By Cassy Sottile
News Editor
The Eastern Shore Food Lab, which opened at its new location on Cannon Street in Chestertown on Nov. 20, partnered with the Center for Environment and Society, to host a small game seminar.
According to Brill, the ESFL is looking forward to working with students to create a community culture that embodies the core values of a Washington College education.
During the event, food writer and former restaurant cook Hank Shaw presented on his new book “Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Upland Birds and Small Game from Field to Feast.”
Shaw demonstrated how to prepare wild game birds with close attention to breading, cooking in appropriate fat, and garnishing with the right level of acidity to achieve a vibrant balance of flavor.
“Mr. Shaw’s passion for exploring the relevance of wild foods in modern society dovetails with our own. Wild foods take a prominent role in our research, from edible plants to the ethical sourcing of wild animals,” Shane Brill, assistant director of the Eastern Shore Food Lab, said.
Brill anticipates hosting more public events and workshops each semester as they build organizational capacity within the ESFL. The ESFL plans to collaborate with many campus departments and student organizations.
“Our new research, teaching, and production space enables us to fuse our understanding of prehistoric foodways with modern culinary techniques,” Brill said.
According to Brill, the new ESFL space is designed to convey transparency and accessibility in all processes, and is versatile as a classroom, teaching and learning kitchen, and venue for community gatherings based around food.
Senior Julia Portmann became involved with the ESFL through her work as a campus garden intern.
“We began exploring food lab projects over the past year or so before the physical space was completed, testing out recipes, foraging for food, etc.,” Portman said.
According to Portmann, the ESFL needs programs such as the small game seminar to spread the news about the type of work we are doing and to engage community members with the food lab.
“Food connects us all. It is literally how we internalize our environment, and we seek to nurture campus and community connections that celebrate our place in the living landscape, and champion our role as conscientious stewards of it,” Brill said.