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October 10, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm EDT
Join our LIVE online cooking time as we show you the tips & tricks behind making the beloved Mexican chocolate cake on Sunday, October 10 at 4 p.m. EST.!
Sign up to cook with us online! >>
This month we’re gearing up for Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, a Mexican celebration to remember those who have passed away.
And we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the lives that live on in our memories and in our cooking traditions than making Mexican chocolate cake. It was the beloved dessert of the Nav Jiwan International Tea Room at Ten Thousand Villages in Ephrata, where we spent the last 38 years. Many rug customers would come in to dine on a Friday night and after happily topping off their meal with a piece of Mexican Chocolate cake, they would come over to us, flip through the rug piles and share about their lives.
Food unites in a way that not many other things do. And when we make certain dishes, it’s the aromas or the way a dish is prepared that brings back the memories of those who used to share the kitchen with us.
It’s much the same with rugs. When we look at the rugs in our stacks, we see unique designs that are compilations of generations of rug artisans, all putting their artistic touches together to make a rug. We think of the late Zaffar Khan, a Bunyaad village supervisor in northern Pakistan who had a family tradition of Khan Mamdi tribals crafted in colors that only Zaffar knew how to perfectly balance. We think of the late Parveen Bibi from Halwan who was known not only for her intricately bordered bokhara rugs but also her dog always sitting by her side while she worked on her loom.
And oh the memories that customers share of life moments on the rugs. Like Mass from Toronto, originally from Iran, for whom the borders of these rugs reminded him of when he would use those borders as highways for his matchbox cars. Or of one woman whose name I don’t remember but who, when asked what type of rug she was looking for, responded, “One where my grandchildren can twirl around the designs like ballerinas just like I did as a child”
So this month, as we cook together, let’s share our stories. When you walk into your kitchen, who do you remember? Who does that special dish remind you of? And when you see the rugs on your floors, who do you think of? What memories surround you?
In Mexican tradition, we will be building an ofrenda in our Lititz location. We welcome your emails with photos, stories and recipes from those who live on in your memories thanks to those special dishes. Please email your photos and recipes to us at info@bunyaad.com or drop them off at our downtown Lititz location and we will add them to our ofrenda.
To make this Cooking with Bunyaad even more fun, purchase our Cooking with Bunyaad Mexican Chocolate Cake bundle. Each fair trade bundle includes:
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- Hand painted Sugar Skull Mug crafted by artisans in Guatemala (each one is unique and signed by the artist)
- Fair Trade semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Ground Royal Cinnamon from fair trade spice company Burlap & Barrel
- Fair trade organic baking cocoa
- Twin Engine Coffee Estate blend, single pot package
It’s a perfect gift bundle for yourself, family and friends.
Purchase our Cooking with Bunyaad Mexican Chocolate Cake Bundle for $45 >>
Cook along or just watch as we weave stories of rugs, Pakistani artisans & fair trade into our cooking. More about our fair trade rug program at https://bunyaad.com
We will be sending out the recipe & zoom links approximately one week before our time together. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@bunyaad.com See you October 10!