Tue 4/14 @ 5:30-7:30PM

A “Big Read” is an event when community members are all urged to read the same book so they can share with others what they got from it. Aimee Nezhukamatathil’s 2024 Bite by Bite: Nourishments & Jamborees is Cuyahoga County’s latest “Big Read.” The author has written 40 illustrated short essays about different foods, exploring their history, uses and culture and connecting them to her own memories and heritage. They range from mangoes and pecans to shaved ice and vanilla.

Springboarding off the book, five local artists have created an exhibit called Our Common Table: Building Community Through Food, based on meals and the memories they evoke, including David Buttram, Dina Hoeynck, Chuck Mintz, Thao Nguyen and Gina Washington with students from the Rainey Institute. On Tuesday,  April 14 they will host an artist reception in the Cleveland Public Library main branch’s Brett Hall, with a meal prepared by Siam Café, a tour of the exhibit and talks by several of the artists. The exhibits will be on view through May 30.

Register for the event here.