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Diva-licious! A lavish new cookbook from an opera auxiliaryPosted on Thu, Apr. 03, 2008
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BY JO WERNESpecial to The Miami Herald
Sunny Days, Balmy Nights: Entertaining Miami Style produced by the Young Patronesses of the Opera.">
Florida Grand Opera diva Elizabeth Caballero stars in upcoming performances of La boheme at the Arsht Performing Arts Center. Here she is promoting the new cook book Sunny Days, Balmy Nights: Entertaining Miami Style produced by the Young Patronesses of the Opera.
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F.Y.I. Sunny Days, Balmy Nights: Entertaining Miami Style (Favorite Recipes Press, $35) is available at Books & Books, Barnes & Noble (Coral Gables) and the Paper Emporium and gift shops at the Biltmore Hotel, Lowe Art Museum, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Miami International Airport as well as online booksellers. It also can be ordered by sending a check for $41.50 per book (includes postage and handling) to The Young Patronesses of the Opera, P.O. Box 347616, Coral Gables, FL 33234. All proceeds benefit YPO educational programs.ABOUT THE YPOIn the mid-1950s, Greater Miami Opera founder Arturo di Filippi asked a group of women to form what became the Young Patronesses of the Opera, a volunteer organization dedicated to opera education.By 1993, when GMO became the Florida Grand Opera, YPO had contributed $1 million to the cause. In the years since, it has donated more than $800,000. Among its projects:• An in-school opera program that last year brought a production of Rumpelstiltskin to some 30,000 elementary school students.• An annual workshop and award for elementary school teachers to encourage the teaching of history, literature, music and other subjects through opera.• A biennial national voice competition that involves 30 young opera professionals.Source:Sunny Days, Balmy Nights: Entertaining Miami Style.Six years ago, members of the Young Patronesses of the Opera decided to harness their passion for cooking, eating and entertaining. The result is Sunny Days, Balmy Nights: Entertaining Miami Style, a lavishly photographed, 256-page hardcover that is a feast for the eyes and more than a few cuts above the usual fundraising cookbook. ''Our meetings have always included a meal and sharing recipes,'' says Kathy McGilvray, one of four co-chairs of the project for 2007-2008. ``A lot of us entertain a great deal so we wanted the book to be an entertaining guide as well.'' Except for the occasional jar of artichoke hearts, this is a book about cooking from scratch. ''You won't find Campbell's soup mentioned,'' says co-chair Isabella Kerdel, who has a chef's diploma from the Le Cordon Bleu in London. ''The recipes use a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit and reflect the varied cuisine of Miami.'' (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Croatia are among the countries represented.) About 20 of the 240 members of YPO -- the volunteer educational arm of Florida Grand Opera -- collected and tested recipes from their own files and those of relatives and friends. The team tried and winnowed 1,300 to 1,400 recipes. Each of the chosen 220 was tested three times -- each time by a different member. The volunteers, many of whom work, would start a recipe at home and finish it in the capacious kitchens of McGilvray, Kerdel or Valerie Ricordi. ''It would get pretty frantic,'' McGilvray says. ``Then we would place the finished dishes on the dining room table, fix ourselves a plate and eat and talk about the food.'' Before they could be evaluated or even cooked, some of the recipes had to be deciphered. ''A lot of recipes were handed down in the family but there were no exact measurements,'' says Melody Swift, also a co-chair. ''We were striving for easy-to understand-recipes,'' adds co-chair Rebecca Spinale. The book is divided into eight, occasion-themed chapters, from South Beach Soiree (soups and drinks) and Picnic on the Beach (seafood) to Après Opera Dessert Party (desserts). Husbands of YPO members contributed wine recommendations and tested the tropical cocktails featured on the book cover. Menus, work plans, serving suggestions, shopping tips and ingredient profiles complete the package. It took a year of planning and permitting to arrange the photo shoots at locations including Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, The Biltmore Hotel and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. YPO members provided many of the props -- furniture, tablecloths, pillows, baskets, dishes, serving platters. Dan Forer, who is known for meticulous attention to detail in his architectural photographs, spent at least 12 hours on each shoot. (Forer and food stylist Patty Forrestel were paid for their work, but Kevin P. Scott of Preston Scott Design With Flowers in Coral Gables volunteered hundreds of hours to style them.) In the end, YPO members feel they accomplished the mission they set for themselves in the book's preface: ``[W]e will show you how to entertain with Miami style: with verve, charm, and wonderful cooking.''
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