Senior centers across Orleans Parish have contributed to The Older Adults Cookbook Project celebration entitled “A Lifetime of Delicious Memories”. The celebration will be held on Friday, December 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carrollton-Hollygrove Senior Center, located at 3300 Hamilton Street. The event will feature an opening welcome, “Tales from the Dish”, in which seniors recount their favorite recipes and fond memories of cooking, and special gratitude to the Edgar Jr. & Leah Chase Family Foundation for grant support of this project.
Participating senior centers and cookbook contributors will be on site to discuss their contributions and share recipe stories. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, see the full press release below:
The Older Adults Cookbook Project celebration, entitled A Lifetime of Delicious Memories will be held on Friday, December 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carrollton-Hollygrove Senior Center, 3300 Hamilton St., New Orleans, LA. This is event is free and open to the public. Newly published cookbooks with recipes gathered from Orleans Parish older adults will be on display and for sale at this event. The celebration will feature an opening welcome, Tales from the Dish, in which seniors recount their favorite recipes and fond memories of cooking, and special gratitude to the Edgar Jr. & Leah Chase Family Foundation for grant support of this project. Participating senior centers and cookbook contributors will be on site to discuss their contributions and share recipe stories.
The initial inspiration for the cookbook project came from the Uptown Shepherd’s Senior Center participants, who wanted to share some of their favorite recipes with each other. The New Orleans Council on Aging generously expanded the project to include seniors from area senior centers in Orleans Parish. Contributing centers include: Arthur Monday Senior Center, Carrollton-Hollygrove Senior Center, Central City Senior Center, Lakeview Shepherd Senior Center, Mercy Endeavors Senior Center, Pentacost Baptist Church Golden Agers, Reality House Senior Center, and Uptown Shepherd Senior Center.
One of the lead organizers of the cookbook project, Ms. Kimberly VanWagner, noted, “Older adults are the memory keepers and so many of our memories are wrapped up in the food traditions we have with our families and communities.” Another senior center director remarked, “Creating a community cookbook helps to preserve family and community, strengthens the bonds we share, and allows us to gain insight into history.”
Favorite Recipes is more than a catalog of recipes; they also serve as conversation starters and provide historical accounts of older adults. This community cookbook project will preserve for future generations, recipes from New Orleans’ home kitchens as shared by some of its oldest members.
To find out more information, please call 504-314-0300, or email uptownshepherds@gmail.com
