Cooking with the Choir
Unforgettable Recipes
All proceeds from the sale of Cooking with the Choir go towards the work of Voices in Motion.
The cost of the book is $20 + $5 shipping. For bulk pricing over ten copies, please contact us.
This cookbook is story driven.
It is written by choir members from Voices in Motion.
Why a cookbook by a choir? Because, we are a community of people with fascinating stories. But where do you begin to share stories that hold deep meaning and connection?
Our choir members with dementia often speak about the importance of support from their family members and close friends. This support, encouragement and joy was often experienced during shared meals together. We thought, “Why not compile a cookbook in which our choristers could share their favorite family recipes and the memorable stories that go with them?”
Thus, the adventure began.
Our choir members dug deep into their favorite recipes, wrote the stories surrounding them and took pictures of the finished products to create this wonderful cookbook – Cooking with the Choir: Unforgettable Recipes.
Besides enjoying some wonderful dishes, you’ll read about…
- The first meal cooked by a 16-year old boy for a girl he liked – that led to a lasting marriage.
- The Québecois dish that has become a holiday favorite and is now sold at Christmas markets everywhere.
- The recipe that originated on the Greek island of Ikaria, a recognized “Blue Zone” where people frequently live to be over 100 years old.
- The stinky food that a young man ate to impress his girlfriend’s parents that is now part of their family celebrations.
- The return of a retro recipe that has made its comeback as a trendy family dish.
We hope that when you purchase this book and make these recipes, and as you sit down around the table to enjoy them, you will also enjoy reading the stories behind these dishes. Perhaps you will be inspired to reach out to someone in your community experiencing memory loss, and maybe invite them over for a meal.
What are people saying about this cookbook?
No matter what era or demographic we fall into, each of us has a story – a background that has shaped our narrative. Food is part of that narrative. I realized that as I collected each person’s recipe, story and photo. I also realized that food isn’t only about sustenance – it causes us to feel and remember.
What started out as a “choir cookbook” has become much more – a labour of love from our choristers’ hearts to your table. What you will find in these pages are recipes from all over the globe written by people who love life and family.
It’s been such a privilege to “pull up a chair” and sit at each person’s proverbial dining room table and have them share their lives through these recipes.
Enjoy the food. Enjoy the stories. Enjoy getting to know Voices in Motion.
~ Erica Phare-Bergh, Artistic Director
The memorable experience of editing an unforgettable cookbook!
I was excited when I was asked to help edit the cookbook—I like to cook and I like to explore recipes, so it was a good fit. And indeed it was wonderful fun to review the recipes. There was great variety, with recipes stemming from 800 years ago to more modern cuisine and all corners of the globe were accounted for! There were vegetarian dishes, meat and fish creations, recipes aimed at maintaining health, and some more decadent ones—all in all a good mix.
I found, though, that as I became immersed in the stories behind the recipes, I was getting more out of the experience than just new recipes. Whether the story was humourous, or made reference to austerity surrounding times of war, or described summer camping trips, they created a link between me (the reader) and the storyteller. The stories gave a glimpse of the lives of the choir members, shared over meals with family and friends. It gave me a feeling of connection with my fellow choristers to learn a bit about each of them and their history, and it also made me feel part of a greater, larger community. This collection of recipes and stories highlighted to me that though each family follows their own path, we are all bound together in cherishing our respective memories of family and friends. This is a collection of recipes generated by love and I think that that aspect shines through.
~ Andrea Warner, Friend of Voices in Motion
When I was working on this book, I was . . .
Full of warm and fuzzy feelings from all the beautiful stories, not to mention hungry from all the delicious-sounding recipes.
Food, family/friends, and memories. It gave me great joy to produce this cookbook for Voices in Motion choir. I feel like I know you all now even though I live over a thousand miles away. May the memories and recipes live on and provide many years of enjoyment for your family and friends. God Bless.