The crowd gathered around the extra-long table at Evolve Chocolate + Cafe in early December had something in common. We were all there to discuss “The Queen’s Gambit,” the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis which had recently been made into a Netflix series starring actress Anya Taylor-Joy as chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
This was no typical book club gathering. On that night, the restaurant located on the top floor of Village Books in historic Fairhaven was hosting Life Between the Pages for the first time since before the pandemic. The monthly event focuses on themes from the chosen book and transforms them into something edible via a five-course menu created by Evolve co-owner Chef Christy Fox. Upping the ante, a guest bartender consults with Fox to create a similar number of cocktail pairings, and a moderator joins the party to query attendees about what they took away from the story.
Guests won’t know what’s on the menu for the next Life Between the Pages until they sit down at Evolve on Wednesday, March 2 to talk about Canadian author Michael Christie’s 2022 Whatcom READS selection, “Greenwood,” but they should expect to be pleasantly surprised by what’s on their plates and in their glasses.
At the December event, the first course was titled “Airplanes” and featured salt-roasted tomato flan and caramelized onion compote served with a caraway cracker, which was positioned like a wing in the creamy concoction.
Former Temple Bar owner Chelsea Farmer — who told us she first read a copy of “The Queen’s Gambit” when she was 12 years old after swiping it off her mother’s bookshelf — offered up her take on an airplane martini with gin, clarified tomato water and an onion pickled with caraway. The second course, “Burnt by the Sun,” was inspired by one of the main character’s time in Mexico and incorporated charred mango, smoked corn jus and ricotta cheese to delicious effect. The roasted corn tequila cocktail was similarly memorable.
The third course, “Byzantine,” was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. The vegetable mousse terrine incorporated poached leeks and arugula beurre blanc (“white butter” in French) and loosely resembled a piece of cake. It was savory and creamy and earthy, and I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around how it was created. (Of course, that might have been because of the effects of the accompanying drink, which contained both pear brandy and absinthe.) “Shaibel” and “Black and White Russian” followed, and by the time vanilla honey cake was served with a house-made chocolate chess piece atop it, diners had worked through the stratum of the book’s chapters as well as the multiple servings of creative cuisine.
Without asking Chef Fox to divulge the next menu, I queried how she comes up with the list of what she’ll be serving at Life Between the Pages — especially when it’s related to a book like “Greenwood,” which dives into heady topics such as climate change, massive blight, deforestation and familial strife.
“Translating that into food and beverage potentially can be portrayed by expressing the emotion of the particular chapter, using layering techniques such as the use of spices to create depth or choosing ingredients that naturally look like they have layers,” Fox said. “I’m in the process of writing the savory side of the menu, paying very close attention to how I depict the layers of challenging topics that are discussed in the book.”
All will be revealed March 2, when Fox will be joined by guest bartender Erin Gill of Amendment 21, and Dr. Christina Keppie, the director of the Center for Canadian American Studies at Western Washington University, who will be moderating. Christie himself will be in attendance as a guest who will likely have something to contribute to the discussion.
Fox said the events are kept small so they don’t take away from the intimacy of the evening, so don’t be surprised if the “Greenwood” gathering sells out before you snag a seat. The following Life Between the Pages will take place on Thursday, April 14 and will focus on the book “The Beekeeper of Aleppo,” with Colin Volleter from the Filling Station as the mixologist and Dr. Nancy Johnson as the moderator. Plenty of time remains to read the tome and secure a seat to what is sure to be another magical night around the table.
“The events were created as a way to express the lives that live between the books that we are surrounded by,” Fox said. “With Evolve Chocolate + Cafe being housed within an independent bookstore, we found ourselves immersed in a world that I personally wished I could get lost in. The magic comes from the collaboration of the author who writes their story to fill us with whatever wonderment they intended, to the beauty of creative hospitality and the joy of imbibing in our food and beverage nerdiness.”
The next Life Between the Pages, featuring Michael Christie’s book “Greenwood,” takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at Evolve Chocolate + Cafe, 1200 11th St. Tickets are $75. Proof of vaccination and ID will be required. To purchase tickets, go to evolvefairhaven.com or villagebooks.com.
