Seasoned celebrates National Library Week

黑料吃瓜网

Seasoned

Seasoned celebrates National Library Week

By Robyn Doyon-Aitken ,

Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Tagan Engel

Published April 4, 2024 at 12:23 AM EDT

Middletown librarian Shannon Barillari paired Ann Charters鈥檚 biography 鈥淜erouac鈥� with a bottle of Ch芒teau Redortier Beaumes de Venise, she's pictured holding both in her hands.

1 of 7 — March 8, 2024 - Wine and Words

Middletown librarian Shannon Barillari paired Ann Charters鈥檚 biography 鈥淜erouac鈥� with a bottle of Ch芒teau Redortier Beaumes de Venise. 鈥淚 was looking at how Ann Charters brought to light what a sensitive man Kerouac was and how he was kind of a lost soul finding his way through life, and I think this wine is finding its pathway as well.鈥�

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

2 of 7 — March 8, 2024 - Wine and Words

Middletown librarian Shannon Barillari stands for a portrait with a wine and book pairing she made for her 鈥淲ine & Words鈥� blog. 鈥溾€極rlando鈥� 鈥� it is not what you think of when you think of Virginia Woolf,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is a very fun, whimsical novel鈥nd she writes so poetically.鈥� Barillari paired it with the wine Bodet-Herold Cr茅mant de Lorie Physis because it was bubbly and because the label is 鈥渆legantly done with nice floral designs鈥hich played within the novel itself.鈥�

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

3 of 7 — March 8, 2024 - Wine and Words

Book and wine pairings for Middletown librarian Shannon Barillari鈥檚鈥淲ine & Words鈥� blog. She says there鈥檚 parallels between the acts of recommending books and picking out wines for people. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a connection between you and another person,鈥� Barillari said.

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

4 of 7 — March 6, 2024 - Berkins on Main

Andr茅a Hawkins and Doug Barber stand for a portrait in their caf茅, Berkins on Main, in downtown Hartford. They also run Berkins Blend Caf茅 in Glastonbury. Berkins on Main is on the first floor of the Hartford Public Library. Barber says he hopes the cafe will create 鈥渟paces for people like us, people of color, that have a place that they can comfortably come and call their own,鈥� said Barber.

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

5 of 7 — March 6, 2024 - Berkins on Main

University of 黑料吃瓜网 undergraduate Nicole Muthoni laughs while on a call at Berkins on Main cafe in downtown Hartford. Cafe owners Andr茅a Hawkins and Doug Barber say they hope the cafe can be a space for community. 鈥淭he light, the access to the community, we want them to see us, we want them to feel welcome here,鈥� said Barber.

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

6 of 7 — March 6, 2024 - Berkins on Main

Head Chef Justin Barber works behind the counter with his brother Doug Barber at Berkins of Main in downtown Hartford. Justin said he left his career of 24 years working as a manager at a corporation to work at Berkins. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to wake up and get excited to go to work. This is what I love to do,鈥� he said.

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

7 of 7 — March 6, 2024 - Berkins on Main

Customers work on their laptops Berkins on Main, located on the first floor of the Hartford Public Library. Doug Barber, who owns the cafe with his wife Andr茅a Hawkins, said they hope the cafe can be a space for community. 鈥淭he light, the access to the community, we want them to see us, we want them to feel welcome here,鈥� said Barber.

Ryan Caron King / 黑料吃瓜网

This week on Seasoned, we鈥檙e talking with people connected to our state鈥檚 libraries who mix their work with a passion for food, drink and community.

The downtown branch of the may be closed for renovations, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped Andr茅a Hawkins and Doug Barber from opening up on the light-filled first floor of the library. They talk with us about how the shop fosters community.

And, pairing wine with cheese and charcuterie is too obvious. What ? How about ? Shannon Barillari, of the Russell Library in Middletown, talks with us about how she pairs wine with books.

Plus, how does Youth Services Librarian Kristen Slepecki get kids excited about the library's Teen Test Kitchen program? "I bribe them with food," she says. "Sugary treats are, for sure, the way to go." We talk with Kristen and Christine Michaud, the Durham Library's director, about the intrinsic value of the library's Cookbook Club, which is part book discussion, part pot luck.

Also, some city and town libraries in our state have what's called a Library of Things. Home cooks, ask your librarian if you can borrow a Barbie cake pan, cookie cutters, an air fryer, rice cooker or pizza oven! Bridget Quinn, President and CEO and Head Librarian at the describes the awesomeness of the Library of Things.

GUESTS:

Andr茅a Hawkins and Doug Barber: Co-owners of , the coffee shop on the first floor of the . They also own in Glastonbury, Conn.
Shannon Barillari: Head of Digital and Emerging Technologies, , Middletown, Conn.
Christine Michaud: Director of the and the leader of the library鈥檚 .
Kristen Slepecki: Youth Services and Teen Librarian at the Durham Public Library. She runs the , where teenagers participate in fun taste tests and make edible experiments.
Bridget Quinn: President and CEO, and Head Librarian, of the .

Interested in the book and wine pairings Shannon Barallari suggests?

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Meg Dalton, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Tagan Engel, and Meg Fitzgerald. Scout Raimondo is our intern. Sabrina Herrera, Francesca Fontanez, Martha Castillo, Katherine Jimenez and Janae Spinato are our Social team.

Join the conversation on , , , and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on , , , , , or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.