Library’s ‘Cookbook Club’ combines literature and cooking, prepares for third season

Aug. 30, 2018 | Jordan Houston
jordan@thereminder.com

AGAWAM – Food lovers rejoice! The Agawam Public Library’s Cookbook Club is gearing up for its first meeting of the new season.

The club is part of the library’s adult programming, and meets the first Thursday of every month from September through June. Each month, the group chooses a theme or cookbook. Every person then makes one recipe for the others to taste.

The program is free and has a cap of around 15. Although registration is open throughout the season, Library Associate and Adult Programming Coordinator Wendy McAnanama said she asks participants who sign up to commit to seeing the rest of the season through.  

“At the beginning, I was just choosing the books myself, and as we went along we started looked for suggestions,” said McAnanama. “It’s great, we have a couple of people that have been here since the very beginning. People really have a good time – it’s a lot of fun. You can cook somethings outside of your comfort zone, just to try it and see how it’s received.”

The theme for September’s meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Children’s Activity Room, is for each member to choose a recipe inspired by a book they read over the summer – the book could be any type of novel or cookbook.

This is the third year the program has been running.  

McAnanama, who is a member of the Western Region Program Planners, said she was inspired to start the program in Agawam after learning about its successes at the East Longmeadow and Longmeadow libraries.

“I belong to the Western Region Program Planners and we meet to talk about programs that have worked well in libraries and programs that don’t – we give information to each other,” said McAnanama. “A couple of the other libraries, Longmeadow and East Longmeadow, were doing it and I said, ‘I think we could do that,’ so, the idea was not original – but that is the purpose of the Planners programs.”

She added that the program “is for anybody” and no prior cooking experience is required to join.

The program facilitator explained that although she isn’t a big chef, the program has helped her step outside her comfort zone.

“I’m finding that what I really like about this program is that it makes me try things I wouldn’t necessarily try,” said McAnanama. “I’m not picky, but I hate raisins and I don’t like fruit in my food – but I try everything we have. One time a woman brought a raisin cake with raisin frosting and I tried it.”

To sign up, or to learn more about the program, contact McAnanama directly at wmcananama@agawamlibrary.org.

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