Food Unites Us - an exhibit

Food Unites Us - a new exhibit at the Renton Historical Museum, will open tomorrow and run through the middle of September. This is a year of looking at how food touches our lives and creates new traditions at the museum. You will recall that not too long ago, the museum was the host to the traveling Smithsonian exhibit "Key Ingredients" (link here). I loved the tag line for that show "American Food- not real recipes, just a few Key Ingredients constantly stirred by time."

For this exhibit, the students of the English as a Second Language Program (ESL) at the Renton Technical College have come together with the museum to share their own native countries' food customs and show their ever growing knowledge of English. Moldova, Belarus, Mexico, Vietnam - the list of countries is as intriguing as the handmade pictures and stories that accompany them. All new immigrants, most in the US for less than 5 years - spanning the globe and looking to learn our language and find their way in a vastly different culture than the one they originally knew as home. The sharing of food can always break down the barriers and make new friends of strangers.

My personal favorite at the exhibit is the big, colorful board that is entitled "Sharing Wisdom with Fruit". Who knew that there were so many cute and funny colloquialisms regarding fruit and human behavior? I learned a few new ones that I would like to quickly put to use.

I have always wanted to call someone a "Mango Head" - and now I will do exactly that, but in Ethiopian, thank you.

Cost for this exhibit is the same as entry into the Museum itself - $3 for adults, $1 Students (8-16). Members - free.

Renton Historical Museum 235 Mill Ave. South Renton, Wa
(425) 255-2330 / email : info@rentonhistory.org
Hours - Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
http://www.rentonhistory.org/

Greg Atkinson - Storyteller in and out of the kitchen

"Atkinson has one hand on his All-Clad and one in the dirt. He's a storyteller with his cooking". Jonathan Kauffman/Seattle Weekly

This Thursday you have the chance to meet and hear speak a premier voice in the realms of Pacific Northwest Cuisine, Greg Atkinson. Author of books, newspaper columns, radio broadcasts on KUOW 94.9, restaurant consultant, prior head chef at the Canlis restaurant and now instructor at Seattle Central Community College - this man has a passion for local food.

He began by writing a weekly column in the San Juan Islands about seasonal ingredients, his recipes and the people that he got the food from, and things just grew from there. Not many individuals are blessed with the ability to create and then vividly write about it, but with 4 books already under his belt(here) and an incredible ability to cook, Greg is doubly blessed.

Tickets for the event are available directly at the Renton Historical Museum or at the door of the Carco Theater on the day of the event. This is the last of a wonderful speaker program that was created in tandem with the Smithsonian exhibit Key Ingredients - America by Food. I recommend calling in advance for your ticket. (425) 255-2330

An Afternoon with Greg Atkinson - talk and book signing
$10 Adults/ $5 Students
Carco Theater
1717 SE Maple Valley Hwy
(425) 430 - 6076


Renton Historical Museum 235 Mill Avenue South (425) 255 - 2330

Last chance for the Museum - so dash!

There has been a great exhibit on at the museum, Renton Historical Museum that is, and if you haven't made a visit, this is the week to do so (the event closes this Saturday). Key Ingredients - America by Food is a traveling Smithsonian show that talks about the role food plays in our lives. America is such a wonderful melting pot of nationalities, all of whom have shared in what we individually come to think of as our family's usual table fare. How much do you really know about the food you eat, where it hails from and if you have that in common with others across the States? You can't help but enjoy the topic - Food - and there is an adjuct display created by Elizabeth Stewart and Sarah Iles of the musuem, that looks at Renton foodways in particular.

If you really love your food, you have an apron stashed away somewhere. Most likely it was a gift from someone - a handmade treasure passed down from a dear relative, or decorated by your grandkids at school. Every apron has a specific story - even if you only barbeque in yours once a year. All museum members, when they turned out for an event at the Key Ingredients exhibit, were asked to wear an apron. Everyone wearing one had a story connected to the apron they chose to bring - heartwarming stories, really. The apron string still ties some of us to our food culture today.

The museum is looking just wonderful these days, dressed in it's spring colors.

So drop by this week, walk through the exhibit that has nearly doubled the daily foot traffic the museum usually sees come through their doors. You won't be sorry - and you will definitely be feeling nostalgic at times and thinking some warm thoughts of your own traditions with food that began back at home.

Talking about Food

Closing The Food Gap - Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty with Mark Winne, author
Fascinating topic on how we as Americans get our food, and the disparity in this "land of plenty" between those who have and those who do not. Mark Winne is a proponent of finding a way for all citizens of this lovely land to be able to eat well, eat enough, eat organically, eat fairly. As of today, this is still not the case. Compelling ideas to hear about in a time when our economy is feeling even more stressed and the soup kitchens and food banks have record high needs and less than ever on the shelves to give.
This is also a book signing - how fun! Here is a link to Mark's book.

Saturday, April 4th 3:00 pm Carco Theatre 1717 Maple Valley Hwy. Tickets: $10/$5 students FREE with nonperishable food donation/or grocery gift card
(photo courtesy of Flickr/ Faeryboots - thanks!)

Time to get your party apron pressed

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Tomorrow night from 5 - 7 pm, the members of the Renton Historical Museum will be getting together for an evening of Key Ingredients - the new museum exhibit and hopefully come clad in their favorite kitchen attire - the apron. Hey, these little cloth beauties that once were a part of any woman's wardrobe are making a come back. Sometimes referred to as the "hostess apron", aprons often were as important as the pretty outfit being worn and as such, finely constructed. Others were larger; meant to cover the entire front of the body and more utilitarian. Any good chef will agree to that - and that means that this is an equal gender opportunity where apron wearing is concerned, so no one has an excuse not to dig on out of a drawer for tomorrow night. Historically, aprons have been handmade and showcased a form of stitchery, smocking, embroidery or ruffles. Not unlike samplers, they showed the owners skill set and fashion inclinations. Wonder what your apron's gonna look like?

Renton Historical Museum 235 Mill Avenue South (425) 255 - 2330

About last night....

Here are some of the faces that turned out for the first of many affairs at the Renton Historical Museum now that the Key Ingredients exhibit has been installed and launched. Look closely and you will see Daisy, Liz Stewart and Laura Clawson (great museum folk), as well as Larry and Andy Sleeth, King Parker, Rich Zwicker, Chief Daniels, Lynar De Luca and many more.

Another opening party was taking place not a street away at the new Liberty Cafe -flowers and plants were brought, a special chowder ala Spam was served (don't shake your head - it was delicious! Sue Rider knows how to throw down!) and a new favorite haunt was christened.

Food - The "Key" to Life

"American Food- not real recipes, just a few Key Ingredients constantly stirred by time." Tomorrow kicks off the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, Key Ingredients - America by Food, at our very own Renton Historical Museum. In the Puget Sound area, only our town will host this program along with an exhibit created wholly based on the history of food in Renton, Sustaining a City, researched and created by Liz Stewart and Sarah Iles of the museum. This is very exciting folks! Saturday, March 21 from 10am - 7pm the Grand Opening of the exhibit will feature a live broadcast with Kiro Radio 97.3 "In the Kitchen with Tom and Thierry". This radio show just had it's 5th year anniversary and stars local chef Tom Douglas (of Dahlia Lounge and 5 other local hotspots fame) and chef Thierry (known as the Chef with the Hat).

The exhibit is really well written and fun to explore. This would be a great opportunity for you and the family to introduce yourselves to a local treasure that is all to often overlooked or unknown, the Renton Historical Museum. Since this is an exhibit that is run in coordination between the Smithsonian and Humanities Washington, the price is right - suggested donation. This outing can fit any one's budget. And there are lots of great programs from now until May 9, the last day of Key Ingredients, to keep you entertained.



Members Only Exhibition Opening - Wear Your Apron!!
Thursday, March 26, 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Closing the Food Gap- talk and book signing with Mark Winne
Saturday, April 4, 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Carco Theater Adults/$10, students/$5

3 Feet Under : Digging Deep for the Geoduck Clam
Thursday, April 16, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Film Screening at Carco Theater Adults/students/$5

An Afternoon with Greg Atkinson - talk and book signing
Thursday, May 7, 4:30 - 5:30 pm
Carco Theater Adults/$10, students/$5

Tickets can be purchased at the Museum ahead of time.

Viewing this exhibit will make you wonder about what American food is and why you and your family have the food traditions that you do. When my family first came to Renton back in the 70's, we kids went to St. Anthony's and our Mom worked many hours assisting in the office, running the mimeograph machine (no copiers back then) and helping coordinate the yearly recipe books. One year, our living room rug was covered in various pages as my Mom meticulously assembled by hand these donated recipes and family favorites into order. We inherited a new tradition in those years, that still persists today - the Pizzelle Cookie.

Our family is not Italian, we did not have this as standard cookie fare - until my Mom's buddy in the school office taught her the intricacies of making this delicate anise flavored morsel. 30 years later - my Mom is on her second pizzelle iron and makes this family favorite at Christmas time, storing these fragile wonders in coffee cans. This particular cookie is very time consuming to make - really, a labor of love. And it came to us from here, from Italian Renton roots - and it grew into a family memory that perseveres even today. I find that amazing. Food, family meals, the sense of smell - huge repositories of sacred moments of our lives.

Renton Historical Museum 235 Mill Ave. South Renton, Wa
(425) 255-2330 / email : info@rentonhistory.org

Thanks to The Journeyman Cook on Flickr for the pizzelle pic - all the rest are mine!