Young RSYP chefs star at Culinary Arts Celebration
Great Barrington — Enjoy sublime concoctions by young chefs and support Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) programs at the same time: RSYP is holding its annual Culinary Arts Celebration on Monday, December 8 at 5:30 p.m. at Crissey Farm, 426 Stockbridge Rd, in Great Barrington. The dinner is the culminating event for the Culinary Apprenticeship Program in which 14 young chefs learn food preparation and presentation for eight weeks under five master chefs including The Red Lion Inn’s Brian Alberg, John Andrew’s Dan Smith, Allium’s Daire Rooney, The Williams Inn’s Adam Brassard, and The Kitchen on the Commons’s Zee Vassos.
The chefs mentored RSYP’s aspiring culinary professionals and will prepare a tasting menu to support local youth empowerment. In addition, RSYP will kick off a live service auction in support of additional youth initiatives. RSYP offers mentoring and apprenticeship programs, a sexual health education initiative, an all-youth board that funds innovative, youth-inspired projects and trips, job training and career counseling, and a drop-in center that offers referrals, counseling, mediation and advocacy services.
“Unlike in past years when Railroad Street Youth Project has held multiple culinary dinners, this year we are focusing on one to celebrate these talented youth,” explained RSYP’s Executive Director Ananda Timpane. “We are so grateful for the support that the entire community has shown in the past, and look forward to making this year’s dinner inspiring for every palate.”
RSYP has presented these dinners since 2006, when the program first launched. Since then, more than 200 young people from Berkshire County have participated in apprenticeships not only in the culinary arts, but also in cosmetology, photography, and massage therapy, gaining valuable skills and experience and, in many cases, job opportunities with local businesses.
Tickets to the Annual Culinary Dinner are $125 per person. Tables for 8, 10, or 12 are also available for purchase. Please indicate whether you have seating or group requests. To purchase tickets or learn more about how you can support the Railroad Street Youth Project visit www.rsyp.org or call 413-528-2475. All proceeds support RSYP youth development programs and activities.
— H.B.
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Muddy Brook annual online auction
Great Barrington — The Muddy Brook Elementary School PTA’s annual online auction is up and running, and will continue through Friday, December 5. To participate, to participate and view all the items for auction, visit www.biddingforgood.com/mbpta .
Thanks to the generosity of many local businesses and community members, there are more than 150 items ready to be bid on. There’s something for everyone in this auction, from the luxurious (a spa day at Canyon Ranch) to the practical (a propane refill from Carr Hardware), and everything in between. This is a great opportunity to get a jump-start on holiday shopping while supporting a good cause.
This online auction has become a key fundraiser that supports a wide range of enrichment programming, including music, science, nature, movement, and writing programs; teacher grants; Berkshire Theatre Group residency program; field trips; Mexican Fiesta evening; holiday craft workshops; audio support for the gymnasium; and much more!
Everybody is welcome to participate in the auction. In order to bid, follow directions on the site to create an account – a simple and secure process. The PTA hopes that community members will help themselves to some phenomenal auction items while helping our public elementary school in a significant way.
— D.S.
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Paul Graubard retrospective at Lichtenstein
Pittsfield — From December 5 through December 27, the painter Paul Graubard will have a retrospective of his work at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts at 28 Renne Ave. A reception with the artist will be held at the Lichtenstein from 5 to 8 p.m. on December 5 during First Fridays Artswalk.
“Graubard Retrospective” will feature paintings of dancers, scenes from the North, circus paintings and Judaica andwill feature a recent painting: “My Tribe” — a triptych that measures 4 by 9 feet. Each panel consists of a large Jewish star that is filled with portraits of prominent Jews, ranging from Moses to Woody Allen to Jonas Salk to Emma Goldman. Each of the 116 portraits is numbered and identified by name and number in the night sky.
Paul’s work is in the permanent collection of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and the Sanskriti Foundation in New Delhi, India as well as in private collections in America and abroad.
During this month Graubard’s work will be exhibited in the window of the Brothership Building on North Street in Pittsfield.
Visit Paul’s website for more information: paulgraubard.com
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
— D.S.
