On Sunday, February 23rd, we held our annual ESOL Potluck Dinner at the Christ Lutheran Church. Sixty people gathered to enjoy international and local cuisine and each others company. This gathering also witnessed the debut of Cultural Soup – a cookbook with recipes from learners, tutors, and friends of Literacy Volunteers. This cookbook contains recipes for international dishes like Lamb Rajsdani and Kurdish Rice, which were happily sampled at the potluck, as well as local favorites like Soup Beans and Coconut Cake. The cookbook’s debut highlighted the event as many of the contributors were in attendance. Eyes and smiles lit up as learners and tutors looked for their recipes as well as the recipes of new friends they had made at the event. Director Nancy Chapin gave a hearty “thank you” to Jean Denton, who drew and donated the cover art, as she asked all the contributors in attendance to stand and take a bow. With the cookbook debut, all the delicious food, and the opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world, this year’s potluck was indeed a great success.
Thanks go to Barb Carraher, Donna David, April Overstreet, and Angela Rauenswinter for setting up as well as to the small army who assisted in the clean up. Of course, special thanks go to all the tutors, learners, board members, and friends who brought such wonderful food. “Chow down” was definitely the essential idiom of the day. We’d also like to acknowledge the United Way of Roanoke Valley, which funded Cultural Soup through its Plant a Seed, Grow a Community Grant. Finally, a thank you to tutor Maggie Nevers, who assisted in the proofreading of the cookbook.
Cultural Soup will be available to the public for $5, so tell your friends. Call 265-9339 to find out how to get a cookbook or write to .
On Sunday, February 23rd, we held our annual ESOL Potluck Dinner at the Christ Lutheran Church. Sixty people gathered to enjoy international and local cuisine and each others company. This gathering also witnessed the debut of Cultural Soup – a cookbook with recipes from learners, tutors, and friends of Literacy Volunteers. This cookbook contains recipes for international dishes like Lamb Rajsdani and Kurdish Rice, which were happily sampled at the potluck, as well as local favorites like Soup Beans and Coconut Cake. The cookbook’s debut highlighted the event as many of the contributors were in attendance. Eyes and smiles lit up as learners and tutors looked for their recipes as well as the recipes of new friends they had made at the event. Director Nancy Chapin gave a hearty “thank you” to Jean Denton, who drew and donated the cover art, as she asked all the contributors in attendance to stand and take a bow. With the cookbook debut, all the delicious food, and the opportunity to meet new friends from all over the world, this year’s potluck was indeed a great success. 
Thanks go to Barb Carraher, Donna David, April Overstreet, and Angela Rauenswinter for setting up as well as to the small army who assisted in the clean up. Of course, special thanks go to all the tutors, learners, board members, and friends who brought such wonderful food. “Chow down” was definitely the essential idiom of the day. We’d also like to acknowledge the United Way of Roanoke Valley, which funded Cultural Soup through its Plant a Seed, Grow a Community Grant. Finally, a thank you to tutor Maggie Nevers, who assisted in the proofreading of the cookbook. 
