FOOD AND FUN
CulinaryArts@SPAC: Family Meal! with holistic health coach Barb Biagoli scheduled
>> Saratoga Performing Arts Center recently announced its first family-style CulinaryArts@SPAC event, titled Family Meal!, featuring holistic health coach and nutrition consultant Barb Biagoli.
Designed to cultivate healthy appetites and palates with meal-planning strategies, recipes, and activities for the whole family, the event will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 including a whole foods family meal-planning workshop for adults at the SPAC School of the Arts, and “Food as Art” activities for children at the neighboring Children’s Museum at Saratoga, culminating in a festive all-inclusive family-style dinner at The Pines@SPAC.
“Our CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative has continued to grow and expand with the newly launched Food as Medicine series — and now, with Family Meal!, we are delighted to present our first culinary arts event dedicated to families,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in a press release. “Education is at the forefront of SPAC’s mission and we are excited to partner with The Children’s Museum at Saratoga to continue to bring the community opportunities to learn and engage with the arts — whether it be performing, literary, visual or culinary.”
Kicking off at the SPAC School of the Arts, Biagioli will lead a 90-minute whole foods family meal-planning workshop for adults who want to cook healthier meals at home. Topics will include how to add more whole plant foods to your plate, how to build your own seasonal whole foods meal at home, how to plan, prep, and batch cook for the week.
Biagoli will offer resources, handouts, and recipes to simplify making healthy meals for every night of the week. Attendees are encouraged to bring their calendars or planners.
“Feeding a family can be hard. But it doesn’t require perfection, it requires love, commitment, and consistency. Family mealtimes are not only critical for increasing children’s exposure to new and healthy foods, but
they help to build memories around the dinner table,” Biagoli said in the release. “In my work, I inspire the inclusion of real whole plant foods on your plate, in new and fun ways, that support where you are in your health journey.”
While parents participate in the pre-dinner workshop, children are invited to participate in “Food as Art” activities like cabbage watercolor painting at The Children's Museum at Saratoga, led by museum and SPAC education staff. SPAC education team members will escort the children to and from the museum, adjacent to SPAC School of the Arts, in coordination with the adult workshop.
While this program is recommended for children ages five to 12, children of all ages are welcome. Any child under the age of 5 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Attendees will then gather for an all-inclusive family supper in the Nancy DiCresce Room at The Pines, on the SPAC campus, from 5 to 7 p.m. to enjoy dishes including chickpeas three ways, chicken fajitas and tacos and kid-friendly red lentil dahl. Wine, craft beer and mocktails will also be served. There will be activities for restless diners and a special “dessert surprise,” inspired by artist Jackson Pollock, that participants will help create. Recipes will be available to recreate at home. Menus may change according to market availability.
Beyond its amphitheater stage, SPAC has become a year-round gathering place celebrating the artistry of food in building community while empowering individuals to understand how what we eat influences our communities and our planet.
The CulinaryArts@SPAC initiative, founded in 2020, combines culinary excellence and education with exquisite food that emphasizes socially conscious cultivation and consumption, local procurement and fair wages. Most recently, CulinaryArts@SPAC hosted “Brain Health Kitchen” as part of its newest initiative, Food as Medicine.
CulinaryArts@SPAC: Family Meal! is produced by Kim Klopstock of Lily and the Rose and Pam Abrams. Additional support is provided by Four Seasons Natural Foods.
Tickets cost $50 per adult and include admission for one child under the age of 12. Tickets for each additional child under 12 cost $25.