Lincolnshire diversity event draws scores of families

The chance to learn more about Argentinean cuisine and to sample a recipe prepared by a top chef drew dozens of aspiring cooks to the "Food of Argentina," one of the highlights of the Vernon Area Public Library's Multicultural Fair.

Chef Matt Zagorski, recently featured on the Food Network, demonstrated how to make Carné Carbonada, a recipe for Argentine beef stew.

"When I selected this recipe to demonstrate, I thought stew would be good in January. I never thought it would be this appropriate," Zagorski said with a nod to the snowstorm outside Saturday.

Argentineans enjoy their beef, Zagorski said.

Rita Obler, 52, of Buffalo Grove, whose 74-year-old mom, Anita Klerman, emigrated from Buenos Aires in 1952, agreed.

"My mom cooked something with beef every week, and my dad's a master barbecuer," said Obler, who participated in the fair with her 20-year-old son, Danny, and Klerman.

Danny Obler, a junior at the University of Illinois, Champaign, will attend school and live in Buenos Aires this school year.

"I was interested in having a preview of the food that would be offered there," he said.

Kicking off the Lincolnshire library's yearlong event celebrating cultural diversity, the fair drew scores of local families, including 5-year-old Parker Sorenson and his mom, Lidia Sorenson.

Parker, a kindergartner at Laura Sprague School in Lincolnshire, assisted Zagorski by adding ingredients to the stockpot.

"I had the most fun adding the liquid," he said.

There was also an Asian cooking demonstration, and artist Lidia Rozmus, of Vernon Hills, showed her sumi-e art, recently displayed at the University Club of Chicago. The graphic artist, a native of Poland, is an expert in writing haikus and designs the library's newsletter.

There were displays of traditional porcelain art, genealogy, ethnic food and an exhibit of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. And, families enjoyed African folktales, listened to ethnic music and viewed Native American Indian dance and culture.

Stephen Territo, head of patron services at the library, said the turnout was good, despite the weather. If you missed Saturday's event, there will be other events throughout the year, he said.

"We have 40 to 50 events planned, including book discussions, classes on Japanese drawing, Irish music, Italian cooking, as well as a film series," he said.