A celebration of Indian culture
Food, art and ritual share a deep relationship in Indian culture, which has inspired a creative event on July 15 pairing the Ragamala Dance Company and chef Raghavan Iyer, a recent James Beard Award winner. Iyer and Ragamala’s Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy will lead a conversation about the relationship between food and spirituality, with Iyer focusing on the traditions around the board game of Paramapadam, which is a central inspiration for Ragamala’s in-development work, “Written in Water.” The evening’s guests also will dine on a meal prepared by Iyer. There will be pre-dinner drinks and appetizers overlooking the river, games of Paramapadam, the premiere of a new short film on the creation of “Written in Water,” and tours of the A-Mill Artist Lofts, which include an art gallery, music, painting and dance studios, and a roof deck with views of Minneapolis. Tickets are $100. To order, visit squareup.com/store/ragamala-dance.
But are they bingeworthy?
Get ready for Thin Mint cupcakes and brownies, along with coconut-and-caramel cupcakes and blondies that call to mind Samoas. The four new baking mixes are a mashup between Pillsbury and Girl Scouts of the USA, two organizations that “share a similar personality of happiness and fun,” according to a news release. The mixes, made without artificial colors, preservatives or artificial flavors, are meant to provide consumers with their once-a-year flavor binges on a year-round basis. And yes, there still will be the seasonal sales of Girl Scout cookies. Now, though, you’ll have a choice between packaged Thin Mint cookies and your own fresh-baked brownies. But we’re sure the Scouts have thought of that.
Burger hot line ready to serve
Thanksgiving turkeys have a hot line, so why not July 4th burgers? Colorado-based burger franchise Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews is offering holiday grillers advice via its Yummm Hotline, which will be open on July 4th to help at-home grillers with any burger-related grilling questions. Call 1-844-RR-YUMMM — that’s 1-844-779-8666 — between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Twin Cities time.
Three cheers (and a bowl of ramen)
Taste editor Lee Svitak Dean won second place in the M.F.K. Fisher Awards for Excellence in Culinary Writing, a competition held by Les Dames d’Escoffier. It was for her story “The Perfect Dish,” on eating ramen at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo.
Pie palooza
Beth Howard, a promoter of pie through her books and blog (theworldneedsmorepie.com), will be part of the “Peace of Pie Weekend” at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, 4401 Upton Av. S., Mpls. 612-922-4272, lakeharrietspiritualcommunity.org. On July 2, she will teach from noon-4 p.m. how to make pie; donation of $20 per person or $25 per family (make reservations). On July 3 she will speak at 10:30 a.m. at the LHSC motivational service and at 12:30 p.m. will demonstrate pie making, followed by a Q&A. Howard traveled the world last year, making pies in 10 countries, and has given a TEDx talk on the healing powers of pie.
KIM ODE
