Leah won over the audience at last Tuesday’s StorySlam at L’Etage (featured in yesterday’s Inquirer!) with her account of a most inept bike thief (Didn’t he notice someone was standing a few feet away? Didn’t he consider the possibility it was the bike’s owner???). And in case you missed Meghan’s winning story of the night, check it out here.

Last Thursday’s crazy storm cleared just in time for our Edible World: The Spice Necklace event in Chestnut Hill. However, we still moved the event inside the Chestnut Hill Hotel, which offered a respite from the oppressive heat. Things didn’t cool down too much inside, however. At least not once Claudette Campbell’s homemade hot pepper sauce hit the tables, enhancing our doubles and stew chicken with a tangy kick. Luckily, nobody seemed to mind.

Guest author Ann Vanderhoof charmed (and possibly inspired?) our audience with her tale of leaving her life in Toronto behind to sail the Caribbean with her husband, sharing her adventures with homemade “island Viagra” and the mishaps and rewards of catching your own crab dinner. Questions came one after the other as people wanted to know about Ann’s favorite dishes (oildown and buss up shut), what it’s like living in close quarters on the sailboat with her husband (they seem to get along abnormally well!), and how she was able to meet so many people so easily (admiring mangoes was key). We all fell in love with Claudette, the chef behind family-run Calypso, first for her delicious Trinidadian fare and then again when she shared stories about her cooking and background. The phrase of the night? “A little bit of this, a little bit of that,” the mainstay of pretty much all of Claudette’s recipes.

We were joined by special guest Rick Nichols – host of our next Edible World Food Tour in August, Behind the BBQ, and the reason why we discovered Calypso in the first place – who couldn’t turn down another chance to taste Claudette Campbell’s cooking. The meal included doubles; her Tanti Slaw (“coleslaw with a kick,” she says); a beautiful salad of greens, sliced avocado and cherry tomatoes; stew chicken (my personal favorite); fried plantains; peas and rice; veggies; and her special pound cake, ever so subtly imbued with fresh lime. Claudette doesn’t over spice her food on purpose, but if you like a bit of heat then her hot pepper sauce will be your new best friend. If you haven’t already enjoyed Claudette’s food, head to Calypso immediately (Chestnut Hill Farmers Market, 8229 Germantown Ave). Tell her that First Person Arts sent you.

Photos clockwise: Claudette Campbell, Ann Vanderhoof, a tray full of doubles. All by Mia Aronson.

Next month we’re co-hosting a Salon with the NYC-based salon series Queer Memoir. A great line-up of queer and LGBT Philly theatre artists, activists, writers and storytellers (including Slam faves R. Eric Thomas and Rae Drew) will tell stories from their lives around the theme ‘’sticks and stones.”
Who’s to say if such an event would be possible had the Stonewall riots of 1969 never took place? Look back at this epic event when the new doc Stonewall Uprising hits the Ritz at the Bourse this weekend for an exclusive engagement. Watch the trailer here.

Maybe I’m the only one who sings in their opera voice in the shower (TMI?) but today’s doc pick is for the opera singer in all of us. More than anything the documentary is about having a dream and going for it.
Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright took a dramatic turn in his career as a pop icon when he realized a lifelong fascination by penning his very first opera, Prima Donna, between 2008 and 2009. We follow Wainwright on his creative journey, from his obsessions with opera as a child through the initial staging of Prima Donna at the Manchester International Festival in early July 2009. The film also creates a fascinating portrait of Rufus through comprehensive and revealing interviews, an impressive overview of his musical history, and a host of insights into his youth and his career. And it was just released on DVD this week!

-Tiffany Thwaites

As many of you know, our beloved administrative coordinator Nick Forrest left us a couple weeks ago to study writing with the Iowa Summer Writers Workshop. We are happy to say that we have found a wonderful new Nick in the form of Mr. Daniel Wallace, artist, art gallery owner and very tall man (6′5”). So far, the biggest challenge we’ve encountered with Daniel is simply the name game. With a Dan already in the office, we’ve needed to get creative. Chauncey, Lewis and Bud were all thrown out. Daniel’s stature however inspired the nickname that has seemed to endure (thus far) – Shawty (yes, pronounced a la T-Pain.)

Let’s get to know more about Daniel, I mean, Shawty. Ask him your own questions in the comments!
What are you most excited about doing here with First Person Arts?
I am glad to be involved with a group of people who are making art a part of life. Art shouldn’t be held on high or set apart from the everyday. Art is life and should be celebrated.
What is your favorite memoir?
“The Motorcycle Diaries” That story is incredible.
What would the title of your memoir be and why?
“Daniel DeNunzio: Tightropes and Tribulations” As a kid my father developed alter egos for my brother and I, Daniel Denunzio and Brian Bonanzo. We were (are) traveling acrobats from the Slovenia. I think their story would be much more exciting than mine, although they do say truth is stranger than fiction.
What are your top three favorite films (documentary or otherwise)?
Bettlegeuse, The Royal Tenenbaums – and most recently- White Diamond by Werner Herzog
What do you do when you’re not at First Person Arts?
I run a gallery/ performance venue/ bookshop called Extra Extra in Fishtown with three other artists whom I met while living in Baltimore.
What is your go-to snack food?
Almonds, Cashews, Peanuts, Brazil Nuts, Pecans, Pistachios…the list goes on.
.
What’s the most random thing you found in your cubicle on your first day at work?
Four pennies inside a green foam earbud cover. No contest.
What’s your favorite viral video?
This was linked to me by a friend and I have spread it around since. Does that make it Viral?

Today resident foodie Mia Aronson (once a pastry cook at Le Bec Fin before entering the world of Razorfish) gives us an inside look at next week’s Edible World menu and shares another recipe from Ann Vanderhoof’s memoir, The Spice Necklace. Check out Mia’s last adventure in Caribbean food here.


Ann Vanderhoof passes on some Trini (Trinidadian) wisdom in her book, The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life- “Cold water, slight jelly coconut, and doubles will fix anything.”


Whether or not you’ve got something ailing you, a taste of Calypso’s doubles (tender fried dough around a savory chickpea filling with a healthy dash of homemade hot sauce) is worth a trip to the Chestnut Hill Farmers Market. At the next next Edible World you can meet Vanderhoof, hear about her travels, and eat a fabulous dinner from Calypso that starts off with… you guessed it… doubles.



While reading The Spice Necklace the Tassa Chicken recipe caught my eye but seemed too time consuming for a weeknight meal. A couple quick revisions solved that problem and made this one pot dish a great addition to my regular rotation. This is a flavorful, spicy curry with a touch of sweetness from raisins and mango chutney. If you’d like to follow my shortcuts and have your meal on the table in under an hour, substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken pieces, which cuts the cooking time by 10-15 minutes, and season the chicken early in the day and leave it in the fridge. I wasn’t able to easily locate West Indian curry powder, but the regular curry powder I had on hand tasted pretty good!


Tassa Chicken
4 bone-in chicken quarters (about 3 lbs)
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp West Indian curry powder
2 onions, cut in eighths
4 medium tomatoes, cut in eighths
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp raisins
1/2 cup whole peanuts
1/2 cup sweet mango chutney
1 tbsp tomato paste


1. Cut the chicken into pieces at the joints, and season with the garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the curry and cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring to avoid burning.
3. Add the chicken pieces, and stir well to coat them with the curry mixture.
4. Add the onions, tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 50 minutes until chicken is tender and sauce has thickened.
5. Stir in raisins, nuts, chutney and tomato paste; cook for a couple minutes more to blend flavors and heat through.
Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.


- Mia Aronson

Repping Philly at the National StorySlam THIS Sunday is Mike McCarry, hitting the road late tonight to start the drive to Chicago with at least one stop in lovely Toledo, OH along the way. Thanks to your support we were able to put $250 in Mike’s pocket for his journey! Stay tuned to the First Person blog all weekend for updates from Mike as he meets and competes with storytellers from Boston, Portland, the Twin Cities, Baltimore, DC, Anderson (South Carolina), San Francisco and (of course!) Chicago. There is no theme for Sunday’s Slam, so anything goes. TIme Out Chicago has the background on this awesome new addition to the national storytelling scene.


Send Mike your good vibes in the comments!!!

So next week is the start of a marathon run of Slams. Think you can handle it? We’ve got THREE Slams coming your way over the course of NINE days. So of course, we want to make sure we see your beautiful faces at each one. Attend all three Slams and you’ll get a FREE ticket to the Grand Slam and Block Party on July 24. We even got super cute punch cards that you’ll pick up at Monday’s Slam at World Cafe Live and then bring back on June 19th to the Kimmel Center Solstice Slam and then again on June 22 to L’Etage.


So show us how hard you can Slam!
Monday, June 14 at World Cafe Live with host Raeann Drew. The theme is Payback.
Saturday, June 19 at the Kimmel Center Solstice Celebration with host Victor Fiorillo. The theme is Song and Dance. (Note the special start time: 9:00pm!)
Tuesday, June 22 at L’Etage. The theme is Epic Fail.


As always, more details on all our Slams can be found here.

There’s an opportunity for artists of all types to use LOVE Park as their personal studio…for free! Art in Love Park is a new feature of the Summer in LOVE 2010 line-up of activities and entertainment in LOVE Park.



Artists of all disciplines are invited to participate. Applicants will be selected based on a variety of criteria including artist vision, interest in engaging the public, and appropriateness to working in a public setting. Once you’ve been selected the stage is yours. And its adjacent to the LOVE statue so all eyes will be in your direction.


For more info call 215-683-0247, 9 to 4, Monday thru Friday. The only catch is that you must Register Here to reserve a time slot.


-Tiffany Thwaites

Claudette Campbell (pictured) is preparing an awesome meal for June 24th’s Edible World: The Spice Necklace. Imagine sitting outside of the Chestnut Hill Farmers Market, enjoying stew chicken and pound cake while guest author Ann Vanderhoof reads about Caribbean treats and travels from her upcoming memoir, The Spice Necklace. Sounds like a sweet summer night to me!


We just got the menu from Chef Campbell and here’s the scoop…


Appetizer – “Doubles” (“Spiced chick peas inside two pieces of a bread like thing – it’s delicious,” says FPA volunteer and resident foodie Mia Aronson.)
Entree and sides- Stew Chicken with peas and rice, fried plantains and a tossed green salad
Dessert – Pound cake
Drink – Strawberry Mango lemonade with fresh cut-up fruit.


In yesterday’s New York Times, Alida Becker reviewed Vanderhoof’s upcoming book and made one criticism, “Vanderhoof’s curiosity about the food and (lots of) drink on the islands is appropriately all-consuming, but attempting to retain even a fraction of the information she uncovers about sapodillas, nutmeg, sorrel, passion fruit, conch and the seemingly endless array of other Caribbean edibles can be a dizzying experience. Try too hard and you may collapse with something resembling the buzz from Jah Daniel, the moonshine she tracks down in Dominica, ‘flavored with a generous fistful of ganja.’” Luckily, at Edible World: The Spice Necklace, you’ll get some help courtesy of Vanderhoof herself and Chef Campbell’s cooking.


Jah Daniel’s buzz not included. Sorry about that.


Photo by Mia Aronson.