A “perfect blend of people, pursuit, and places” is how the
AIWF describes itself on its well-designed website and this perfect blend was in top
form on the evening of February 28, 2006 when AIWF members and guests were
treated to “A Taste of History” at Geisel Library on the campus of the University of California
at San Diego. The evening’s program showcased a lineup of outstanding
culinary treasures including hors d’oeuvres and desserts crafted by Chef
Bernard Guillas, a tasting of red and white wines from the Republic of Georgia,
and a presentation of the AIWF’s impressive collection of culinary manuscripts
and books.
One of the most laudable activities culinary organizations,
like the AIWF, engage in is public education, and making rare books and
manuscripts available to an interested public is certainly one of the most
appreciated of these educational endeavors.
In 1991, the AIWF endowed 364 rare manuscripts and books, including a
1610 edition of Bartolomeo Scappi’s Opera
dell’arte del
cucinare, to UCSD. Fifteen
years later, the Culinary Collection has burgeoned to include over 4,000
volumes. These precious documents are
housed at UCSD’s Geisel Library, a uniquely appropriate location for the Collection
because Geisel Library looks like nothing if not a huge, glass-and-concrete
morel from some ultramodern, culinary fable.
The presentation was to begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Seuss
Room, just a few yards down the hall from the specially-aerated vaults where
the Culinary Collection is stored.
Because this was to be my first attendance at an AIWF event, I didn’t
want to arrive late, so I arrived half an hour early. In the fluorescently-lit conference room, Chef
Bernard Guillas of the La Jolla
Beach and Tennis Club was
artfully arranging platters of hors d’oeuvres and desserts atop a long
conference table covered by a crisp, white tablecloth. And working at an adjacent table also covered
by a crisp, white tablecloth, Omari Mikaberidze, the owner of a vineyard in and
a purveyor of wines from the Republic
of Georgia, was arranging
several 750 ml bottles of red and white wines behind dozens of AIWF-logoed wine
glasses.
What a bounty to behold!
On the hors d’oeuvres table, a beautiful salad of golden fingerling
potatoes and mushrooms in truffle oil was followed by a large platter of
charcuterie (including slices of large-grained salami, thinly sliced ham, and pâté),
which in turn was followed by another large platter of cheeses with slices and
chunks of Port Salut, Roquefort, and Brie.
Then came bowls of thick tomato relish and pink tobiko cream; a fragrant
tangine of eggplant, chickpeas, and rice; a platter of perfectly sliced smoked
salmon; and baskets of crostini and blini.
The wine table featured young Saperavis and Napareuilis, both fruity,
minerally reds that proved to be excellent accompaniments to the flavorful hors
d’oeuvres.
When the scraggly lines of hungry attendees finally
dissipated, Lynda Claasen, the Director of the Special Collections Library,
started the first part of the presentation on the AIWF Culinary Collection. A video, shot some fifteen years ago but
still current, offered a history of the Collection, a history, of course, that
included the incomparable Julia Child.
The gracious woman sitting next to me explained that it had taken a
mighty effort to convince Ms. Child to keep the Collection in California.
In the end, the Collection was divided: a small portion was sent to
Radcliffe, while the lion’s share remained here.
For the second part of the presentation, Chef Guillas regaled
the gathering with tales of his wonderful experiences in the Republic of Georgia. True to his French background, he spoke appreciatively
of the rich and varied produce available at the Georgian markets, of the
beautiful wines the region produces, and of the kind people he had met while he
was there. He then introduced Mr.
Mikaberidze, who gave the group a brief but thorough backgrounder on the
history of wines in the Republic of Georgia, the grape varietals and terroirs
of the region, and on the philosophy of local winemakers (to my ears, quite
similar to the Italian).
The gustatory grand finale of the evening was a decadent
dessert course featuring rich slices of sacher torte and a three-chocolate cake
layered with a raspberry cream, a colorful selection of tart berries, and glasses
of sweet, white wine.
For the intellectual grand finale, we walked next door to
the Special Collections Library where Ms. Claasen and her staff had set out a
selection of culinary manuscripts for our perusal. I spent several minutes gingerly turning the
fragile, yellowing pages of Bartolomeo Sacchi’s tome and translating the
Italian into English for a number of ladies who were similarly fascinated with
the work. I also found myself entranced
by a nineteenth century volume entitled How We Cook in Los Angeles, a
compilation of recipes from the Ladies’ Social Circle of the Simpson M.E.
Church: one of the recipes
advised readers to wipe dust off macaroni before cooking! Who knew?!
In all, it was an informative, lively, delicious evening
with a charming group of people -- "a perfect blend of people, pursuit, and places". If you
don’t yet belong to an organization like the AIWF, do take a few minutes to surf their
websites and learn more about them. You won’t be disappointed if you decide to sign up.
American Institute
of Food and Wine
www.aiwf.org
Slow Food
www.slowfood.org
James Beard Foundation
www.jamesbeard.org
Copia
www.copia.org
Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs
www.chaineus.org
Tags: AIWF,, Food+and+Drink+Organizations, Bernard+Guillas, Omari+Mikaberidze, UCSD+Culinary+Collection, Bartolomeo+Scappi, Saperavi, Napareuli, Julia+Child, How+We+Cook+in+Los+Angeles
11:19:28 PM 
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