Library Notes: West Branch Library to offer Family Favorite Recipe Swap

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 29, 2022

By Brooke K. Taylor
Rowan Public Library

If you are like me, some of your favorite childhood memories are from family reunions. Traveling to a beloved family home or community center where extended family members gather to share stories, traditions and jokes. But the best part of family reunions for me was always the food. Aunt Ruby’s chicken and dumplings, Uncle Bud’s casserole, and Aunt Brenda’s chocolate pie — my mouth is watering just thinking about it. And the best gift you could get from those relatives was the inside scoop on the secret ingredients used to make those amazing dishes. Next month, the library will be bringing the family reunion food nostalgia to their Cleveland location.

On Saturday Feb. 5, RPL West staff will host a “Family Favorite Recipe Swap.” Participants in the swap will be able to share some of their best recipes and learn tasty new ones from their neighbors. West Branch Library Associate Laura Mowry says the idea for the recipe swap was born out of her love for baking. Mowry says, “I love to bake and enjoy potluck gatherings where you can try new dishes. Sometimes I leave wishing I had the recipe to make on my own, so I thought a recipe swap in the Cleveland community might be a great idea.” She also hopes that participants will leave with plenty of delicious ideas they can use to mix up their home menus as well.

West Branch Librarian Lyndsey Maloney is also aiming to preserve the shared recipes into a Cleveland community cookbook. “My hope is that participants will swap and share a wide variety of recipes that will highlight the cooking and baking flavors from Western Rowan County.” Along with a recipe swap, tasting sized portions of each dish will be available for take away so that contributors can taste the dishes before they try their hand at making them. Mowry and Maloney encourage anyone interested to sign up online at bit.ly/RPLWest_Recipe_Swap or call them at 704-216-8290 as table space is limited for this event. This event will be a great way to taste the local fare and share the Cleveland community spirit. I plan to be there with my family reunion bib on. Come join me!

Brooke K. Taylor is branch operations manager at the Rowan Public Library.

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