cross Cookbook

gb — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:47:30 +0000

The new Greenwich Chapter of The American Red Cross cookbook containing 200 delicious tried and true recipes contributed by Greenwich Red Cross volunteers and staff has arrived. To order copies or buy other Red Cross products, click here.