Trader Joe’s

I love Trader Joe’s! Why am I so enamoured with them? This past Saturday they Co-Sponsored a great program on developing the perfect “Healthy Valentine’s Day Menu”.  The food they supplied was outstanding. Scallops and green beans and quinoa and poached pears all cooked to perfection – the aromas, oh my gosh, to die for!

Analiese Piak, developer of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, and Jo Ann Englund, demonstrator extraordinaire, of Trader Joe’s products were our fantastic chefs.  Professional and so much fun to watch.  As they chopped and cooked they gave out healthy information on the products they were using. They talked about growing and eating locally and Analiese brought in wines from area winery’s that could be used as part of the cooking recipes or to go with the meal.  The best part for the 30 people that attended was of course the tasting, after each dish was made.  Yum! Oh, and Trader Joe’s supplied some delicious teas that were available throughout the program.  It was really a great afternoon of sharing and learning new ideas and techniques in cooking.

Analiese advocates eating locally and her website promotes “helping consumers source fresh, local, sustainable food….  because our future depends on it.”  Check out her site, there’s lots of great information on it and is a great on-line resource for our Fairfield community. 

The library has some great book choices as well, Mark Bittman’s “Food Matters” and “Natural style: decorating with an earth-friendly point of view” by Janet Sobesky to name a few.  Come in and ask for help, if you need, to find other great books and resources.

We’re thinking of doing a cooking series this fall, with local chefs.  Focusing on healthy living and local prodcuts. I’ll keep you posted.

Nancy