Dinner at The Great Hall last night was amazing, Summer Soiree 2012 was not only a wicked way to support the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, but an exciting experience of things to come, both performance-wise and food-wise.

I grew up with theatre types, so it was great to meet and be hosted by the lovely crowd. An event that still supports local theatre is also close to my heart (Hamlet was a first crush). The food and wine was taken care of by Cow Bell’s Mark Cutrara and Brockton General’s chef Alexandra Feswick, who are preparing to open their new dining spot, Samuel J Moore, in The Great Hall itself, named for the building’s architect.

Dining with Good Food Revolution’s Jamie Drummond, we naturally needed to know all about what we were eating. So after the summery-fresh minted pea soup was served, Mark obliged, and our table enjoyed hearing the story of our beef – apparently, all cows have names.  The evening was full of interesting knowledge, including the exciting detail that basketball was invented in the Great Hall… (Think of that Heritage Canada TV spot, with two fellows and a peach basket).

As the city gets hotter and hotter, it also seems to get better and better – there is excellent theatre to see and support, and new food to experience, and while you’re at it you may even  learn some history about this cultural city of ours.

~ Louisa Cohen