Guest post by Karen Lyon
What’s for dinner? How about Mediterranean? Thai? Or down-home Southern, all prepared and served by your Capitol Hill neighbors in their homes? Join the party this year at A Literary Feast!
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, A Literary Feast has become a grand night out for Capitol Hill, when volunteer chefs whip up a menu of culinary delights for ticketed guests. Each dinner is based on a book and, while guests are not required to read or discuss it, dressing up to match the theme is welcomed.
The proceeds help supply grants to local schools from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, which awards more than $100,000 each year to neighborhood schools. The grants support school gardens and libraries, field trips, professional development and more, and every school on Capitol Hill has benefited over the years.
A Literary Feast is also about bringing people of all ages together over a good meal. What better way to get acquainted with your neighbors than to sit down with them at an Alice in Wonderland feast, complete with White Rabbit Surprise and DRINK ME cocktails? Since getting to know your fellow diners is part of the fun, the names of dinner hosts are kept secret; guests pick their dinners based on book titles and descriptions alone.
And what an array of selections this year! You can have some cheese fondue with Heidi, an Italian feast with I, Claudius, a 1960s spread with Valley of the Dolls, or a proper English supper with Pride and Prejudice. Sweden, Ireland, France, and Scotland are also represented, and Latin American cuisine is abundante. Stateside, you can visit New Orleans, Chicago, Memphis, or Maine—or spend an evening in a Prohibition-era speakeasy (think of the costume possibilities!).
The 2014 Literary Feast is on Saturday, October 25, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Dinners at homes on Capitol Hill are followed by dessert at the Hill Center. The registration deadline is October 3—and spots fill up quickly, so get your tickets now! To register or for more information, visit www.aliteraryfeast.org.