From lack and opression to abundance and freedom - The story of Homespun
CULINARY IMMERSION SUPPER CLUB: TASTE THE EXPERIENCE
Not a dinner! Thank you for liking my page! My name is Laura Laird and this is my story. I was born in communist Romania and lived there through the worst years and the revolution which overthrew the dictator Ceausescu and his communist party. During the 24 years I lived in
my country of birth, I saw a lot of need, lack and oppression. From the stand point of inalienable rights, the Romanian people did not have any! The government was all powerful and all encompassing, giving us whatever they wanted and brutally oppressing any kind of complaint and/or retaliation in any form. The Romanian people did not own guns, property or businesses and everything from schools to hospitals and healthcare to stores and factories was socialized and controlled by the communist regime. Just about everything, from gasoline for our cars to food and even electricity, cooking gas and hot water was rationed. If rural residents wanted to raise animals or grow crops, they were extremely regulated and very heavily taxed to the point where they kept almost nothing they produced. As a result, a lot of people either did not report everything or kept everything hidden all together, even at the risk of being caught which meant loosing their homes and everything else and being imprisoned. Usually, our normal fare, especially during the late fall, winter and early spring months was dry beans, potatoes and beef bones and sometimes chicken wings, dry pasta or rice. But, in the summer time things were a bit better as rural farmers would be allowed to erect pop-up farmers markets and sell some food such as new potatoes, zucchini, eggplants, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. When we had meat, the norm was pork and sometimes chicken. Rarely, perhaps about once a year, my family had young lamb in the spring from rural families my father worked with at a chemical plant located in the village he was born in. In Romania, for better or worse everyone cooked because we did not have pre-made foods or fast food restaurants and the few and far between regular restaurants we had were terribly expensive and unaffordable for everyone except the communist elite. All the women in my family cooked and on the rare occasions they had a bit more abundance, I was always afoot watching my mother, aunts and grandmothers. I remember sitting on the tiny table in my maternal grandmother’s minuscule kitchen when I was 6 years old and watching her make rice. She was the one that taught me to sauté the rice in a little oil before adding the water and spices to it. When I was 12 years old, I tried my hand at cooking a meal for my parents and that day I found out that for me, cooking was not just something I had to do but rather something I loved to do! That day started a life long love affair with cooking and over the years it became a burning passion. When I moved to America in 1992, after the initial shock at the abundance of groceries in the stores, I became like a kid in a candy store when I realized how unlimited the possibilities were. I started perfecting my knowledge of ingredients - there were so many things I did not even know existed - and my cooking technique by watching cooking shows, reading about the origins of certain dishes and the way in which they were prepared and experimenting in my own kitchen. For many years I applied the knowledge and experience I accumulated in my own kitchen, cooking for my husband, my daughters, our family and our friends. Nothing makes me happier than watching people smile and react with joy and pleasure eating the food I make for them. So, in February 2017, I decided to start a themed supper club that can take the dining guests to a different country, a different place in America, a different season, even a different point in time right at the dinner table. I take all my love and passion for cooking, all my commitment to use only fresh, organic, natural and GMO, hormone and antibiotic free ingredients and all the joy I take in making people happy with my food and put all of it in every event I host, either in my or a different host home! The food I serve is specifically crafted for each individual event and made each time with my own hands. I keep the number of my dinner guests small - 6 to 10 people - in order to be able to take care of each small detail myself and make the experience as intimate and personal as possible. At each event I serve my guests a 3-6 course dinner, depending upon the theme. When you decide to join us for one of our themed events, you will get a lot more than just a dinner. You will get a memorable epicurean experience in an intimate atmosphere. Thank you for reading my story and I look forward to serving you! Laura
