Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin (CHEW)

press release: “What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been: From Hippie Food to High Cuisine" 

Presented by Larry Orr 

Join CHEW attendee Larry Orr, an unrepentant and grinning East Side hippie, as he looks back on the beginnings of his own food awareness and at our current food culture, to show how the old hippie values of peace, love and flowers transformed and improved our approach to food. From communal meals to posh kitchens and fine dining, we enjoy food that is multicultural, and (whenever possible) local, sustainable, whole-grain, fair-trade, minimally processed, and often high priced and highly esteemed. That, Orr, proposes, is thanks to the way the counter-cultural folks of the 60s thought about food and life. At tonight’s meeting Orr will discuss how, through food, hippie values have been allowed to thrive through the decades. Larry Orr came to Madison ten years ago, when his residency permit in the European Union expired and he had to leave his job as a trail guide at his beloved hostel in Greece. Orr’s varied resume includes stints as: teenaged ambulance driver; mystery shopper at fast food franchises; dump-man on a lay-down machine building Interstate 80; military intelligence op in the Mideast, school librarian/media specialist; secretary of a Chamber of Commerce in Iowa; storefront food co-op manager; public television manager; and coffeehouse owner. He currently lives the good life as a Foster Grandparent in the Madison schools, resides in a woodsy fairy-tale home, rides a bike almost everywhere, works with Veterans for Peace, and enjoys all the best deals and happy hours in the exuberant brewing and dining scene in Madison. And some day he will return to that Greek beach.... 

Please join us at 7:15 pm at the Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., Madison, WI 53704; 608-241-1574. For more information, visit the CHEW website at http://www.chewwisconsin.com/ or visit our Facebook page. To get on the mailing list, or for additional information, email Joan Peterson at info@eatsmartguides.com or Terese Allen at tallen@gdinet.com