Celebrating Julia Child

Last Saturday, May 11th, I was asked to speak at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Dearborn, MI for their Ladies' Spring Luncheon.  They booked me months ago [before I started working at The Whitney], and even though the restaurant was booked full for Afternoon Tea, I had an obligation to keep my commitment.  I made 20 premeasured tea socks for The Whitney - my preferred method for preparing tea in large quantities - and they carried on nicely without me.

I arrived at the church shortly after 10:00 a.m.  This was the third time they've invited me to be their speaker.

The committee ladies were finishing their last minute chores before the attendees started arriving and the program began at 11:00 a.m.  The program was first followed by the luncheon.  I suggested a French menu to coordinate with my subject - Julia Child.

My display table is pictured below. I took a tin of Harney & Sons Paris blend. Julia particularly liked Harney & Sons tea.  Tins of it are sitting on the counter of her Cambridge kitchen displayed at the Smithsonian.  I don't know the origin of how Paris blend was created, but since Julia loved Paris and lived there from 1948 until 1953 and began her culinary cooking career there, it seemed like the perfect prop. Her favorite snack food was Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, so a bag of those sat on the table too.

You may recall from a previous post, I ordered a blouse, logo/badge designed by Julia's husband, Paul, and a chef's apron to wear for the presentation.  The Internet is a wonderful source for tracking down all sorts of things to coordinate with a theme.  Julia always tucked  a dish towel in the ties of her apron, and luckily I had one I bought when I visited Boston. The PBS television station where Julia's program The French Chef was filmed was in Boston, and the teapot on the apron was appropriate too because she was stationed on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka when she was with the OSS [Office of Strategic Services] during WWII.  It's where she started drinking tea and developed a fondness for it.

A yummy assortment of desserts made by the committee ladies.

The tables were set by different ladies, so no two were alike.  There were nine tables.

The table below is where I sat.  The china was Royal Albert and the pattern was Tea Time.

I peeked in the church kitchen where the tea station was set up.  They served English Breakfast tea.

Sherry Brown [below] is president of the Women's Ministry, and the one who has always contacted me about speaking.  She opened the program with two poems about Mothers from an Ideal magazine that was her mother's.  After prayer, she turned the program over to me.

I don't know what the count was, but the parlor was full.  These ladies are alway so attentive and responsive - a delightful audience.

Lunch Time:  Broccoli Quiche, a Garden Salad with French Dressing, and a Croissant.

Pecan Tarts,  Divinity, Mini Cherry Cheesecakes, and Fudge/Brownie Bars.

A bonus for me was reconnecting with a friend and her daughter from a church I used to attend 45 years ago.  Our paths took different directions, but Dottie now attends Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church.  She was surprised to see my name in the church bulletin stating I was going to be the guest speaker. Her daughter, Ramona, used to babysit my two oldest children.  

It was a lovely afternoon.  Thank you, Sherry, and ladies of Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church for inviting me back.

Clara Ford Tea

I wish blogs had sound effects so this post could be accompanied by a drum roll - it's my 1,700th post!

Recently, a follower of my blog sent me a Facebook invitation to attend the third annual Clara Ford Tea held at the historic Ford Piquette Avenue Plant.  Built in 1904, the plant is the birthplace of the Model T Ford, and is now a museum housed in the three-story brick factory.  Thanks, Jan for the heads-up!

The tea was held on Sunday, May 5th from 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.  It was a lovely day for driving to Detroit with my girlfriend and tea buddy, Lori.

We opted to take the interesting freight/all-purpose elevator up to the third floor where the tea was held.  We were greeted by a welcoming couple who checked our names off the list of attendees and told us what table we had been assigned to.

Since the building is now a museum, antique cars can be viewed on all the floors and are visible in many of my photographs.  

Two plaques were near the elevator.

~ The theme of this year's tea was The Spirit of Nursing ~

The program booklet is pictured below.  Clara Ford is standing front center wearing a black suit surrounded by a graduating class of nurses.

Everything was all set up and ready for the tea when we arrived.  The plant/museum is also a wedding venue.  Not my cup of tea for a wedding, but millennials usually go for the non-traditional.  ;-) 

~ The screen was ready to incorporate PowerPoint into the program. ~

The harpist was waiting for her cue to begin playing.

Tea loving friends - Linda [R], Louise [Center], and me [L]

~ Barb next to Linda ~  

~ My friend, Lori, and Me ~

~ Tea Station ~

~ Lori and I were at Table 8 ~

And we met two nice ladies - Toni and Theresa - assigned to table 8 too.  They both work at Dearborn Village - a retirement and assisted living community.

~ Individual Place Settings ~

Tiered server on our table.  Savories:  Ham Salad on White Bread; Chicken Salad on Wheat triangles; Egg Salad on White rounds; Cucumber open-faced; and Salmon on French Baguette with Dill Cream.  Scones: Cranberry and Blueberry with jam and mock Devonshire cream.  Desserts: Italian Cannolis [Yum!];  Cake Pops; Custard Tarts topped with Fruit; and Chocolate Teacups filled with Chocolate Mousse.

An assortment of tea bags were on each table along with teapots of hot water.  I chose Earl Grey tea by Stash.

The program presenter was Julia Pope who shared Clara's influence in the development of the Henry Ford Hospital School of Nursing which began in 1925 and went until 1996.  In the 71 years of operation, more than 5,000 students graduated.

Of course I had to capture the PowerPoint picture of nurses having tea.  Clara's portrait is hanging above the fireplace mantel.  It's as though she's looking down on them with approval.  Clara liked tea and hosted teas for the nursing students.

I found it interesting in my research that Henry Ford gave 33% of his income to philanthropy when most people in his income bracket gave 5%.

He believed charitable giving should be a private and individual act, one that was spontaneous on the part of the giver, unanticipated and unsought by the beneficiary, and a gratuitous gesture without any element of calculation.  But there were some exceptions due to the size of the gift and the strategy for its use.  One in particular was Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, which was Henry and Clara's largest philanthropic endeavor.  

In 1914 Detroit residents started a campaign to build a modern medical facility. Construction began, but stopped when it was half-completed due to indebtedness.  Henry completed the project with his own funds, served as the first President, and throughout his life gave about $14 million to its cause.  Today it remains one of Detroit's largest hospitals.

It was a lovely tea which we enjoyed attending, and I noticed The Whitney was one of the sponsors.

Happy Mother's Day 2019!

I've been missing from my blog for a few days because I had a presentation yesterday. I worked Monday - Friday at The Whitney [I think everyone wanted to take their mother to Afternoon Tea for a Mother's Day gift].  When I got home, my evenings were spent preparing for the Julia Child presentation.  I'll get back on track tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day either being celebrated by your children, or celebrating your mother.

Thirteen of our family went out to dinner following church. [8 were missing - 4 grandchildren, 2 grandchildren-in-law, and 2 sweet little great-granddaughters].  

My three children: Lori, Steve and Jeremy.

~ Lori and I ~

~ Steve and Jeremy ~

~ Brooke and Isabella ~

My hubby went out to Chelsea yesterday to spend the day with Jeremy and his family [while I was doing my presentation at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Dearborn].  He brought Landon home with him to spend the night.

~ Dave and Lori ~

This was the first Mother's Day Steve and Sharon's eldest daughter, Brianna, couldn't be with them [and us]. When she was away at college, school was always out by Mother's Day and she was home for the summer.  But she's in graduate school now and still has classes.  We missed her!

Steve, Sharon, Brooke and Sharon's mom, Sheena.

~ Jeremy, Samantha, Izzy, Landon, and Ellie ~

The Barkey clan - minus eight! 

This was the first year we went to Villa Penna [Italian Banquet Hall], and it didn't disappoint.  I took a photo of two buffet lines before everyone came in.  One line was for breakfast/brunch foods, and the other for dinner [everything you can imagine!] There were several other sections that I didn't photograph - desserts and fresh fruits; omelet making; beef carving; salads; and a coffee bar.  Everything was delicious!

I said on my Facebook page the best gift of Mother's Day was being with family, but there were gifts too.  Jeremy and family just returned from a vacation [combined with some business he had in Atlanta], and one stop was in Bedford, Virginia.  I was aware Tiny Teapot Jewelry existed, but I didn't know the couple who own the business live in Bedford, Virginia - a sister city of the Village of Woburn in Bedford County England. Bedford was named for the Duke of Bedford.  Anna Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford is credited with creating the ritual of Afternoon Tea while living at Woburn Abbey.  Lori and I visited Woburn Abbey when we visited England in 2015.

They bought me a Tiny Teapot Necklace while they were there, and gave it to me with the information shared above [along with a gift card].

Loved this Asian tea-themed Papyrus Card from Steve, Sharon & Girls that contained a gift card.

When I got home from speaking at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church yesterday, Lori had been to my house and planted flowers for my Mother's Day gift.  She and Dave also surprised us by coming to our church yesterday instead of going to their own.

I'm a very blessed mother and wife!