By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Sweet and savory aromas filled the Powisset Farm test kitchen on Thursday, October 26, as members of both the Westwood and Dover Council on Aging joined Chef Didi Emmons in making a three-course meal with delicious fruits and vegetables.
Didi, who has published several vegetarian cookbooks, prepared an afternoon with the community’s seniors to make a crunchy and beautifully colored beet salad, a stew with dumplings, and an apple spice cake for dessert.
While the seniors are all experienced home cooks, having made countless meals for their families and friends, Didi broadened their knowledge by teaching about root vegetables, spices, and knife skills.
As the seniors chapped vegetables with their newly learned knife skills, Didi checked on the apple and beet slaw appetizer.
“You always learn something new from these classes,” said Janet Claypoole, director of the Dover Council on Aging. “Even people who cook all the time end up saying ‘I didn’t know how to do that.’ Here, we’re learning knife and cutting skills, which none of us expected, but we all need.”
The Dover COA has previously worked with Powisset Farm’s engagement site manager, Nicole Nacamuli, to bring seniors to the farm more frequently. “We’ve had a couple of classes we’ve done in a series with Nicole and Powisset Farm, so we’re happy to continue the classes and it’s always nice to partner with a neighboring Council on Aging,” continued Janet.
Lina Arena-DeRosa of the Westwood Council on Aging worked closely with Didi and the seniors to ensure that the kitchen stayed clean and organized as the women cooked. Although only one of Westwood’s seniors could join Lina for the day’s cooking class, Dover’s seniors were excited to collaborate with them.
The Council on Aging members chatted with chef Didi Emmons and Powisset Farm’ Nicole Nacamuli as they chowed down on the bright and beautiful beet slaw.
Didi brought a wealth of knowledge to the class as a French trained chef at a private cooking school in Paris, a recipe developer, personal chef, and chef at the catering company that she founded. Despite her formal work in the kitchen, Didi brought a sense of calmness and casualness to the kitchen.
“This is where I have fun,” said Didi as she tossed spices into the cake mix. “I just kind of go with my inner flow.”
That inner flow proved to create a delicious and healthy home cooked meal that all of the seniors enjoyed and looked forward to recreating in their own kitchens.
