Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Long View Gallery presents exhibit of Robin Purnell's work
The family of the late Robin Purnell invites everyone to Long View Gallery on Main Street on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 5 - 8 p.m. In celebration of Robin, this exhibit will have representative examples of her lifework and will include work from private collections, from family members and from Robin’s home. Work not previously shown in public will be included. This is a unique opportunity to honor a talented woman whose paintings are admired internationally. The exhibit will be at the gallery from Oct. 3-13. Robin died this past July.
Music at cafe
Mike and MFA Kera are appearing at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. this week, and will make a previously unscheduled appearance at Stonewall Abbey Café on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6 - 8 p.m. This will be their last performance prior to their return to Berlin, Germany, next week. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear their music without traveling to Washington, D.C. or to Berlin.
Parking
Both of the events above are expected to draw large numbers of people. We have generously been granted permission by The LINK to use their property. Just park in the lot and walk over the foot bridge to Stonewall Abbey Café and Long View Gallery.
“Just like homemade”
Most of the tables in the small dining room in Joey’s Italian Restaurant on Mohawk Street in Utica, N.Y., were shoved together to accommodate the multigeneration family members dining noisily together. My cousin had recommended this restaurant to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 86th birthday.
When I opened the menu I saw an array of familiar choices that were everyday fare for my family when I was growing up. I selected a special of the day, haddock with an artichoke/Gorgonzola crust served, of course, with spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. This haddock was a bit different from what we had at home and it was delicious. Later, my cousin Frank was delighted that we were so pleased with the restaurant and bragged that it was one of the best restaurants in Utica where the food was, “…just like homemade.”
The ultimate compliment for a restaurant in our family was that it was as good as we made at home. How different life is in Rappahannock where fresh local food, in unusual combinations, not at all like we cook at home, is valued. How different to dine at the Inn with small servings, each a work of art, is prized, while at home large pans with enough to feed the many relatives who inevitably stopped in after church were an every Sunday occurrence. I chuckled at cousin Frank’s comments, his pride in our Italian heritage and grinned while I watched him make an eggplant dish in his kitchen, just like my grandmother used to make. Frank’s mom, my 86-year- old aunt, stood by reminding all of us that La Bella Nonna, my 4’ 10” beautiful grandmother Teresa Ceravolo, was a giant in the kitchen who used to stand looking over our shoulders while we made this particular dish, exacting a standard of excellence that reflected the pride of her kitchen and her heritage.
Leaving home in 1960 meant learning to live between the two worlds. Now, f48 years later, I can enjoy the genius of the“Refined American” cuisine of Patrick O’Connell and still appreciate a restaurant where the food is “…just like homemade.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.