Anna Venzon from the Italian American Society makes pasta at a meeting of the Cooking Around the World program at the Chillicothe Public Library. The program meets on the first Monday of each month and is free and open to the public with advance registration required. (Photo courtesy Chillicothe Public Library)

The Chillicothe Public Library is helping the public expand not only their horizons but also their palates at a unique Cooking Around the World program.

The free program meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the library, 430 N. Bradley Ave., and is open to all, though advance registration is required so the presenter knows how much food to prepare. 

The program began in 2010 as part of a summer reading program.

“We’ve had 85 programs with about 44 countries and regions represented. We’ve covered a lot of ground,” said Catherine Barnett, the library’s adult and family program coordinator.

“We usually have between 20 and 30 people at each meeting. We try to cap registration at 40 because sometimes it gets overwhelming for the presenter,” she added.

Barnett finds presenters through library patrons, friends and through international organizations in the area. Most are excited to talk about their country’s heritage, she said.

“It’s just fun to talk about food and culture. Everyone who has agreed to do it, even if they’re a little nervous at first, seems to have enjoyed the experience,” Barnett added.

Among countries that have been represented at least once are Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Croatia, Haiti, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan and Russia. The program also has featured Native American foods and a program on Illinois that showcased locally grown foods that are available in the winter.

Andy Sepich demonstrates how to make povitica, Croatian sweet rolls, at a meeting of the Chillicothe Public Library’s monthly Cooking Around the World program. A program on June 4 will feature Columbia, while the July 2 program will feature Uruguay. (Photo courtesy Chillicothe Public Library)

The program involves discussions about the featured country’s culture, often centering around food but also delving into any other cultural aspect the presenter would like to discuss.

“Obviously, one person doesn’t know everything about their own country of heritage, but they share the parts they’re comfortable sharing about and then they demonstrate how to prepare two or three dishes,” Barnett said.

Depending on the complexity, the presenter sometimes preps dishes ahead of time and demonstrates any tricky parts to the attendees using the library’s warming kitchen.

At the end of the program, which typically lasts about 90 minutes, everyone gets to sample the food.

“People enjoy lingering and talking afterward. Sometimes we have to chase people away so we can do the dishes and close the library,” Barnett said. “I really like that it fosters conversations and stories and communication. It brings people together.”

A few programs have also featured certain kinds of foods rather than countries, such as garlic, chocolate, apples, squash, pies and eggs.

For the past five years the program has also hosted a heritage potluck as its January meeting in which attendees bring a dish that’s important to their family or country of heritage.

Bisi Chukwudile of Peoria will be presenting food from her native Nigeria at the May 7 program and has presented programs previously.

“Food is very important in every culture,” Chukwudile said in explaining why she likes to participate in the program. “Most people are more comfortable with their native foods even when they are based in other parts of the world. I have been very impressed about the enthusiasm of the participants (at the library) and the spirit of adventure with which they are willing to try out the different foods.”

Chukwudile said her foods have been enthusiastically received and have included jollof rice cooked in a rich stew, which is a festive food in Nigeria.

“Previously, it was eaten on occasions like Christmas, Easter, New Year’s and weddings and other special occasions. These days it tends to be eaten more frequently, like when you have a special guest,” she explained.

Djamina Esperance cooks a dish from Haiti during a meeting of the Cooking Around the World program at the Chillicothe Public Library. The monthly program has featured 44 counties or regions in 85 programs since its inception in 2010. (Photo courtesy Chillicothe Public Library)

Another dish Chukwudile has made for the program is egusi soup, which she said is made with ground melon seeds boiled in tomato stew with chicken and fish. The dish is eaten with eba, which is made from fried dried cassava flakes that are soaked in boiling water and shaped into small balls to eat with the fingers.

Rocio Matthews will present the June 4 program on Columbia, and Isolda Crockett will present the July 2 program on Uruguay. The deadline to register for each program is the Monday before.

“I think there are a few different things people like about the program,” Barnett said. “A lot of people really enjoy food and learning new things about food and cooking, and also the opportunity to explore the world beyond our backyard.”

Most of the programs have run smoothly, although a tornado warning briefly disrupted the program on eggs last July.

“We went down to the basement for about 20 minutes and then came back and finished up,” Barnett said. “At other times when the food has been especially aromatic and lingering, other library patrons have followed their noses to the meeting room to see what’s going on.”

While the program is free, donations are accepted. The library provides a $75 stipend to each presenter, but Barnett said, “It’s really peanuts when you consider groceries, prep and presentation time and travel, but we do what we can to show our appreciation for our presenters and not make it too much of a burden for them to participate.”

For more information or to register for the program, call the Chillicothe Public Library at (309) 274-2719. To view recipes from past programs, www.cpldcooking.weebly.com.

—Chillicothe Library makes it fun to discuss — and sample — international food and culture–