Volunteer Park Cafe + Amy Pennington = Urban Pantry Cookbook Dinner
Local gardening expert, cookbook author, and Renaissance woman, Amy Pennington, will be the guest of honor at a family style feast at Volunteer Park Cafe on Sunday, August 8.
Ericka Burke and Heather Earnhardt will be creating a fabulous meal to celebrate the bounty of seasonal ingredients and also showcase some of the chutneys, jams, and other goods found in Urban Pantry: Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen.
With a modern and sustainable philosophy for stocking and maintaining an urban kitchen, Pennington knows that good food is all about ease, accessibility and taste. In Urban Pantry, she shares practical ways to create a full and delicious larder by keeping essential pantry ingredients on hand for enticing meals and snacks.
“Amy’s book is a perfect complement to our core beliefs here at the cafe,” says chef/owner Ericka Burke. “We are excited to collaborate with her and looking forward to showcasing some of our garden produce at the dinner.”
Join these inspiring ladies for a multi-course family style dinner on Sunday, August 8. Dinner begins at 6pm and cost is $65/person, which includes a selection of organically produced wines from Snoqualmie winery and a signed copy of Urban Pantry. Space is limited and reservations are required. Please call the cafe at 206.328.3155 for reservations.
The menu for the evening is as follows:
Urban Pantry Goodies & Local Cheeses
Carrot Bisque
Roasted Beet Salad
Pickled Cucumber, Sweet Onion & Mint
Herb Roasted Chicken Legs
Heirloom Tomato & White Bean Panzanella
Braised Pork Shoulder
Sweet Corn Succotash
Peach Bread Pudding
Bourbon Caramel
Urban Pantry covers kitchen essentials, including types of sugar (a teaspoon of sage sugar, anyone?), flour, cooking oils, and spices to have on hand when creating a well-stocked pantry. With more than 60 creative recipes, Urban Pantry offers a variety of surprising flavors that emerge straight from your kitchen cupboards. Pennington is the DIY aficionado of the modern kitchen. With years of research and experience, she demystifies canning and pickling for the urban cook, and offers tips for growing a practical food garden in even the smallest of spaces. The chapter on urban gardening offers invaluable tips for growing your own homegrown greens, aromatic herbs and edible flowers.
Food enthusiast Amy Pennington is the creator and owner of GoGo Green Garden, and an edible garden business wherein she builds, plants, and tends edible gardens for city folk in their backyards. In March of 2009, Amy launched UrbanGardenShare.org, a garden website that pairs city gardeners with unused garden space via an online matching site. She has been featured on Whole Living Martha Stewart Sirius Radio and in national and international publications including Sunset Magazine and the Toronto Star. Amy is a regular contributing writer to Edible Seattle, a bi-monthly food-focused magazine highlighting the culinary bounty of the Puget Sound region, and she was a guest contributor on the weekly radio program In the Kitchen with Tom and Thierry. She lives in Seattle. Visit www.gogogreengarden.com to learn more.
Founded in 1984, Snoqualmie is a leader in sustainable and organically produced wines in Washington state. Under the leadership of winemaker Joy Andersen, Snoqualmie offers consumers a variety of sustainably produced classic wine varietals as well as the “Naked” wines, crafted from certified originally grown grapes using organic practices. These wines, made at their winery in Prosser, Washington, fit perfectly with Andersen’s philosophy of capturing the natural essence of the vineyard and the pure elegance of the varietal in the bottle. For more information, visit www.snoqualmie.com.
Located among the elegant homes of Seattle’s North Capitol Hill, Volunteer Park Cafe (VPC) is the quintessential neighborhood-meeting place. With mismatched vintage chairs, throw pillows tossed along banquets, and a communal table running the length of the inviting sunlit room - it’s the perfect place to spend time. The food is delicious home-style goodness, house made pastries, savory and sweet, and a selection of fresh salads, soups, and sandwiches provide daytime provisions ordered from friendly faces behind the counter. As the light dims and the candles are lit, table service begins and guests cozy in for rustic pizzas and ever-changing seasonal offerings like Braised Short Ribs, the ever-popular Pot of Gold (roasted baby pumpkin filled with fontina polenta, roasted mushrooms & a creamy rosemary sauce), or the heavenly Daily Pot Pie. VPC offers a generous selection of boutique wines by the glass and bottles of wine can be enjoyed at the cafe or taken to go. For more information, call 206.328.3155 or visit www.alwaysfreshgoodness.com.
