First Annual “The Readable Feast” Cookbook Festival: June 17-18
Festival presents author awards, demos, and seminars at the Boston Public Market
MAY 25, BOSTON — “The Readable Feast,” soon to become New England’s biggest culinary and cookbook festival celebrating local talent, today announced the lineup of cooking demonstrations, seminars, and authors for the first annual and inaugural festival, open to the public.
The festival was developed by co-directors Louisa Kasdon, writer, food and community activist, and the founder of Let’s Talk About Food LLC, and Annie B. Copps, writer, editor, trained chef and culinary media personality. It will take place at the Boston Public Market, Boston’s indoor, year round marketplace for locally sourced groceries and specialty agricultural products, on June 17-18, 2016.
“Launching The Readable Feast seemed like a perfect marriage to us. With the Festival, we could connect the dots between the food writing community and the food creating community of farmers, fishers, and artisans at the Boston Public Market,” said Louisa Kasdon. “And we were truly astonished at just how many New Englanders publish terrific new books every year about food! We are thrilled with the response from all of the communities involved.”
“’Local, seasonal, regional’ is part of our lexicon – and that is terrific. This event is another perspective and trajectory to build and educate our community,” said Annie B. Copps. “We’re bringing more people together to encourage reading, cooking, and supporting our economy.”
More info, ticket sales, and the final schedule of events are available at thereadablefeast.com.
Cookbook Awards Ceremony & Cocktail Party
Friday, June 17, 6pm to 9pm
The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market
A juried committee of established cookbook experts will present awards in six categories of cookbooks and books related to food written by New England authors. Anthony Brooks, Senior Political Reporter for WBUR radio will act as MC. The “People’s Choice Cookbook of the Year” will also be awarded based on online voting by cookbook fans across the region. Cookbook fans can visit thereadablefeast.com/vote.html to cast their vote.
The festive affair will include foods prepared by local celebrity chef cookbook authors, including Daniel Bruce (Boston Harbor Hotel), Andy Husbands (Tremont 647, Sister Sorel, and Smoke Shop), Barbara Lynch (9 Park, Menton, B&G Oyster, Sportello, Drink, and Stir), and Jasper White (Jasper White’s Summer Shack).
Tickets are available for $50 and can be purchased at thereadablefeast.com.
The Readable Festival
Saturday, June 18, 10am to 5pm
Boston Public Market’s Hub & The KITCHEN
A stellar line-up of free 20-minute cooking demonstrations and seminars, pairing cookbook authors with industry experts and Boston Public Market vendors to share techniques and wisdom on topics including Food Styling Basics, Edible Gifts, or Paleo Perfected.
A “Boston Cookbook Sale and Signing Lounge” hosted by Wellesley Books will feature titles by Readable Feast participants, as well as new releases and time-tested favorites. Signings and Q&A’s with notable cookbook authors will be scheduled throughout the day.
Tickets can be purchased at thereadablefeast.com in advance, or on-site during the festival. Events in the Boston Public Market’s Hub are free. Events in The KITCHEN are $5 each, $30 for an all-day pass, or free with the proof of purchase from 3 Market vendors (as space is available).
An overview of Saturday’s The Readable Festival can be found below, with full details available atthereadablefeast.com/saturday-june-18—the-readable-feast-festival.
In The KITCHEN at the Boston Public Market
Christine Chitnis & Sarah Waldman, Little Bites, Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet
Stacy Cogswell, The New New England Cookbook
Bruce Shaw, Rux Martin & Moderator Andrea Shea, So You Want to Write a Cookbook?
Jeremy Sewall, Barton Seaver, How to Cook Fish Now
Maggie Battista, John Carafoli, & Moderator Andrea Shea, Food Beautiful Food
Sarah Leah Chase, The Open House Sampler (includes samples)
Marilyn & Sheila Brass, Baking with the Brass Sisters (includes samples)
Ali Berlow, Barry Estabrook, Maria Speck, Moderator Ilene Bezahler, Writing Food with a Conscience
Corey Bunnewith, & Tom Acitelli, New England By the Bottle (includes samples)
Becky Sue Epstein, Culture Magazine (includes samples)
In the Boston Public Market’s Hub
Julia Shanks, The Farmers Market Cookbook
Christine Chitnis & Sarah Waldman, Little Bites, Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet
Barton Seaver, Superfood Seagreens, Two if by Sea
Beatrice Peltre, My French Family Table
Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Fresh Fish
Lauren K. Stein, Fresh Made Simple
Richard Chudy, American Burger Revival
Catherine Young, Beetlebung Farm Cookbook
Maggie Battista, Food Gift Love
Marisa Iocco & Nancy Jenkins, Every Menu is a Love Story
Kate Weiler, Real Fit Kitchen
Morgan Morano, The Art of Making Gelato
America’s Test Kitchen, Paleo Perfected
Festival sponsors include the Boston Public Market, The Trustees, City of Boston Office of Food Initiatives, The Boston Globe, Edible Boston, Let’s Talk About Food, Yankee magazine, Oldways, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Gourmet Caterers, S. Pellegrino, The Food Loft, All-Clad Metal Crafters, and Wellesley Books.
ABOUT THE READABLE FEAST
The Readable Feast is an annual culinary book festival designed to celebrate and support New England’s deep and talented pool of writers, cookbook authors, editors and chefs, and connect them with the reading public.
Our mission is to foster and support the cultural wealth and interest in all things culinary that begin in New England and extend beyond our borders. Its founders are: Louisa Kasdon, a writer, food and community activist, and the founder of Let’s Talk About Food LLC, an organization that brings the public and experts together around food; and Annie B. Copps, writer, editor, trained chef and culinary media personality. For more information on the festival, visit our website: www.thereadablefeast.com
ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC MARKET:
The Boston Public Market is an indoor, year round marketplace for locally sourced groceries and specialty agricultural products, where residents and visitors can find fresh, seasonal food from Massachusetts and New England. The Market houses 39 local farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs selling items such as farm fresh produce; meat and poultry; eggs; milk and cheese; fish and shellfish; bread and baked goods; beverages; flowers; and an assortment of specialty and prepared foods. Everything sold at the Market is produced or originates in New England. The Boston Public Market, located at 100 Hanover Street above the Haymarket MBTA station, is currently open Wednesday — Sunday, 8 a.m. — 8 p.m, year-round. Beginning July 18, the Market’s opening hours will be 8 a.m. — 8 p.m. Monday — Saturday and 10 a.m. — 8 p.m. on Sundays.
The Boston Public Market is located in downtown Boston’s emerging Market District, next to the Haymarket pushcart vendors and the historic Blackstone Block, and it sits on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and the Freedom Trail. 100 Hanover Street also contains the Boston RMV branch, entrances to the Haymarket MBTA station, and a parking garage. Bike parking is located directly outside the Market on the plaza opposite the Greenway. Two Hubway bike share stations are located nearby, on Cross Street across the Greenway and on Congress Street along the side of City Hall, and several bike parking options surround the Market.
Boston Public Market vendors are proud to accept SNAP/EBT for all eligible market products, and the Market is a participant in the City of Boston’s Boston Bounty Bucks program, which provides a dollar for dollar match, up to $10 a day, for SNAP customers to spend at participating farmers markets and the Boston Public Market.
The Market is a dynamic civic space, educating the public about food sources, nutrition, and preparation. In addition to 39 permanent vendors and a number of rotating short-term “pop-up” vendors, the Boston Public Market includes the KITCHEN, a 3,200 square foot demonstration kitchen programmed by The Trustees, the Market’s programming partner, with opportunities such as hands-on cooking demos, lectures, family activities, exercise classes, training and community events.
Development of the Boston Public Market was a partnership between the not-for-profit Boston Public Market Association, individual and corporate donors, foundations, the City of Boston, and the project’s seed funder, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Boston Public Market Association developed and operates the Boston Public Market with a public impact mission to support the farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs who grow, catch and produce local food, and to nourish our community with food and experiences.
ABOUT THE KITCHEN:
Visit the KITCHEN at the Boston Public market, programmed by The Trustees, for an exciting line up of culinary, health, and wellness programs. The Trustees offers daily events and programs at the 3,200 square foot, state-of-the art demonstration KITCHEN space. Run in tandem with the Market’s hours of operation, programs are designed to connect Boston residents, commuters, and visitors to local food and healthy, active living.
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For more information, visit bostonpublicmarket.org, Facebook (Facebook.com/BostonPublicMarket), Twitter (@BosPublicMarket), and Instagram (@BostonPublicMarket). Follow activity at the Market by using #bostonpublicmarket.