Much of our enjoyment of certain foods comes from our memories of experiencing them. Whether the dish is elaborate or simple, gourmet or comforting, we remember it best by preparing and sharing it with others we love. And that is the basis for Dinners with Love: to spread food and love in our communities, and to offer hospice patients and their families just a few more opportunities to make fond memories together.
We at Dinners with Love recently thought about our favorite food memories, either from our childhoods or our recent adult years. We hope our stories inspire you to recall your favorite meals, places, and loved ones. If you have a fond food memory you would like to share, we invite you to contact us. You might see your story on the blog.
This is our second installment of stories. Read the first set here.
Jenn Brown, Board Member
I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth, and somewhere during middle school I encountered chocolate cheesecake for the first time. It was incredible! It became my go-to birthday cake for many years, and the extra special part was that it was made by my dad. Famous Chocolate Wafers for the crust, Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the cake. It was the best. Now, a couple of decades later, I don't get to see my dad most birthdays, but for my 40th I asked a friend who is a baker to make me one and it was better than I'd even remembered.
One of my favorite food memories involves Paris. I planned a trip a few years ago based around a French food blogger I followed. She wrote a book called Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris, and I used it to plan a walking/food tour through the city. We walked from one gelato place to another, stopping to see spots I'd not seen before, like the Tuileries. We went to the Botanic Garden and had Moroccan mint tea and cookies at the tea room at the mosque next door. And we found the place with the best hot chocolate and ordered pots of 3 different kinds. It was as thick as molasses but much more delicious. It was an amazing trip, and a good thing we did lots of walking!
Linda Bryant, Board Member
I moved to Rutland in 2007, and met my best friends shortly thereafter. We started a tradition in 2009 that each time one of us has a birthday, the other two take that person to dinner at the restaurant of her choice. This means that three times every year, we go to a nice restaurant to have dinner. We almost always go to Applebee’s, Seward’s, or Ginger China in Rutland.
In 2013, I wanted to try something different. I chose the Inn at Long Trail for dinner and McGrath’s for great Irish music afterward. Given that my birthday is at Christmastime, it started to snow on the way up the mountain. We had a most amazing dinner at the Inn. I had a lamb dish, something I had not had in a long time; I had forgotten how wonderful it is. As planned, we went to the pub after dinner, where we listened to great music and drank ginger ale.
But the fun part came when it was time to leave! There was at least two feet of snow on the ground, with more coming down steadily. The trip down the mountain was harrowing, but we all made it home safe that night. We still often speak of and laugh about that evening.
Frank Finnerty, Board Member
My wife, Jeanne, who has been deceased for eight years now, was an amazing, self-taught executive chef for a large Boston-based financial firm. She would sometimes bring home the leftovers from the meals she served to the eight top executives. Every time I eat leftovers from a great meal now, it reminds me of her. Rest in peace, Jeanne.
Sheri Sullivan, President & Founder
It is difficult to pick just one favorite meal from childhood because I was luck enough to have a mom who was a great cook. Two of my favorites both involved seafood. One was macaroni with shrimp (the large, good kind that was readily available when I was a kid). The other was Campbell’s cream of mushroom. Simple, but delicious. We always had it with an iceburg lettuce wedge with homemade Russian dressing. I can still taste it. Another favorite meal was creamed salmon and peas on toast. I made it not too long ago, and it was wonderful.
We at Dinners with Love recently thought about our favorite food memories, either from our childhoods or our recent adult years. We hope our stories inspire you to recall your favorite meals, places, and loved ones. If you have a fond food memory you would like to share, we invite you to contact us. You might see your story on the blog.
This is our second installment of stories. Read the first set here.
Jenn Brown, Board Member
I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth, and somewhere during middle school I encountered chocolate cheesecake for the first time. It was incredible! It became my go-to birthday cake for many years, and the extra special part was that it was made by my dad. Famous Chocolate Wafers for the crust, Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the cake. It was the best. Now, a couple of decades later, I don't get to see my dad most birthdays, but for my 40th I asked a friend who is a baker to make me one and it was better than I'd even remembered.
One of my favorite food memories involves Paris. I planned a trip a few years ago based around a French food blogger I followed. She wrote a book called Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris, and I used it to plan a walking/food tour through the city. We walked from one gelato place to another, stopping to see spots I'd not seen before, like the Tuileries. We went to the Botanic Garden and had Moroccan mint tea and cookies at the tea room at the mosque next door. And we found the place with the best hot chocolate and ordered pots of 3 different kinds. It was as thick as molasses but much more delicious. It was an amazing trip, and a good thing we did lots of walking!
Linda Bryant, Board Member
I moved to Rutland in 2007, and met my best friends shortly thereafter. We started a tradition in 2009 that each time one of us has a birthday, the other two take that person to dinner at the restaurant of her choice. This means that three times every year, we go to a nice restaurant to have dinner. We almost always go to Applebee’s, Seward’s, or Ginger China in Rutland.
In 2013, I wanted to try something different. I chose the Inn at Long Trail for dinner and McGrath’s for great Irish music afterward. Given that my birthday is at Christmastime, it started to snow on the way up the mountain. We had a most amazing dinner at the Inn. I had a lamb dish, something I had not had in a long time; I had forgotten how wonderful it is. As planned, we went to the pub after dinner, where we listened to great music and drank ginger ale.
But the fun part came when it was time to leave! There was at least two feet of snow on the ground, with more coming down steadily. The trip down the mountain was harrowing, but we all made it home safe that night. We still often speak of and laugh about that evening.
Frank Finnerty, Board Member
My wife, Jeanne, who has been deceased for eight years now, was an amazing, self-taught executive chef for a large Boston-based financial firm. She would sometimes bring home the leftovers from the meals she served to the eight top executives. Every time I eat leftovers from a great meal now, it reminds me of her. Rest in peace, Jeanne.
Sheri Sullivan, President & Founder
It is difficult to pick just one favorite meal from childhood because I was luck enough to have a mom who was a great cook. Two of my favorites both involved seafood. One was macaroni with shrimp (the large, good kind that was readily available when I was a kid). The other was Campbell’s cream of mushroom. Simple, but delicious. We always had it with an iceburg lettuce wedge with homemade Russian dressing. I can still taste it. Another favorite meal was creamed salmon and peas on toast. I made it not too long ago, and it was wonderful.
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