Cookin' with Books: Ossoli Club Cook Book
A Virtual Event
Tuesday, May 04
7:30pm - 8:30pm
Try out recipes from each meeting's cookbook selection, then discuss your experience on Zoom with fellow foodies.
On May 4, we're cookin' together with the Highland Park Historical Society and the Chicago Foodways Roundable, from the Cook Book published by Highland Park's Ossoli Club.
The Cook Book is freely available online at this link: https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/oca/Books2008-08/cookbook00osso/cookbook00osso.pdf.
We are encouraging people to prepare a recipe from this antique community cookbook and discuss the results. The cookbook is available online via the University of Illinois. Now a little history on the Ossoli Club:
The Ossoli Club of Highland Park started in the rooms of the Highland Park Club House (HPCH) in 1894. Efforts to begin a woman’s club at the HPCH were met with skepticism until George Boulton declared that it was “only a fad,” and to let them amuse themselves. The initial name was ‘The Monday Club.’ Six months later, following a national trend, they renamed themselves the ‘Ossoli Club’ in deference to Margaret Fuller (1810-1840), a transcendentalism writer. Ida (Mrs. Daniel) Cobb, charter member and president (1898-1900), wrote, “Previous to the year 1894, Reading Clubs afforded the only mental stimulus in Highland Park and little coteries of women with similar tastes would meet and discuss the subjects of the day...until we decided Highland Park could no longer afford to be without a woman’s club.”
Another keystone accomplishment of the Ossoli Club was the establishment and maintenance of the first public beach* in Highland Park in 1911. The Club maintained the beach, provided swimming lessons, play equipment in the sand and in the water, changing rooms, chaperones, and lifeguards from the Young Men’s Club; with yearly improvements until the City and Park District took over those responsibilities. Funds from the sale of this cookbook were used for these yearly improvements.
*Central Avenue Beach where the North Shore Yacht Club is located in 2021.
Cookin' with Books will start at 7:30PM CST every other Tuesday night.
Even if you haven't had time to cook, join us to discuss food!
This is an online event held via Zoom. Details on how to participate will be sent after registration.
Highland Park Public Library
Opening doors to information and imagination.
