As we’ve already blogged about here, we’re looking forward to hosting our first Grandma dinner in the coming weeks. But what if you want to host one of your own?
No problem, Laurent Haug has all the answers.
(Quick re-cap: Laurent has been hosting “dinner with grandma” nights in Geneva. You take one grandma who happens to be a wonderful cook, enlist a small group to help her prepare a meal, and find a hungry mob to savor the results.)
It’s a simple way to foster connections between generations, heap praise upon the grandmother for her expertise, and, of course, feast on a great meal.
We interviewed Laurent this week and he told us everything you need to know to plan your own dinner. Check out our full, unedited interview below for all the details, or download the mp3 here. (Interview runs approx 20 mins)
Play audio:
Some of Laurent’s top tips:
- Start with your own grandmother. This will help you (and your grannie) ease into planning one of these evenings.
- Choose a restaurant with a nice chef. This person will play a big part in helping the grandmother prepare the food.
- Prepare a toast to the grandmother. Tell your guests a little bit about her life and what makes her cooking so special.
If you decide to host one of these events, please let us know. We’d love to have you write a guest post on our blog about your experience.
this is such a brilliant- and brilliantly simple – idea. i loved hearing about it, and it has set off all sorts of sparks in my mind. will let you know what develops::
Great idea ! My first thought was that some Chinese great-grandmothers would be ideal candidates for a few of these dinners. Their culinary skills and knowledge of the properties of the ingredints are truly a lost art in y2k+8. It would be worthwhile filming the ingredients selection process as well as the preparation process, and perhaps providing some education on the nutritional and pharmacological aspects of the ingredients being used, for archival purposes.
It would also be interesting to compile a multi-media mini-documentary of their lives because I'm sure their stories would knock the socks off of most people.
Giving the best a chance to pass on their knowledge is wonderful. I feel that we slowly begin to recognize the know-how of elders in the North American society. I promote further the idea on my blog. Thank you for sharing it with us.
I worry sometimes about the loss of these skill sets. I was in a cafe on the weekend, and two 'foodies' were talking next to me (I couldn't help but overhear; it was crowded). It became clear that one of them had no idea where butter came from. Why would he? He was very young….but this some pretty basic knowledge we risk losing. Mmmm….butter.
Unfortunately I no longer have a Grandmother that can contribute, but I would be thrilled to be invited to attend a "Grandma Dinner". I don't need to learn the newest in "nouvelle cuisine", but would love to know how to make the worlds best cabbage rolls, cornish pasty or the perfect roast. These are the lessons that will be lost if not passed on to the younger generations. I'm sure the stories attached to the favourite recipes are just as good as the food itself. Please let me know where and when and I would be honoured to attend. Thank you promoting this wonderful idea. Congrats CBC!