Abra Berens

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Leelanau baking star Sorge debuts cookbook

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Martin Sorge didn’t used to like cherry pie. Then the northern Indiana native spent a summer during college building sets at Interlochen Arts Academy’s theater department. He tasted the Grand Traverse region’s culinary pride and has been hooked ever since. “I get it now,” Sorge said. Sorge, who won the Great American Baking Show in 2023 and splits his time between Chicago and Leelanau County, debuts his first cookbook, “Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest,” at a National Writers Series event on Friday, Aug. 21, at 4 pm at Artemis Books & Goods in Traverse City’s warehouse district. The event is part of the Traverse City Food and Wine Festival, which runs Aug. 19-23.

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Leelanau School hosts Small Farm conference

Farmers today face a number of challenges. Climate change, increasing costs for land, seeds, insurance and staffing, and development pressure all weigh on an endeavor that has always operated on thin margins. Any advantage they can accrue will help. Enter the annual Small Farm Conference, taking place Aug. 18-19 at the Leelanau School. Christina Marbury, community engagement specialist for Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, says the conference will be beneficial for most anyone connected with the land, from small-scale growers to those interested in sustainable practices or ways in which they can diversity their offerings to make a profit. “It’s great for farmers, of course,” says Marbury. “Also people interested in farming, (those) growing at home—there’s a nice variety of business focus.”

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Abra Berens finally turns to fruit

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Chef Abra Berens

Chef Abra Berens has worked in Chicago, Ann Arbor, even Ireland. But she hasn’t forgotten her time in Leelanau County. That’s reflected in her continuing visits and efforts here. It’s also part and parcel of her cookbooks, including her latest, “Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit,” which published last month. Like its predecessors, the book concentrates on one of the food groups. In this case, that’s fruit, complementing vegetables and grains. Berens will preside over a series of 50th anniversary dinners at Mawby Vineyards July 23, Aug. 20 and Sept. 17. She will also hold a book signing at Horizon Books on July 22.

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Old Art Building hosts evening with Abra Berens and friends

The Friends of the Leland Township Library will hold a fundraising event on Saturday, May 13, at 7 pm, featuring renowned chef and cookbook author Abra Berens. The event, titled “An Evening with Abra Berens & Friends” will be held at the Old Art Building in Leland. At the event, Abra will introduce her newest book Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit, and engage in a lively conversation with local fruit growers Gene Garthe, Nikki Rothwell and Pete Laing, all of whom are featured in the book.

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