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From the Book --
It was after one of the
whirlwind of teas and musicales that stalwart volunteers regularly host
on behalf of
The Williamsburg Symphonia chamber orchestra....we were tidying up,
washing silver platters and cake plates and, as always, trading recipes
for the sumptuous array of hors d’oeuvres, cookies, and tea sandwiches
we’d produced for
the refreshment table that day. “We ought to write a cookbook,” someone
mused.
The seed of that idea stuck, but it
took several years before we began what would be a mammoth project:
Assembling and testing a collection of many recipes for a seasonal
cookbook highlighting the vibrant, contemporary Williamsburg that
coexists with the town’s better-known colonial charms.
With the publication of “Williamsburg
Today: A Year of Culinary Celebrations,” we present a month-by-month
cook’s tour of a typical Williamsburg year. Our intent is to suggest how
festive menus, parties and celebrations enhance Williamsburg’s unique
cultural and recreational riches, including Symphonia concerts, art
films at the Kimball Theater, summertime jazz on Merchants Square, An
Occasion for the Arts, paintings and sculpture at the Muscarelle Museum
of Art, Grand Illumination, and First Night’s New Year’s Eve celebration
of the performing arts.
In addition to our musicians,
members, and friends, the area’s most talented chefs and restaurateurs
graciously contributed menus and recipes for this book, underscoring
what those of us who live here know: Williamsburg’s restaurant scene has
evolved way beyond colonial peanut soup and Johnny Cake.
Today the town’s growing roster of
dining establishments offers world-class cuisine on a par with cities
many times its size. Whether you hanker for French bistro fare,
artisanal cheeses, Tuscan specialties, Chesapeake Bay seafood, Indian
tandoori grill, sushi, or decadent chocolate desserts, it’s all here —
alongside the 18th-century buildings and cobblestone streets.
So, whether you are a lifelong
resident, a newcomer, or one of thousands of visitors passing through
each year, we invite you to savor the culinary and cultural flavor of
Williamsburg today.
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