The NYF is here!

The 2008 New Year's Festival is about to begin! Tonight we're kicking things off with a New Year's Eve party that will feature lots of great local food from places like Jeni's Ice Cream, Tip Top Kitchen, Betty's, Surly Girl Saloon, zpizza, Ying's Teahouse, and more. We'll also be tasting our Goose Brew 2008 - the beer we brewed with Frank Barickman of SODZ at our October Too Many Cooks. And on top of all that, we'll be enjoying a concert from Wild Goose favorites Common Shiner.

Keep you eye on this blog; we'll update it with pictures, videos, and more during the festival!

Happy New Year!

More New Year's Festival coverage!

Word is getting out about the New Year's Festival!

You can hear Nick and Jessie on WOSU radio by clicking right here or by listening tomorrow (Wednesday, December 31st) around 12:35 p.m.

And look for us in the weekend listings of the Columbus Dispatch!

By the way, have you registered yet? What was that?

Getting ready to ring in the New Year...

Check out this week's Columbus Alive for a feature on the New Year's Festival!

Our friends in the Andy Shaw Band are also featured in this week's issue! You can catch them at the festival Friday night at 10pm.

Hey, with all this talk about the festival, by the way...you should come!

And have you checked out our sponsor list lately? Go here and scroll down!

New Year's Festival: Limited Time Discount!

As an early holiday gift to help ease the pinch of these crazy
economic times we're excited to announce a limited time discount for
the upcoming Wild Goose Creative New Year's Festival:

$50.00 for the entire festival!

That's right, just $50.00 for four days of amazing concerts and
galleries, original performances, innovative workshops, and delicious
food featuring some of Columbus' most talented artists! With over 25
different events it's a great opportunity to experience art, encounter
new artists and make new friends! If you're unable attend the full
festival you're welcome to attend and pay for events separately. All
events are 10.00 each at the door.*

Register today!


Hope to see you all there!

Wild Goose Creative



*However, for a 200.00 savings you might just want to join us for the
whole darn thing!

New Year's Festival sponsors!

The 2nd annual Wild Goose Creative is just three weeks away, and all of the details are falling into place. If you haven't registered yet, you can do so on our website: www.wildgoosecreative.com. The website also has an updated list of workshops, performances, and gatherings.

Right now there is a limited time discounted registration of $50 for the entire festival!

We're getting to work with some of the best and brightest around Columbus, and we wanted to highlight our current sponsors!




As well as...
Chris Awards
Ying’s Teahouse and Yum Yum
and more to come!

Calling Visual Artists!

We have a few openings left for artists to show work in our New Year's Festival gallery for an exhibition to run between January and March. If you have work that is ready to show, get in touch with us!

A few details:
-for work that hangs on walls, each artist has a 4' by 5' area to work with.
-for the New Year's Festival, we are also interested in smaller, non wall-hanging work. If you have both, all the better!
-typically, we will show 6 artists at a time, though we are open to more or less, and we are open to collaborations, installations, and other ideas.

Shoot us an email if you are interested; I (Jessie) will get in touch with you to see what's possible.

Also, if you haven't seen the work that's hanging in the space now, you should come by! We have art by the following really really great visual artists:
Nick Fancher
Chris Shaw
Robin Oatts
Eva Jorgensen
Jeffrey Horvath
Sharon Bell

A great opportunity to come look to your heart's content: this month's Third Thursdays, December 18 at 8pm!

Craft Night

If you are finding that the holiday season is making you want to make things, maybe you'd like to set aside this Thursday evening to craft with some company!

I myself might be making grading papers, but if life goes better than expected this week, I will be knitting instead!

We'll be there starting at 7pm. Bring some wine, cheese, or something else nice to share if you like.

If you want to let us know you'll be there, you can respond to this Facebook event. Or just stop by, if you'd like to keep your presence a surprise.

Multimedia comedy showcase!

Our Third Thursdays for November features Nathan Smart and Matt Eyer as Blank, Blank, Party Time, Excellent presenting "I'm Telling You for the Last Time... Tonight.” Nathan and Matt are very funny men. Stand up comics, musical artists, YouTubers, and writers, they stay busy making people laugh, making people think, and making people think they're laughing. This month, they'll do all three with their unique brand of humor, insight and wit in a multimedia comedy showcase!

Join us on Thursday, November 20 at 8 p.m.
At our space at 2491 Summit St. in Clintonville
Suggested donatin is $5

A Taste of Thanksgiving in Georgia

Too Many Cooks! with Meredith Scherer
A Taste of Thanksgiving in Georgia

Join Wild Goose Creative to warm up for Thanksgiving with the dishes you could enjoy in a Southern home. Meredith Scherer will demonstrate some of her favorite time-tested tricks and techniques and treat us to a wide array of sides, desserts, and unmissables. Cornbread dressing, Senator Russell sweet potatoes, pea casserole, buttermilk pie, turkey with a unique twist, and more...now I'm getting hungry. Come sample the bounty and get thankful a little bit early this year!

When: Sunday, November 2nd at 7 p.m.
Where: 2491 Summit Street, Columbus, OH 43202
How Much: Suggested Donation: $10

Homebrew bottled!

Last night we bottled the pale ale brewed by Frank Barickman of the SODZ at our October Too Many Cooks! Eric Bean, brewmaster of the Columbus Brewing Company, also joined us last night. Frank set us to work on cleaning, bottling, and capping the beer.


Frank also shared the final stats and recipe for our homebrew with me, so I wanted to pass them on:

5.5 gallon batch (3.0 gallon boil)
OG = 1.054 (13.4P)
FG = 1.014 (3.6P)
SRM = 10
IBU = 41
ABV = 5.2%

6.0 lbs Dry Malt Extract (Light)
0.5 lbs dextrine malt
0.5 lbs crystal 40

0.75 oz Amarillo 8% AA (60 min) (partial boil 3 gal = 20 IBUs)
1.5 oz Amarillo 8% AA (20 min) (partial boil 3 gal = 20 IBUs)
2.0 oz Amarillo 8% AA (1 min) (partial boil 3 gal = 1 IBUS)

We'll probably crack open some of the beers in early December (on Frank's suggestion), but we're hoping to save some for our New Year's Festival. Yet another reason to register for it!

We want to say thanks again to Frank and Eric for sharing their expertise with us! If you'd like to see more of them and their work, look for Eric at the CBC's Winter Warmer release party at Studio 35 on Thursday, October 30 at 6 p.m. Frank will be at Gordon Biersch on Saturday, November 1, helping to host the American Hombrewers' Association Teach a Friend to Brew Day, starting around 9 a.m. Come watch as brewers brew different batches of beer that day!

Season of mists...

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness."

So begins John Keats' poem "To Autumn." It's one of my favorite poems, and perhaps my favorite line of poetry. Mists and mellow fruitfulness. A college English professor I once had taught us about this poem, and he read the first line over and over again, emphasizing the m, s, and u sounds. The lines themselves just sound like autumn: full u's, crisp s's, round m's. I love the connotations - even just in the word selection - that autumn is cool and full. Try saying the line aloud a few times. Savor it, like a juicy apple.

On that note, we want to welcome you to our second annual Art of the Harvest. Join us as we make merry with pumpkin carving, mulling spice blending, hot cider and fresh baked pumpkin pie! We’ll also be joined by some of our favorite musicians and performers as they share stories and songs inspired by this stunning season!

Bring a pumpkin from your favorite patch or we’ll have pumpkins on hand for purchase ($5).

What: Third Thursdays w/Wild Goose Creative
When: Thursday, October 16th at 8 p.m.
Where: OUR NEW SPACE! 2491 Summit Street, Columbus, OH 43202
Suggested Donation: $5

And to end with my second favorite autumn quote:
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot

Join us for bottling our homebrew!

Everyone is welcome to join us for a follow-up event to our October Too Many Cooks!, in which Eric Bean of the Columbus Brewing Company and Frank Barickman of the local homebrew club, the SODZ, taught us about beer. During that event, Frank brewed a small batch of a pale ale at our space - many of you got to try the wort of the beer in progress.

We're welcoming everyone back to join Frank as he bottles the pale ale to save it for our New Year's Festival. We'll get to sample the pale ale while Frank explains some of the bottling process.

Everyone is asked to bring a couple bottles (or a six-pack, if you like) of a different beer to share. Come and enjoy a variety of beers while we enjoy some of our own homebrew!

Beer-bottling and BYOB party!
Monday, October 20
7 p.m.
Wild Goose Creative
2491 Summit St. (just south of Hudson)

Beer and brewing follow-up!

Thanks to everyone who came to Too Many Cooks this past Sunday! We especially want to thank Eric Bean of the Columbus Brewing Company and Frank Barickman of the SODZ for the donation of their time, expertise, and resources. Here are some sites that Frank has passed along in case you wanted to know more about beer and homebrewing:

http://www.bjcp.org/ - site for the Beer Judge Certification Program

http://www.beertown.org - site for the American Homebrewing Association

And don't forget one of my favorites, http://beeradvocate.com, a great site for exploring and discussing beer.

For the record, the beers we tasted were:
1. Gordon Biersch Berliner Weiss
2. Gordon Biersch Berliner Weiss (with woodruff extract)
3. Columbus Brewing Co Apricot Ale
4. CBC Meg's Gold
5. CBC 90 Shilling (Scottish Ale)
6. CBC India Pale Ale

And stay tuned for a follow-up event in a couple weeks - Frank brewed a small batch of a pale ale during the event, and pretty soon we'll have a small BYOB party while we sample and bottle the homebrew! Details will be coming up soon!

Too Many Cooks with Eric Bean this weekend!

Just a reminder that this Sunday we are joined for October's Too Many Cooks! by Eric Bean, brewmaster of the Columbus Brewing Company and Frank Barickman, president of Columbus' homebrewing club The SODZ! The two of them will lead us in a beer tasting, discuss the basic process of brewing beer, chat about their love of brewing, even brew a small batch of beer at our space.

This is the first big event happening at our brand new space at 2491 Summit St. in Clintonville. So whether you've been to every Wild Goose event, or your brand new to us, come check out the space and see what's happening!

This event is also serving as a Columbus Underground Meetup. Some of the online community from ColumbusUnderground.com will be joining us, too. We're looking forward to connecting with Walker Evans, operator of the site, and with the CU community!

Too Many Cooks! with Eric Bean and Frank Barickman
Sunday, October 5 at 5 p.m.
2491 Summit St. (just south of Hudson)
Parking is available on Summit or behind our building
Suggested donation $10
For ages 21+

(P. S. Join us afterwards for a concert of Matt Beckler, The Vice Versas, and Common Shiner. We've worked with all three of them and they're WGC favorites! They'll be playing at High Five Bar in Short North. We'll distribute special WGC discounts for door admission after Too Many Cooks!)

Independents' Day continues!

Things down here on Gay St. are still hopping! Since the football game has finished, the crowds have gotten bigger. Above is a look at Pearl Alley, another part of the venue.


A lot of great Columbus food vendors are out, including Jeni's Ice Creams and the Rad Dog cart.

There are some artists showcasing works-in-progress, too. Here's a guy from the Couchfire Collective doing some wood-working.

Plus a lot of good music! This is the Pearl Alley stage being set up for a next performance, while a busker solos nearby.

A group of artists is currently painting a mural, in part as advertisement for Urban Scrawl in Franklinton next weekend. We'll be there, too!

And the piece de resistance! A picture with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman! He's been out strolling the festival this afternoon. Notice my Wild Goose Creative shirt! Does this mean we can claim his endorsement?

Live from Independents' Day!

Did you know that today is Independents' Day? Well, it is in Columbus, Ohio! It's a celebration of Columbus as the Indie Arts Capital of the World. A large number of art, craft, music, and food vendors are getting set up on Gay St., which has been closed off for the day.

I'm currently sitting at the Wild Goose Creative booth. We've got a basic setup of some T-shirts, tote bays, and stickers for sale, plus a lot of buttons, tattoos, and event schedules to give out!

So stop on by. Some of us will be here from 12-7!

PARK(ing) DAY with Wild Goose Creative

Will, Maeby, and I just got back from a walk to visit Jessie and Andy in front of the NEW Wild Goose Creative space on PARK(ing) DAY!

They have camped out in an actual parking space for the day to turn it into a little oasis on the streets of Columbus.

Parking Day is a larger event that started in San Fransisco a few years ago, and Jessie and Andy decided to put the Goose stamp on the event!


You may also notice that lil' old red brick building behind them...that may or may not be our new space...


Stay tuned to find out! And stop by and say hey to Jessie and Andy today, Friday, September 19th!

NEW EVENT: Fairy Tales by Firelight

Tomorrow night join us in the warm glow of candlelight as Karl Boettcher, fairy tale aficionado, and a troupe of intrepid performers bring to life fanciful tales gathered from across the globe. Ranging from poignant and peculiar to wild and whimsical, these timeless tales open secret worlds, shine new light into our own, and hint at our deepest loves, fears and hopes. Help us christen our brand new space with this evening of intimate story telling! S'mores provided!

DATE: Tomorow, Thursday, September 18th
PLACE: Our new space! 2491 Summit St.
TIME: 8:00pm

NOTE: Thursday's original event, Nathan Smart and Matt Eyer's multimedia comedy showcase: Blank, Blank, Party Time, Excellent presents "I'm Telling You for the Last Time... Tonight.” has been rescheduled to Thursday, November 20th at 8pm. Hope to see you there!

Park(ing) Day

Andy Taylor and Jessie Boettcher (hey, that's me) are heading up Wild Goose Creative's run at Park(ing) Day this Friday! What is Park(ing) Day, you ask? A few years back, some folks in San Francisco (the minds behind the REBAR arts collective) turned an ordinary parking space into a park for a day--they rolled out some sod, paid the parking meter, and created a gathering point for people in a site where usually we just leave cars for a little while. The idea was straightforward and compelling, and people in cities across the US borrowed the idea. Some groups use the event to draw attention to issues around environmentalism and sustainability--there is a whole group of people who will be turning several spaces into parks for the day in downtown Columbus as a commentary on the heavy proportion of our city given over to asphalt for parking cars. Other groups encourage people to simply relax and connect in the midst of busy city space. Others seek to remind passersby of the vitality and importance of our public parks by placing them in an unexpected place.

To celebrate Park(ing) Day, Andy and I are going to occupy one of the parking spaces out in front of Wild Goose Creative's new space on September 19--we'll arrive at about 9 am and pack up at about 7 pm. We'll have a little shade, probably some games going on, good conversation, some sidewalk chalk to create temporary decorations. We invite you to stop by, spend a little time with us in a temporary park, and participate in getting to know our neighborhood by offering a little public gathering place there. We'd love to see you! But if you can't make it because of time or distance, watch this blog where we will be posting pictures, stories, and thoughts during the day of the event.

WGC at Independents' Day!

Come visit the Wild Goose Creative booth next week Saturday, September 20 at Pearl and Gay streets in downtown Columbus! We'll be set up at the Independents' Day artists fair starting at noon, handing out swag, selling some stuff, giving out some event schedules, and generally talking with artists and audiences about what we do and how to get involved.

Come say hi and check out all the food, music, galleries, and much more as we celebrate the Indie Art Capital of the World: Columbus, Ohio!

Garage/Bake Sale this weekend!

Just a reminder that our garage/bake sale fundraiser is happening this weekend!

Saturday, August 30 from 9-3
Sunday, August 31 from 1-4
2595 Summit St. (between Hudson and Arcadia)

Join us this beautiful weekend to search for treasures and enjoy some tasty treats! All profits go toward Wild Goose Creative's new space and event programming.

The Podcast is Up!

The first edition of the Wild Goose Creative podcast is up! You can download it by going right here (we'll get it subscribe-able on iTunes shortly). In this edition, Andy Anderson and Ryan Hoke share their poetry conversations, we read a short play by Nicholas Dekker, and get a listen to one of Matt Beckler's songs (a nice preview before his appearance at this month's Third Thursdays).

Matt Beckler this Thursday!

Join us this Thursday to experience the music of singer-songwriter Matt Beckler. Matt's music has appeared in more places than you might realize, so come along to enjoy it!

Matt Beckler (see his myspace page)
Thursday, August 21
8 p.m.
Shanahan Dance Studio - 3041 Indianola Ave.

Garage / Bake Sale!

Who can resist a garage sale? And who can resist a bake sale? That's right, not you! So you're in double trouble with the Wild Goose Creative Garage and Bake Sale coming at the end of this month.

Join us on Saturday, August 30 from 9-3 and Sunday, August 31 from 1-4. The sale will take place at the Dekker homestead at 2595 Summit St. (just north of Hudson) in Clintonville.

We'll be holding the garage and bake sale to benefit Wild Goose Creative. All of the proceeds will go toward our space and programming, allowing us to fit out our space and continue producing events like Third Thursdays, Too Many Cooks, and our New Year's Festival. So come on down to look through furniture, clothing, games, toys, kitchen items, books, or enjoy some quality baked goods, all while supporting your local arts company!

Check out our stylish Craigslist posting as well. Feel free to pass it on to your friends!

Website updates and upcoming events!

Hello, Goose Community!

Due to some computer malfunctions, the Wild Goose Creative website will not be updated for a few days. You can still surf the site, read people's profiles, buy swag, and check out the community bulletin board, but the Events pages will not be updated for awhile.

In the meanwhile, we wanted to highlight some of our upcoming events:

• On Sunday, August 5th, cook Deneen DeRodes and photographer and graphic designer Robin Oatts will join us explore the theme of preservation. Learn the timeless art of canning peaches, and how to preserve them in jars and on film!
  

• hursday, August 21st, musician Matt Beckler will wow us with his indie folk rock compositions!

• And keep your eyes peeled for some New Year's Festival save-the-dates, going out soon!

Welcome to the flock William Isaac Dekker!

At 7:48 p..m, July 3, 2008 William Isaac Dekker officially became the first Wild Goose Creative gosling! Weighed in at 9 lbs. 13 oz., and stretching 20.5 inches Will is a strong, healthy, and beautiful baby!

Nick and Beth are both doing well and plan on bringing their new bundle of joy home from the hospital tomorrow--thanks to everyone for all your kind thoughts and prayers! Make sure to check out Nick and Beth's blog for news on Will as he settles in to life with mom and dad.

Will will no doubt be a dedicated patron of the arts so if you're lucky (and/or it's not past his bed time...) you may be able to meet him in person over the next few months at some of our events!

Canadiana Part 3

Sorry (pronounced soar-ree) to all those of you who have been waiting with baited breath for another edition of Canadian gems. I have taken a hiatus, but I'm back. Since last writing, I've met a fellow Canadian in my community and had some much needed conversations with my Canadian family members, which have reminded me of just how awesome and yet different Canada really is. Plus, I celebrated yet another Canada Day, yesterday. Happy 141st Canada!

This edition's featured piece of Canadiana is not an artist, but a piece of art created by many Canadians. It was actually the raison d'etre for this series of blog-posts, and I was waiting to use it until I felt I could do it justice, but I've come to realize that I don't think I'll ever do it justice, and thus am diving in and giving it my best shot.

That may sound like an overdramatization, but I really do think that this product of Canadian culture is incredible and should be seen by all. In the great words of Destiny's Child, I don't think you're ready for this jelly....

It's a TV show, and it's called Slings & Arrows. And, yes, (you clever devils), as the name suggests, it does have to do with Shakespeare. It's a TV show that is centered around a fictional (though very Stratford-esque) Canadian Shakespeare festival. It gives a window into the ups and downs and ins and out of life and work in the theatre; and, on a bigger level it raises a lot of interesting questions about art vs commerce, love, life and what it means to be an artist. It's simultaneously dark, hilarious, rye, moving and incredibly crafted. Co-created by Mark McKinney, of Kids in the Hall, playwright and actress, Susan Coyne, and Tony award winning playwright, Bob Martin, the show is brimming with talent. If you needed another reason to believe the (maybe-not-so-far off) misconception that Canadians are all incredibly talented, this show will give you your evidence.

I've spread the joys of Slings & Arrows around to as many people as will listen, and it seems that whether you care about theatre or not, this show hits on something bigger. And, with Canadian-culture mainstay and extraordinary talent, Paul Gross as the protagonist, it's no wonder that this show is mindblowing--he's truly amazing and passionate about creating and sustaining good Canadian art. Every time I watch an episode I can't help but audibly marvel at the talent of the cast and writers, and at the Canadianness of it all.

Ryan bought me all three seasons for my birthday last year, and I will gladly have you over to watch it if you're interested, which I truly believe, no matter who you are, you should be.

North, the story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh

We just wanted to send a congratulations to our friends, collaborators, and colleagues Jennifer Schlueter, Christina Ritter, Christopher Roche, and Kal Poole. This weekend they are finishing the run of an original play titled North, about the interaction between Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and Charles Lindbergh. The play was produced under the auspices of Christina and Jen's For/Word Company.

They originally produced the play twice at Ohio State, with myself (Nick) playing Lindbergh in one of the productions. This latest run is the biggest yet, in residence at the American Theater Company in Chicago. It ran since the first weekend in June, and both the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago gave it great reviews (as if we had any doubts!).

It's a fascinating play about these three also-fascinating historic characters, based on their actual writings. We can't wait to see where it goes next! You can see photos of the production on the For/Word website, or a trailer here on YouTube.

Moot Knacks!

There's only one way to find out how they got that name......

Thursday, June 19th @ 8pm, Shanahan Dance Studio--3041 Indianola Ave, Columbus, OH.

Jeni's Ice Cream gets Goosed!

Mark on your calendars, everyone! July Too Many Cooks on July 6th at 3 PM in the North Market Kitchen, 2nd Floor...because it's ICE CREAM TIME with JENI!

The summer is heating up and the only cure is ICE CREAM! For July's Too Many Cooks! we are delighted to host Jeni Britton of Jeni's Ice Creams! A Columbus favorite, Jeni's unique creations have been featured on the Food Network, Food and Wine Magazine and have gained national recognition as some of the best artisan ice cream in the land.
Join us in the North Market Kitchen as Jeni wows us with her culinary expertise: teaching us to make homemade ice cream, enchanting us with a tasting of her artistic flavors (including innovative offerings like Salty Carmel, Thai Chili, Pear Riesling and more!), and fielding a multitude of questions about food, art, and what it's like to have the best three (soon to be four) ice creams shops in Columbus. Don't miss it!

Strawberries & Chocolate!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Too Many Cooks! last week and thanks again to Libby Glover our Strawberry and Chocolate culinary master. The night was chock full of delicious things as Libby taught us about the many decadent paring of these two delicious treats including some incredible chocolate and strawberry tarts and some beautiful strawberry Napoleons.

To celebrate all the fun we had we thought we'd post some pictures of the event as well as the different recipes we tried so you can enjoy some gourmet goodness in the comforts of your own kitchen!

Make sure to join us for next months Too Many Cooks! where we'll be featuring local ice cream superstar Jeni Britton of Jeni's Ice Cream! Stay tuned to our website for all the details--we hope to see you there!

Strawberry and Chocolate Tarts

Sweet Pastry
Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and sliced
• 1 egg yolks beaten with 2 tbsp iced water

Directions:

• Mix the flour, almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and rub between your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stirring with a large fork, add just enough of the yolk water to evenly moisten the mixture- it should hold together when pressed between your finger and thumb. You may need a bit more water. Gather up the dough and press into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 and up to 12 hours.
• Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and rap all over with a rolling pin until malleable. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 1/8-inch thick round. Fit the dough into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure it is snug at the corners. Roll the pin over the pan to cut off the excess dough. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze the dough lined pan for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the pan with a round of baking parchment. Fill the parchment with baking weights or dried beans. Bake 10- 12 minutes until the dough is set. Lift off the paper with the weights and set aside. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache filling
Ingredients:

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, thinly sliced and chilled

Directions:

• Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream.
• Pour over chocolate. Whisk chocolate.
• When chocolate has melted, add butter piece by piece until melted. Spread over cooled pastry base, layer with fresh strawberries and refrigerate until tart begins to set.

Strawberry Chocolate Napoleons
(Makes 6)

Tuile (a thin, crisp cookie)
Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup cake flour
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
• Lower the speed, and add the flour and cocoa powder until just combined. Do not overmix. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Spoon the mix onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it to make a small flat circle.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. Allow to sit a few minutes to harden and cool. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate cream filling:
Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 30 fresh whole strawberries

Directions:

• While the tuiles are cooling, bring 2 cups of cream to a boil over medium flame.
  
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl and pour the boiling cream over it to melt the chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
• Whip the remaining cream with the sugar using an electric mixer until is forms stiff peaks. Fold the chocolate unto the whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Transfer the chocolate cream to the pastry bag with the ¼ inch tip.
• To assemble the napoleons, place one tuile pastry on a plate, pipe a generous layer of cream in the center, and arrange strawberries around the sides. Place another tuile pastry on top at a 45-degree angle. Serve immediately.

StrawChocolatey Goodness

Hello everyone!

Just a reminder that this Sunday is our June Too Many Cooks! with Libby Glover!

Join us at 7:00pm on the 1st as we explore the love affair between two indulgent, summer favorites: chocolate and strawberries. Prepare your taste buds for Libby's lesson in the art of mingling, marrying and melding this delectable duo.

We hope to see you all there! Check out our website,
www.wildgoosecreative.com, for more details!

Third Thursdays Reminder!

Come join us this Thursday, May 15th, 2008 for the next installment of our monthly event, Third Thursdays. Last month we listened to and discussed a couple songs with music critic, Andy Whitman, and this month we'll enjoy the musical giftings of Pennsylvania native, Kate Meyer. Kate, an opera singer and jazz chanteuse extraordinaire, will share an evening of some of her favorite songs ranging from exquisite arias to swingin' jazz standards.

The fun takes place this Thursday, beginning at 8 p.m. Join us at a new location, Shanahan's Dance studio, located at 3041 Indianola Avenue in Columbus.

Hope to see you there!

Too Many Cooks! Mustard edition.

This past Sunday we explored the art of the world most popular condiment at our mustard-centric Too Many Cooks! It was an exciting evening featuring mustard themed slam poetry, improvised scenes from mustard history, and a mustard infused Shakespeare performance. If that wasn't enough mustard fun we also hosted a delicious mustard tasting and offered a hands on workshop for creating homemade mustard masterpieces!

Needless to say good times were had.

A few random mustard facts from the evening for those of you who couldn't make it:

• Canada produces about 90 percent of the world's supply of mustard seed
• The Mustard Club was formed in England in 1926 to tout the spice's healing qualities through consuming and bathing.
• In one year at New York's Yankee Stadium more than 1,600 gallons plus 2,000,000 individual packets of mustard are consumed.
• Pope John XXII of Avignon (1249-1334) loved mustard so much that he created the post of “Grand Moutardier du Pape” (Mustard-Maker to the Pope), and gave the job to an idle nephew who lived near Dijon.

Next time you're at a get together and they happen to be serving mustard just casually toss out one of those gems. You'll be the highlight of the party. Guaranteed.

Also in case you're wondering how in the heck we taught people to make mustard in the comfort of their own homes here's a simple recipe that will get you started on the road to mustard success.

Ingredients
2tsp mustard flour
2 tsp cool water
1/8 cup mustard seeds (yellow, brown or a delightful mix)
¼ c vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
¼ c additional liquid ingredient (wine, beer, water, cranberry juice, etc.)
1tsp salt
Various spices, herbs, extra ingredients (honey, brown sugar, wasabi, Tabasco, etc. Be creative!)

• In a medium sized dish (avoid using aluminum containers as they will react oddly with the mustard) mix mustard flour and water.

• Add mustard seeds, vinegar, other liquids, salt and spices and additional ingredients. Mix well. At this point your mixture will not resemble mustard just yet, it will look very much like seeds floating in liquid. Do not be alarmed, your mustard simple needs time.

• Let sit in an air tight container at room temperature for 5-10 days. The flavors in your mustard will mellow over time. Refrigeration will halt the mellowing process. Mustards containing perishable ingredients should be left un-refrigerated for a shorter amount of time.

• Since mustard’s pungency is caused by a chemical reaction do not be tempted to speed up the process by cooking. Heating your mustard will cause it to lose flavor.

• Once your mustard has achieved the flavor you desire, blend using food processor to reach optimal consistency (a blender works just fine).

• Homemade mustards can be refrigerated up to two months.

Happy mustard making and thanks again to everyone who helped make this event a success!

Col. Mustard, in the Kitchen, with the Mustard Jar

Come join us this Sunday, May 4, 2008 for our second monthly culinary series Too Many Cooks! Last month Marcia Meyer taught us how to make basic red and white sauces, and this month we look at one of America's favorite condiments: mustard! Our very Ryan Hoke will showcase a variety of mustards, then teach us how to create our own.

The mustardry takes place this Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m. Join us at 2595 Summit St. in Columbus. Suggested donation is $5.

Hope to see you there!

Son Lux

This past week we held our April Third Thursdays, featuring music writer Andy Whitman. Andy spoke about his career in engaging, reviewing, and writing about music. He played two songs, Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" and Son Lux's "Stand." It was great to just sit there as a group and LISTEN. When's the last time you sat and just listened to a song? Typically we listen to music while we're doing something... at work, running, traveling in the car, at a social gathering. But it's rare that we focus ourselves solely on the music.

The first selection Andy played came from this guy named Ryan Lott, who plays under the name Son Lux. (Check out his blog or his Myspace page.) It was a really fascinating mash-up of drums, piano, electronics, samples of opera singers, and much more. He sings only one line, "You stand between me and all my enemies," over and over again, as the music changes in tempo, intensity, and instrumentation behind it. It was mesmerizing, and that night I bought the album, At War With Walls and Mazes, on iTunes.

It really pleased me to be part of an exchange that connected Andy, everyone in attendance, and Son Lux. Andy had discovered the music, shared it with us, and now we've had the chance to support the musician and Andy. There's just something really cool about that. And Son Lux's album is AMAZING. Thanks to Andy for speaking at Third Thursdays, and introducing us to some new music!

Third Thursdays, April!

Join us this Thursday, April 17, as we welcome Andy Whitman, music columnist and freelance writer for Paste Magazine and other publications to share stories and insights about his life as a writer and artistic critic. Along with sharing thrilling tales of his life penning columns, he’ll take us through a basic workshop on how to critically listen to albums, artists, and songs.

When: Thursday, April 17 at 8 PM
Where: 2595 Summit St. Columbus, OH 43202

Pictures of Too Many Cooks!

Did you miss April's Too Many Cooks? Check out these pictures of the event. Special thanks to John McCollum for taking them!

Reminder: our first Too Many Cooks tonight!

Just a reminder that tonight is our inaugural Too Many Cooks! Tonight's event features Marcia Meyer, who will show us how to make a variety of sauces.

When: Sunday, April 6 at 7 PM
Where: 2595 Summit St. Columbus, OH 43202
Cost: Suggested Donation- $5/person

No experience is necessary! Come and enjoy the event, and feel free to bring friends!

Another Canadian Gem.....

Only 11 more sleeps until Ryan and I head back to Canada for some homeland-recharge time, and what better time to recognize yet another of Canada's cultural gems?

Today's Canadian gem was actually suggested to me a couple of years ago by my astute and taste-full husband, Ryan, who discovered Canadian author and playwright, Roberston Davies while we were living in Vancouver.

I didn't actually start reading Davies' work until recently and thus far am only into the third novel in his Salterton trilogy, but already, I'm hooked. His stories are so contained and yet so delightful. His characters are wonderfully full and surprising and make for good companions during my daily escapist lunch breaks. (Plus doesn't he just look like someone you'd want to be your grandpa?)

Davies, who in his 82 years produced 11 novels, 11 plays and countless essays and literary critiques, is definitely a Canadian author that is worth checking out. His books, although generally grouped into trilogies, are fairly quick reads and can be read separately. Check him out (I know the library here in Columbus has copies of a lot of his novels) and be sure to let me know what you think!

Funny and Awesome vs. Interesting and Pretty

Two weeks ago I headed out to the C-Note art show at Junctionview Studios. The evening was great and Jacqui, Karl, Jessie and I got to see lots of great art, each entry for sale at $100.00. As we perused the different pieces: color filled canvases the dotting the walls, sculptures arranged just so, mixed media projects, something soon became apparent. When you're looking at art that you might BUY, art you might actually OWN, conversations about art can become a lot more practical.

If you were to visit the Louvre, or the MOMA, the art there (for the average person at least) is definitely not for sale. In those instances you can have a healthy sense of distance from the pieces you're looking at. You can sit back on your intellectual haunches and evaluate art on a much more theoretical level. You can gazed deeply into the Mona Lisa's eyebrow-less face and talk about the angles, the lines and the history behind the piece in a very abstract way. All a conversation like that costs you is the time it takes you to think. Relatively cheap depending on how fast your brain works.

How different would it be if you could take Mona home and hang her in your bathroom?

On some level, that night, for the four of us gallery hoppers, it boiled down to the simple question: "Do I like this art enough to buy it?" Or maybe even more simply "Do I like this art?" Once you start asking those questions it's soon becomes apparent that on a gut level people look at art in very different ways and want to own art for different reasons.

For example, Karl loved certain pieces almost entirely because of what they communicated. What did the art say to people? Is that something he wanted to say as well? Some of examples of pieces he liked, aside from his very favorite, included: 1) a funky painting featuring a post apocalyptic scene with tiny, bug-like man shouting into a megaphone at a chimpanzee silhouette made of stars floating in the heavens and 2) an an impressive painting done in airbrushed spray paint featuring a skull about to blow out the candle on a birthday-esque cupcake. As he's said to us before Karl would describe his taste in art as "Funny and Awesome" with an optional level of "Does it rock?" and the pieces he enjoyed most highlighted those descriptors perfectly.

Across the spectrum Jacqui and I were looking at things on a much more aesthetic level. If Karl's personal taste is "Funny and Awesome" we might be more "Interesting and Pretty". What was the design of the pieces? Looking at the colors, shapes and lines how did they make us feel? Would a certain painting match the colors in our living room? Some of our favorites pieces included: 1) A four panel photography piece featuring close ups of vibrant green grass and 2) a large, mottled brown canvas with descending rust red numbers (9,8,7,6....) painted from top to bottom along one side and in in center a blood red heart, detailed and anatomically precise.

(Jessie was probably somewhere in between Karl and Jacqui and I loving many of pieces that Karl was fond up but also appreciating the aesthetics and careful craft of others.)

Later Jacqui and I were confounded to hear Karl say "I don't really think about what color something is." and in the same way I'm sure he was mystified as we said things like "I love the different shades of brown, it looks like they used tea to dye the canvas." or "Is the design of this human heart too life like to hang above our couch?"

Totally different approaches to art. Neither one wrong, or better, just different. And all because we had to ask ourselves the practical question: "Do I like this enough to buy it?"

I don't know exactly what that says about the cross over between art and consumerism, or the world of ideas vs. brass tacks reality but it was interesting moment of realization and brought into focus how subjective art can be. It also makes me think about how living in community with people especially with people who enjoy art can really open you up to being influenced by people's personal tastes, and artistic bents.

For example, I'll be honest, while memories of many pieces I liked from C-Note are fading, the images of Karl's star spangled chimpanzee or Rancid Yack Butter Tea Party are proving hard to shake.

Reminder!

Hey everyone!

Just a reminder that this Thursday is Third Thursdays with Amanda Anderson and Erica Carlson, who will teach us to make sushi and tempura! We hope to see you all there! Check out our website for more details (www.wildgoosecreative.com).

Awww..Dang

Well, I just thought I would continue the posted about C-Note(Wild Goose Creative Loves some C-Note). Anyway, I headed down to C-Note on Friday to check out the art and perhaps to purchase. While, there Jessie and I saw a few things we liked, but decided if we were to buy anything, it would be the giant piece that said Rancid Yak Butter Tea Party. The piece is blue with cutout clouds and a cut-out area that said Rancid Yak Butter Tea Party. It was also roughly 56"X 50" for $100 dollars. I'll pause while you recover from jaw-dropping savings. So clearly, I should have purchased it immediatly, but I'm less of a hundredarie than you might think, and I panicked and fled. After a soothing beer at Cafe Apropos, I was ready to drop the hundo on the awesome piece of art. We drove back up to Junctionview, feeling triumphant and I strode confidently to where my new art was hanging. And that was where I saw it....a little sold tag. Awww..Dang. Well...I guess the early bird and you snooze you lose and all that. Next Time, Rancid Yak Butter Tea, Next time.

P.S. Yak Butter Tea is a delicious Tibetan treat, try it!

C-Note Art Show moved to next weekend!

Due to the Blizzard of 2008, the C-Note Art Show at Junctionview Studios has been moved to next weekend, Friday, March 15th from 7-10:30 and Saturday, March 16th, 7-midnight. We hope to see you there!

C-Note Art Show Reminder!

Hey, all! This is just a reminder that the C-Note Art Show is happening at Junctionview Studios on Saturday, March 8th from 7:30 - Midnight! Come early with your $100 cash to get the best pick of the pieces!

(And, if you happen to see some jewelry you like in a frame on a wall, buy that and help support Wild Goose Creative...and make me happy!)

Oh Canada!

So, I recently heard that there was a rumour going around that the founding members of Wild Goose Creative are all Canadian.....

I did not start this rumour (although I do think it's awesome) and, I must admit for the sake of accuracy, that it isn't true. In actuality, I am the only citizen of Canada amongst us; my husband, having lived there, could maybe be considered some sort of honorary Canadian, but if we're being official, it's just me. And, I, being the sole Northerner among us, feel it my duty to call attention to some awesome Canadian art that Ryan and I have recently been discovering.

Ok, first some quick reasoning. I feel like too often Canadian pride lies in a counter-American sort of culture and I think it's a shame. Canada DOES have it's own culture. And, there is a lot of awesome stuff happening in Canada and I would love to see the pride of Canadians be found more in what they CAN do, rather than in the ways they're different from their neighbour to the south. I also know quite a number of Americans that at one time or another have said that they wish they were Canadian, and some who will sometimes pretend to be Canadian so that foreigners won't despise them.

So, for the sake of both Canadians and Americans, I'm going to start a little serial post where I'll tell you about some Canadian things that I think you should check out, whether you're a Canadian trying to boost your pride, an American trying to fool Europeans, or anyone else wanting to broaden their horizens.

And now for the first Canadian gem. I would love to introduce you to the all-too-incredible Stuart McLean and his CBC radio program, The Vinyl Cafe. If you like podcasts/storytelling, you will love this guy. I was first introduced to him back in high school by one of my dear Canadian friends, Kirsten, who had the forsight to know that his humour and stories would steal my heart. He is definitely the best storyteller I've heard and his characters have become like fond relatives.

If you're heading on a long trip, or are just looking for something fun to listen to, download one of his podcasts, sit back with a bag of ketchup chips and some good Canadian chocolate, and enjoy.

And, look out for the next installment of Canadian gems...

Wiener Dog Art?

In my youth, between the ages of 11 and 16 ,I managed to amass a vast and varied collection of wiener dog themed art.

To explain, since the age of three I had pined after a wiener dog of my own. Thanks in part to the children's book, Whistle for Willie, my dog of choice was cemented into the still tender synapses of my young brain, through colorful pages full of whimsical, wiener-y fun.

As I got older my passion for wiener dogs, fueled by my acquisition of my very own puppy one Christmas, spread to my budding understanding of art. It made sense to me at the time that since wiener dogs were the best thing on the planet then naturally I should seek out as many artful representations of them as I could. And so my collection grew.

It started as the stuff of youth: stuffed animals, beanie babies; but as my taste in art matured, my collection grew to embrace more substantial pieces: paintings, framed photographs, and a vast army of wiener dog statues. If you had stumbled into my bedroom circa 1996 you would have been greeted by a wild and festive menagerie of wiener dog figurines.

The figurine collection, the piece de resistance of my artistic arsenal, featured an impressive array of wiener dog diversity. The statues encompassed a spectrum of various hues: ruddy red, ebony and tan, tawny and sleek, and a litany of poses: reclining, casual basking, alert readiness and my favorite--military straight like an attentive meerkat.

For the most part my mother was my main supplier when it came to acquiring new pieces and for years after my singular passion had subsided she would still sneak in a photo here, a tiny statuette there at birthdays and at Christmas.

Looking back now I don't really know what to make of the whole thing. Was it art? Kitsch? If there was craftsmanship to be admired in any of the pieces of my extensive collection was it all negated because they tended toward"collectibles" or because of the narrow subject matter? I don't know.

I do know that I couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away. I'm probably one of the few 26 year old married men who boasts such a collection. If you come to my house these days you can still still see remnants: a tasteful black and white photograph hangs on my living room wall, a cast iron wiener dog door stop, my favorite statue now serves as a classy bookend.

And of course if I really think about it the real masterpiece is and always has been Oscar, my spry now 12 year old puppy. A true example of artistic form, function, and aesthetic beauty.

March Third Thursdays!

March is upon us! Let's hope it brings with it some sunshine and warmth!

One thing it will bring is SUSHI!

Here are the details:

Where: 2595 Summit St, Columbus, OH 43202
What: Sushi with Amanda Anderson and Erica Carlson
When: Thursday, March 20th (first day of spring!) at 8pm
Cost: Suggested donation of $5

This month we will be dedicating our Third Thursdays event to the art of the table. Amanda Anderson and Erica Carlson will teach us how to make sushi and vegetable tempura (and yes, we will get to eat it all when we're finished!) There will be something for everyone from the adventurous to the reserved, so come check it out. We'll also be using this Third Thursdays as a jumping off point for our new monthly series, Too Many Cooks, in which will embrace culinary skills as an art form and learn from a different expert in the field each month. More details can be found soon on our redesigned website www.wildgoosecreative.com which goes live March 6th!

WOSU Radio interview is up!

You can hear Jessie and Nick being interviewed on WOSU radio by clicking here. The actual beginning and ending of the MP3 got cut off a bit, but you can still hear most of it. Enjoy!

C-Note Art Show at Junctionview Studios!

For those of you who have been to an event at Junctionview Studios with Couchfire Collective, i.e, Tiny Canary or Agora, you know you're in for a good time and some incredible art!

By a series of odd events, I will be presenting a piece of jewelry in this great event, entitled the C-Note Art Show. It features TONS of original art from local artists, all retailing for $100/piece, no matter the size, shape, or medium. It is meant to be a great introduction for people who want to buy art but often find it out of their price range.

Stop down to Junctionview Studios on March 7th and 8th and check it out! It's all about the Benjamin's, baby!