Seattle Grassroots Event with Andrea Nguyen

The Seattle Area Grassroots Event on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, was a great success. It became a perfect summer celebration when IACP member and cookbook author Andrea Nguyen (Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors) came through town, gave a cooking demo using local farmer products at the Columbia City Farmers Market in Seattle and spent time with local Washington IACP members afterward.

The Columbia City Farmers Market was founded in 1998 and has more than 40 Washington State local farmers and food vendors. It is situated in an historic neighborhood and draws a diverse group of shoppers. Andrea’s lively cooking demonstration of cucumber and shrimp salad and recipes from her cookbook delighted the crowd. She explained her simple steps, beginning with how to prepare the salad ingredients, the use of Vietnamese herbs, and how to choose from varieties of fish sauces. After her book signing, IACP members had an exclusive tour with Andrea. As we were browsing through farmer market stalls, Andrea showed us some Asian vegetables and how to use them in Vietnamese cooking.

This event was organized by Seattle IACP member Naomi Kakiuchi, CCP, the president of NuCulinary. We thank Andrea for sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge of Vietnamese cooking and Naomi for making this event happen for us to learn and enjoy.

Submitted by
Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
IACP Grassroots – Washington State Coordinator