When I first learned about the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Around the World in 21 Branches Festival Tour, it reminded me a fun culinary event called a progressive dinner party. In case you are not familiar with this type of dinner party, it refers to a multi-course dinner during which the successive courses are prepared and served at the different homes of the various people hosting the party. The library’s Around the World in 21 Branches Festival Tour is organized in a similar way, but instead of taking place in different homes, this multi-stop event takes place at the various branches of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The Sugar Creek Library is the next stop on the tour. The Sugar Creek Library’s event will take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Given that I already associate the event with a dinner party, I am especially pleased to report that the Sugar Creek Library event really will involve the cooking of delicious food.
The featured author at the Sugar Creek Library event is Shaun “Shef” Williams. Shaun will talk about his new cookbook titled Soul in the Citi: Homestyle Cooking in the City. As part of his presentation, he will be doing live cooking demonstrations during which he will prepare recipes from his cookbook. His presentation is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon. For more information about the event and to register, please click on the following link: https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/659ef7dfeb28943d007ffb15
Shaun currently lives in Mint Hill where he operates a catering and event production business called Shef Shaun’s Kitchen: https://www.shefshaunskitchen.com/ In writing Soul in the Citi, Shaun drew on his catering experiences, but he also drew on his experiences working as a chef in New York City and Charlotte. However, it was his childhood experiences cooking with his grandmothers in Cleveland that served as his chief inspiration when writing this cookbook.
He recalls that his grandmothers “made everything from scratch and often with no written recipes. The secret ingredient to making everything taste so good was definitely love.” His goal in writing Soul in the Citi is to help his readers “cook up dishes that remind you of Grandma’s kitchen!”
In addition to running his business and sharing his love of soul food, Shawn is writing his second cookbook. I am sure that his many fans in Storied Charlotte are ready for a second helping.