Shakespeare & Company presents noted food expert Francine Segan
Lenox, Mass — Francine Segan, noted author, lecturer, all-around culinary expert and Shakespeare & Company’s official food historian, returns for another of her very popular lectures on Saturday, October 25 at 4pm (following that afternoon’s performance of The Canterville Ghost), including food demonstration and a delicious tasting.Admission is $25. It takes place in Studio 3, one of Shakespeare & Company’s new, state-of-the-art rehearsal studios in its Production and Performing Arts Center. This special presentation and tasting is inspired by The Canterville Ghost, an Oscar Wilde adaptation currently playing at Shakespeare & Company.
Segan will tackle the topic of the mid-1800s culinary delights, a fascinating time period when high society was at its peak and choosing the proper salad fork was no laughing matter. Attendees will discover the sorts of foods, elaborate etiquette, and enchanting entertainments enjoyed then, taking a delicious tour of a time of calling cards, horse-drawn coaches, high tea, cotillions, lawn parties, and formal dinners—a time when even picnics were served on fine china. Learn the 1850’s meanings of giving a lady a tulip instead a rose; discover the most popular toasts of the 1850s; and when it was proper to remove your gloves or tip your hat.
The 45-minute talk, including a trivia contest about the uses for dozens of unique but now-obsolete objects from the era, will be followed by a demonstration on creating easy but festive 19th century garnishes and, of course, a delicious tasting of popular 19th century tidbits. This is a great way to prepare for your upcoming holiday entertaining. The delectable ingredients for these tasty dishes are provided by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, just up the road in Pittsfield.
Segan is the co-author of Shakespeare’s Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook, The Opera Lover's Cookbook: Menus for Elegant Entertaining, and several other essential titles for food lovers interested in tasting the best cuisine of days gone by, today. The Canterville Ghost is directed by Irina Brook and was adapted from the Wilde story by Brook, Anna Brownsted and the cast. It plays in Shakespeare & Company’s brand new Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through November 9. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353 or going to www.shakespeare.org. Berkshire residents get 40% off ticket price for any performance.
