24 encore | september 16-22, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

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Featuring: Mojo IPA and Hazed & Infused Dry Hop Ale

belowDiningReview 26-28DiningGuide

“Farm to table,” is the mantra of four-star Greek chef and author of Feast for the Gods, Alexander

Fouros—though, to be fair, it is a bit of an understatement. A more apt mantra might be, “Farm—plus 4,000 years of Greek history, along with family recipes lovingly refined and passed down for entire gen-erations, boasting extreme, proven health benefits—to table.”

Chef Alexander Fouros was born in Greece, served in the Royal Greek Navy, then moved to France, where his cooking career began in earnest. From there Fouros moved to Montreal for further study, then New York and finally has managed to end up here in Wilmington. Over the years he has worked in a series of prestigious kitchens, as well as opened several restaurants of his own, including Tycoon, located in Manhattan, which, at the time, was written up in The New York Times and included in the Who’s Who in American Restaurants. In addition, he has worked as a consultant to a number of restaurants in New York and Connecticut. Simply put, Chef Fouros has made his bones and now has begun teaching classes to the general public to share his wealth of tips, tricks and culinary expertise.

“The door is open for everybody: people that love to cook, people that love to learn, people that want to keep their expenses down. Everybody is welcome,” Fouros says. “I enjoy being able to help the farmer’s market and local produce, and teaching these people how to cook. It’s important to me.”

Thus far Chef Fouros’ classes have been hugely popular, filled to capacity and then some. In fact, Poplar Grove, where the chef teaches classes on Wednesdays at the Farmer’s Market, has had to move the chef to a larger venue in order to properly accommodate the number of students and loyal fans that attend his lessons in simple Greek cooking. “I help people to eat better, to eat healthier, to eat simpler,” he says.

Chef Fouros went on to explain that even simple tricks can make a huge difference in cooking. For example, he explained to me that in order to avoid crying while chopping an onion, be careful not to sever the root end of the vegetable. Instead, simply chop off the top, then slice as needed and discard whatever is left. That particular tip was on the house, but the chef assured me there were plenty more where that came from.

The classes, held at the Poplar Grove Farmers’ Market, run around $25 per person and include a very different cooking lesson

A Feast for the Gods: Chef Alexander Fouros teaches how simple divine cooking can be

Simple eXCelleNCe: Chef Alexander Fouros (pictured above with wife, Elizabeth), teaches weekly cooking classes at the Poplar Grove Farmers’ Market, focusing on Greek cuisine.

each week depending purely on which way the creative winds blow for Chef Fouros. He often finds inspiration in ingredients he discovers just days before a class. How-ever, regardless of the ingredients, Fouros’ Greek roots almost always shine through in one form or another in his dishes.

Recently Fouros has noticed a rapidly growing interest in Greek food, which he at-tributes to a number of factors. The greatest of which is the fact that he believes Greek cuisine to have many benefits.

“Greek cuisine right now is the healthiest cuisine in the world,” he maintains. “Proof of that is that people in Greece have the lon-gest longevity—especially among men. My grandfather died at 107, my grandmother at 119. And they smoked, and they drank, but they ate healthy. Extra virgin olive oil, no butters, no fats. A Greek diet does not forbid you from having meats and poultry; you can eat anything. It’s all in the right preparation.”

In the past Chef Fouros regularly charged hundreds of dollars for teaching lessons, but since his move to Wilmington, the ail-ing economy and what he perceives as a

growing interest in truly organic, locally grown ingredients, he made the decision to provide classes to all comers, regardless of experience level, for little more than the price of a pair of movie tickets.

“It’s very gratifying to teach people, especially when they like the food and [we] teach them new tricks,” Fouros comments.

He also explained that after his various expenses, he basi-cally comes out even at the end of the day. What profit he does make goes straight back into the market where he buys homemade dog treats for his be-loved pets (or locally made goat cheese made with herbs that his wife, Elizabeth Fouros, insists is heavenly).

Participants are encouraged to show up a little early in order to shop for the day’s ingredients with Chef Fouros. This, he explained, is an extremely important element in saving money. Much of his classes are focused on how to determine maximum value for minimum cost. “We eat very well, but under $6 per person, and the way you do that is to know how to shop,” he says.

In addition, Fouros guaranteed that none of the ingredients used in his reci-pes are difficult to find or obtain, and all of the recipes he teaches can be easily replicated by the layman at home.

On top of the lessons, Chef Fouros’ book, Feast for the Gods, is available for purchase. He has a variety of his own handmade products available, including a bread crumb and herb mixture made from ingredients grown in his personal garden, to a new vegetable drink he has developed that contains only vegetables, no salts or sugars, and is preserved using lemon juice instead of standard chemical preservatives. I had the great fortune to taste this interest-ing blend, and it’s somewhat similar in spirit to V8—only instead of tasting completely terrible, it’s really, really excellent. I highly recommend it (though, sadly, that particular recipe remains a closely guarded secret).

For more information on Chef Fouros visit www.feastforthegods.com.

by: Zach McKeown

Simple Greek Cooking Classeswith Chef Alexander Fouros,author of Feast for the Godsweekly on Wednesdays at Poplar Grove Farmers' Market, 9:30am-12:30pmprivate lessons also availableElizabeth Fouros: (917) 969-2430

32 encore | september 9-15, 2009 | www.encorepub.com

As Dorothy once so famously said, “Dragons and cheetahs and snails, and ducks and humans with furry tiger

leggings, and elephant creatures made of leftover ducting, and body painting and fish hats; oh, my!” I’m paraphrasing, of course, but I’m confident that if Dorothy had attended the first official Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets pet-making costume party, then those would have been her exact words.

On Saturday, August 30th, the first of three costume-making events took place downtown at Bailey Theater Park. The pur-pose: to provide a creative outlet for chil-dren and adults alike to make wild costumes of all shapes and sizes to be worn for the first Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets (GPPP) parade at the upcoming Downtown Wilmington ArtWalk.

The brains behind such zoologically themed events are Chris Andrews of the Downtown Business Association and Dixon Stetler, co-founder of the Independent Art Company and Wabi-Sabi Warehouse (as well as proud owner of the aforementioned furry tiger-striped leggings). The Downtown Business Association organizes the annual ArtWalk, but this year Chris Andrews de-cided it was time to add a little something extra. Thus, the foundations for the parade were laid, and with Stetler’s idea for the pe-culiar animal theme, the Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets was born.

“We really wanted people to get cre-ative and get involved,” Andrews said when asked about the inspiration behind the cos-tume-making parties. “What we’re really trying to do is push people to be creative. From children to adults, [we want everyone to] come out and be a part of it without any inhibitions.”

To be sure, creativity was not lacking at last Saturday’s event. An extreme variety of assorted knickknacks, chotchkies, decora-tions, paints, accessories, fabrics, glitters and other bits and pieces were ripe for use in designing a personal animal costume. The costume supplies were generously donated by many artists and individuals in the com-munity and, on top of providing ample in-spiration for truly weird and wild costumes, were completely free to use and keep.

Participant (and part-time pink spar-

kly snail) Laurel Herbert brought her daughters, Cammy (a most fearsome cheetah) and Karma (a most fear-some duck), to participate. “I [wanted] the kids today to have fun dressing up and getting that creative experi-ence,” Herbert explained. Laurel and her husband are participating in the upcoming ArtWalk this weekend on September 12th, 10am-5pm, as pot-tery vendors and musical performers. Being able to attend and participate in the parade itself was just icing on the cake for the Herbert family, who will be marching along at a snail’s, duck’s and cheetah’s respective paces.

Another enthusiastic participant of the party is one Sandi Adams. Adams brought her dog, Abby, along for the festivities, and left with a bounty of exotic materials for both herself and her beloved pet. “We’re always looking forward to a dress-up opportunity,” she explained. Abby, a bit reticent amidst all the glitter, declined to comment.

While the creative-types who participated in the costume-making will most assuredly be in attendance, to all other locals with any ol’ dog, cat, pig and goat are encouraged to attend as well—costumed or otherwise. Even pet-less folks—who most likely suffer from some bizarre omni-animal-allergy—are still absolutely welcome to participate in the parade free of cost (as well as inhibition and any sense of self-consciousness).

“We hope people will participate in any way,” Stetler expressed. “We have people walking on stilts, people can come in roller-skates, wear whatever they want—juggle, whatever.”

Deborah Velders, event attendee and di-rector of the Louise Wells Cameron Art Mu-seum, was excited to see such a generous creative outlet for children and adults alike. “It’s what makes life worth living,” Velders commented. “Creative things that are unex-pected and that you’d never have imagined up—and these little ones, they will remem-ber this always.”

COLORFUL, FURRY: Local artist Dixon Stetler and DBA member Chris Andrews will be helping all cos-tumed furry-friends sashay around downtown as part of the 2009 Wilmington ArtWalk’s Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets.

Velders went on to explain, “Most artists have to make art. They just have to. And they don’t always have to share the experi-ence, so when they do, it’s something really special.”

The Pender County Humane Society, headed by President Gloria Johnson and Shelter Manager Deb Rye, will also be in at-tendance for the GPPP, escorting a number of saved dogs. They’ll also have a booth set up with details regarding their brand-new, no-kill shelter and adoption papers if any of the parading peculiar attendants catch a pup that suits his or her fancy (though, there will be no adoptions immediately taking place at the time of the parade).

For anyone who missed the previous costume-making parties, the Children’s Mu-seum of Wilmington will be holding a series of workshops through September 11th at 11:30am. Individuals are also more than wel-come to create their own costumes at home for the pet parade and need only show up to participate. And for the chronic procrastina-tor, Chris Andrews and Dixon Stetler have

Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets:A new addition to the 8th annual Wilmington ArtWalk, held this weekend!

Wilmington ArtWalk’s Grand Procession of Peculiar PetsDowntown Wilmington, along Front St.September 12, 10am-5pm Parade begins at 1pm; freewww.dbawilmington.com

by: Zach McKeown

a number of interesting costume pieces available on the day of the parade—though there is no guarantee those ferociously pink bunny ears will be up for grabs!

The Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets promises to be a one-of-a-kind event, best summarized by one of the favorite phras-es of the late, beloved and inspirational Wilmington artist, Robert Delford Brown, as divinely channeled by artist, furry-tiger-legging enthusiast and part-time medium Dixon Stetler: “Like, WOW, man.”

To participate in the upcoming Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets, show up at Orange and Front Street on September 12th before 1pm, which is when the parade officially begins. Participation is free and re-quires no registration. For more information on the GPPP, visit their Facebook event listing, “The Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets,” or visit www.dbawilmington.com.

Contact the Children’s Museum for more information regarding their costume work-shops by calling (910)254-3534.

The Wilmington ArtWalk, featuring a host of local and regional art vendors, as well as musical performers, takes place this Satur-day, along six blocks of Front Street. Be sure to mosey downtown and make a fine-art pur-chase before sauntering Fido and Lucy around in their dungeons and dragons garb.

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encore | august 26 - september 1, 2009 | www.encorepub.com 13

compared to one another in terms of quality, rather than being judged on a larger spec-trum. I would certainly say that in terms of Miyazaki films, I would place Ponyo very near the bottom of the pile, but that is only to say that in terms of sheer excellence, it is the least excellent of Miyazaki’s roster.

The U.S. release of Ponyo is dubbed, and the voice acting is competently done and well cast. The main character, Sa-suke, is voiced by Frankie Jonas of Jonas

This is Ponyo:A children’s movie without a wasted frame

Before I lavish the U.S. release of Ponyo with praise and affection, I’d like to qualify the entirety of the

following review with two very important points. One: Ponyo is undoubtedly, unre-servedly and completely a movie made for children. Two: Ponyo is about as close to an average anime in style and plot as Pluto is to being a respectable planet.

With that being said, Ponyo is an incred-ible film and, beyond just that, a work of serious artistic merit. It is completely hand- drawn and hearkens back to classic Disney films of yore. Not a single frame of animation is wasted, whether the situation is a simple conversation between mother and son, or an astonishing underwater landscape burst-ing with color and life. To watch Ponyo is to watch art in motion, where every wave crash-ing against a rocky shoreline before receding through nooks and crannies becomes awe-inspiring because it is hand-drawn.

The story, however, is a different mat-ter entirely. The basic idea is that Ponyo is a magical sort of goldfish that wishes to become human after being found and cared for by the 5-year-old son of a sailor, Sasuke. Ponyo’s father and eccentric sci-entist Fujimoto serves as the antagonist of the film, though only just. The movie itself is roughly based on Hans Christian Ander-son’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid, though unless looked at very carefully, there are few comparisons to be made between the two stories. It is difficult to synopsize the plot of Ponyo in a few sentences, so be prepared for some truly bizarre and unex-plainable events, and imagery quite unlike anything seen before.

It bears repeating that Ponyo is dedicated completely to being a children’s movie and, unlike many modern kid flicks, does not take steps to cater to parents by including subtle, off-color jokes or references that would pass over a child’s head. There is no pretense here, and, in my opinion, the purity and honesty of this film is refreshing in comparison to the split focus of Pixar films and their ilk. Purely in terms of story, Ponyo doesn’t offer a lot to the adult crowd and will, overall, feel simple, shallow and even a little tedious at times. This is not a movie to see for well-developed characters with deep motivations and demons, or a labyrinthine plot full of twists and turns. Simply put, Ponyo is not a challenging film from an adult perspective.

Director Hayao Miyazaki boasts an impressive pedigree of animated films, including Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and my personal favorite, Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki is to Japa-nese animation as Quentin Tarantino is to American film: His movies can truly only be

by: Zach McKeown

Ponyovoice-overs by Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchett

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Brothers infamy, but that shouldn’t be a put-off entirely. Ponyo is voiced by Noah Cyrus, the younger (and clearly less irri-tating) sister of Miley. Lisa, the mother, is done by Tina Fey, and Fujimoto, the ec-centric father of Ponyo, is voiced by Liam Neeson. In addition, the roster of voice talent includes Matt Damon, Lily Tomlin,

Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Cate Blanchett among many others. In reality, the only voice in the film that I immediately recognized as belonging to a celebrity was that of Neeson, but his voice matches his character perfectly, so it isn’t distracting in the least.

In short, Ponyo is beautifully drawn, has a sweeping orchestral soundtrack, is well- dubbed with competent voice actors and is truly original in every other regard. As an adult, viewers may not be impressed by the story of Ponyo, but those of mind to appreciate an hour-and-a-half of beauti-ful, classic animation will find it’s an enter-taining movie.

HAND-DRAWN GENIUS: Ponyo showcases an-

ime at its finest and will surely be a hit among familiy

films this summer.

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