February
Radio interview on "This Way Up" with Simon Morton
Radio New Zealand National (date and time coming soon)

February 9th / 12pm & 2pm
5th Annual American Heritage Chocolate Celebration
Bob Heiss has been invited back to once again lead his 'standing-room only' chocolate tasting at 12 noon and again at 2pm during this events-packed, day-long program. Be sure to me there!
For details, contact Historic Deerfield: 413-775-7214,  Deerfield, Ma

February 10th / 12-3pm
2008 Home Show Celebrity Chef Series Cooking at Yale Appliance & Lighting.
We will be conducting tea brewing demonstrations (with tastings!) and signing copies of our books from 12 noon until 3pm in one of the show kitchens in this 'kitchen wonderland.' For details, cale Yale Appliance toll-free: 1-888-925-3463
296 Freeport St, Boston, MA.

February 27th / 6:15-8:45pm
Cooking with Tea Class at Lamson Goodnow, Northampton, Ma
Join us for an evening all about drinking and cooking with tea. We will prepare a menu of our delicious, original recipes that use tea as a primary ingredient! A tea tasting will accompany the dishes.

Chinese Marbled Eggs: These exquisite eggs are boiled twice in a mixture of black tea and aromatic spices to produce gorgeous marbling.

Asian Shrimp Boil Made with Genmaicha Tea: Shrimp flavored with a Japanese tea prepared with toasted rice, plus seasonings of hot chili paste, fresh ginger, black pepper, and fennel.

Crunchy Sesame Seed Crusted Pork Tenderloins: Featuring a sweet and hot spicy green tea rub.

Oolong Rice with Squash and Chestnuts: Both long grain and Japanese multi-grain will be used.

 White Tea Snow Sorbet

Registration: $55.00. Contact Lamson & Goodnow to register: 413-587-0009.
 

January 20th / 10pm
Bob Heiss interviewed on Martha Stewart Living Radio Program
 "Everyday Food" with Sandy Gluck (encore presentation)
SIRIUS Satellite Radio Station 112

January 27th
An Afternoon Tea Event hosted by Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

January 28th
A Tea and Tea Culture Presentation for the Culinary Historians of Boston, Newbury College
 

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December 21st / 9am-10am
Interview for Wichita Radio Station  Program "The Good Life Guy" with Guy Bower on KNSS 1330 am.

November 1st 5 PM-7:30 PM
Food Fest West: Great Culinary Cook-Off
Meet Mary Lou and Bob Heiss as they sign their books in this fundraiser to benefit the West Springfield Chamber's Educational Partnership.
Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, West Springfield

November 10th  11-4 PM
18th Annual Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Tasting at
Cooks Shop Here 65 King Street Northampton MA 01060

October 10th / 6:30-8:30
‘An Afternoon Tea’ Cooking Class . On the menu: Lemon Curd, English Scones, Cucumber Watercress Tea Sandwiches, Smoked Salmon Mousse, and more.
Taking place at  Williams-Sonona, The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk, South Windsor, Ct.  Call for details: 860-644-1990.

October 14th / 7am
Bob Heiss interviewed for Cincinnati Public Radio Program "Cincinnati Edition" on 91.7 WVXU.  See Station listing (under Essencha Tea House) or
listen to mp3 of interview.

October 15th
Our new books The Story of Tea & Hot Drinks are officially released nationwide and are available from all independent book sellers, major national book retailers, Amazon.com and other online merchants.

October 15th / 6-8 PM
Tea Tasting and Discussion at Boston University - Programs in Food and Wine
Boston, Ma  click here for more information

October 24th / 7-8:30 PM
BookMarks- A Celebration of the Art of the Book
Explore The Story of Tea with authors Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
Proceeds from book  sales this evening will benefit the Forbes Library in Northampton.
Forbes Library, 20 West St. Northampton, MA

October 30th / 7:30-9 PM
BookMarks- A Celebration of the Art of the Book
Explore The Story of Tea with authors Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
Proceeds from book sales this evening will benefit the Jones Library in Amherst.
Jones Library, 43 Amity St. Amherst, MA

September 14th/ 6-8 PM
Introductory talk and book signing at the
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

September 15 & 16th
Mary Lou and Bob will be selling and signing copies of their book at the
Canadian Coffee and Tea Show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

September 28th
Book Launch party at the store !
Come help us celebrate from7-9PM
Cooks Shop Here 65 King Street Northampton, MA

August 20th 12PM-2PM
For those of you in the Boston area, Bob will once again be a Judge in the
2007 Massachusetts state Tomato Judging Contest, which is one of the events sponsored in conjunction with Massachusetts Farmers Market Week. This is held downtown in the plaza near City Hall ( around the corner from the exquisite Old South Meeting House, scene of the gathering crowd on the day of the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773. ) Drop on by to catch all the action !

July 6 & 7 New York City
The third in the series of Bob’s workshops for the National Association
of the Specialty Food Trade

June 9, 10, 11
World Tea Expo, Atlanta, Ga
The debut of advance copies of The Story of Tea

June 16th
5th Annual Pu-erh Tea Tasting / Pasadena, CA

February 10 & 11, 2007
Chocolate and Tea Presentations:
Come to one of Bob’s engaging presentations this month on chocolate and tea and chase away the winter blues!

• February 10th-  Bob conducts a chocolate tasting at 12 noon and again at 2 PM at Historic Deerfield’s Fourth Annual Chocolate Festival

• February 20th-  Bob explores the Natural History of Tea (plus a tea tasting) at the Hitchcock Center, Amherst, Ma 7 PM

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November 11, 2006
Mary Lou appears on WHYY's A Chef's Table:
Cooks Shop Here co-owner Mary Lou Heiss was in Bryn Mawr recently to present a luncheon talk sponsored by Albertson's Cooking School.
While in Philadelphia she was invited to stop by the studios of WHYY radio (you know -Terry Gross' NPR station) and chat with Jim Coleman for a segment of his syndicated radio show A Chef's Table. Follow this link to listen to her chat with Jim via their archives  listed under 11/11/06.

November 11, 2006 / 10am-4pm
16th Annual Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting:
This is our once-a-year comprehensive olive oil tasting. Like an encore to July's World Cup, you can challenge France to Italy, Spain to Greece and round robin your palette to a final decision. We'll sneak in a few vinegars this year as well, and all tasted oils are discounted 10% on Tasting Day.

Stop by at your convenience.

March 27-June 24th
Book Signings & Slide Presentations: Mary Lou's cookbook: Green Tea: 50 Recipes for Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers and Sweet and Savory Treats, is here!  And for every copy we sell throughout the year in-store and on our website, we will donate $1.00 to Mercy Corps to support their work with tea farmers in India.

Tea Talks and Slide Presentations:

• June 24th at 1 PM Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT
      Tea Talk with slides
• April 22nd at 1 PM and 3 PM Historic Deerfield, Old Deerfield MA
      Tea talk featuring Bob Heiss slides by Mary Lou Heiss,
       and a book signing
• April 13th at 3 PM Jacobs Edwards Library, Southbridge, MA
      Tea Talk with slides

Book Signings:

• May 6th at 1:30 Barnes & Noble, Hadley, MA
• April 23rd at 3 PM The Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA
• April 20th 4 PM at the Book Cellar, Brattleboro, VT
• April 8th from 2-5 PM ‘ Book Signing Party ’ in our store
• March 31st International Association of Culinary Professionals
      (IACP) Conference, Seattle, WA
• March 27-29th  World Tea Expo, Las Vegas, NV

To buy a cookbook, click here

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November 3rd / 7:30pm:
On The Menu  with Roy Scott
WGBY-TV, Channel 57's cooking show will feature Mary Lou and Bob. Filmed on location right here in our store, we'll be discussing Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with chef Debbi Lorenz. The featured restaurant will be Peppercorns Grill in Hartford CT.

November 5, 2005 / 11am-4pm
15th Annual Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting
Taste your way around the world of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We start at 11:00 am and finish up about 4:00 pm. Don't miss this ... it is a fun and educational experience.
 

May 8 2005 - March 2007
Precious Leaves: China's Legendary Green Teas - Photo Exhibit at the Flynt Center, Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, MA www.historic-deerfield.org

Photography Exhibit
Mary Lou Heiss’s presentation of 27 photographs of current artisanal tea production in rural China will welcome attendees to this major exhibition, and directly correlate with the 1790s illustrated album of traditional tea production, a featured object in Historic Deerfield's collection, as noted below.

The Canton Connection: Art and Commerce of the China Trade, 1784-1860
an exhibition featuring more than 120 objects from the museum's Asian art collection. The exhibition focuses on trade activity and relationships between American and Chinese merchants in the 18th and 19th centuries.  It also explores the role of trade between China and rural New England communities, dispelling the myth that the China trade was exclusively an urban, coastal phenomenon. The stories of Connecticut River Valley merchants, sailors, captains, and wives involved in ventures to China are examined through advertisements, diaries, letters, and many actual objects brought home. Exotic luxuries such as silks, porcelains, lacquer ware, and ivory carvings were eagerly purchased, but tea, above all other commodities, made trade with China imperative.

Rare 1790s Tea Production Album on Display
One of the rarest objects presented is an album of 24 hand-painted images of the tea production process, from harvesting the leaves to packing them in boxes. This exhibition also contains many examples of objects desired from China, such as porcelain punch bowls, painted fans, patterned silks, gleaming silverware, and ivory chess sets  Amanda Lange, curator of historic interiors at History Deerfield, organized The Canton Connection exhibition.  Ms. Lange is also the author of Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield, a full-color catalogue of Historic Deerfield’s China trade art collection forthcoming summer 2005.  The catalogue will include over 125 object entries in the areas of graphic arts, textiles, metals, novelties, and porcelains, as well as several essays, “Of Merchants and Mandarins: An Overview of the China Trade,”  “The Connecticut River Valley and the China Trade,” and “Collecting Chinese Export Art at Historic Deerfield.” 

Opening Reception for members of Historic Deerfield is Friday evening May 7, 2005

View Precious Leaves  photos
 

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November 12 & 13 / 10am-5pm
Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Discover the regions of Spain and their distinctive oils.

October 28th / 4:00 PM:
The Way of Tea: Slide Presentation, Talk & Tea Tasting
On two Thursdays in October, the 21st and the 28th, the Asian Arts & Culture Dept. at the University of Massachusetts will present a variety of events related to tea, its history, cultivation and practice in the East and West. Join us October 28th at 4:00 PM in the Fine Arts Center Atrium Lobby at UMASS for a late afternoon tea talk and slide presentation on tea production in Western and Eastern China.  A tea tasting will follow at 4:45 pm, and again at 5:30 pm, and each tasting will include black, green, oolong and white teas.

Admission is free, but reservations are necessary for the tea tasting.
Reserve by calling 413-577-2486.

For more information on these events go to:
www.umass.edu/fac/asian

Click here to visit our Tea Photo Gallery

October 30th / 10am-5pm
12th Annual Extra Virgin Olive Oil Grand Tasting
Taste your way around the Mediterranean. Don't miss this one...it is a fun and educational experience.




 

September 24 & 25 / 10am-5pm
Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Discover the regions of Spain and their distinctive oils.

May 6th
HCC Tea Workshop

May 12th
Presentation: Chocolate, a Primer and Sampling. Lilly Library, Florence, MA
 

April 21-25th
IACP Conference, Baltimore, MD
 

Feb-March
Trip: Tea-Sourcing in Asia
more information and photos here:

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Oct-Nov
Trip to Puebla, Mexico
Day of the Dead and Molé olé!
 

August
Trip to NEW MEXICO & Indian Market Week (account written by Bob Heiss)

We traveled to the Great American Southwest for Indian Market Week.
Mary Lou was  'on assignment', to research the craftsmen and fabulous artists showing their works at Indian Market for her up-coming article on Indian Market
(Aug 2004 in The World & I ).  We had a fascinating time learning about the authentic methods and contemporary twists that Native Americans are employing to continue to create some of the most interesting ( and valuable ) art on the planet.  From the patio of the Governor's Mansion, we witnessed a fast-moving thunderstorm move through the region while we waited for Gov. Richardson ( Bill ) to arrive at the kick-off awards ceremony!  Later we ate Indian Bread and other authentic foods at the Market and had wonderful breakfasts at the classic restaurants of Santa Fe.
We were up before the sun and absorbed so much creativity that we were totally exhausted just after the gorgeous sunsets ... just like native New Mexicans !

Bob had the opportunity to spend some quality food time at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market.  It was his great fortune that Deborah Madison was in town, wrapping up her latest book before leaving on a well-deserved vacation. So he had a guided tour of one of the premier Farmer's Markets in the U.S. ... she and Bob, and Mary from the Farmer's Market in Cleveland, Ohio toured the stalls, as Deborah introduced them to her many friends who grow great food in one of the toughest climates on earth.  Deborah and many of the farmers that he interviewed gave him great insights into the workings of and the uniqueness of the foodstuffs of the region.  Bob found a fantastic new source for Chimayo chile, even better than our old source.  He had the opportunity to roast some fresh chiles, right at the market...and Jake the melon man entertained them with stories of baseball careers never realized and native melon seeds floating in the river.

We were also blessed with a visit to the home of Cheryl and Bill Jamison, the grilling / barbecue / Texas & Southwest food experts.  Devouring Cheryl's freshly-baked cookies, we chatted in their beautiful courtyard and talked about carné adovado, and chiles, and all things spiced-just-right ... and Bob recorded some excellent 'sound-bites for his on-going radio work.  Cheryl and Bill are some of the nicest food personalities in the country, and it was a treat to chat with them just as they were heading off to Texas to teach more cooking classes at Central Market.

We even ate at Bobcat Bite, a Sonic Drive-in, and saw Grace Slick right up-close.
( she was opening her new Gallery ! )

Late summer is a beautiful time to be in New Mexico, in spite of their long-standing drought, but we forced ourselves to leave, looking forward to the up-coming New England foliage.

August
Book Contract Announcment
Mary Lou signs her first book contract, to be titled:
Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats
Recipe-driven, it will include everything from main dishes to smoothies to desserts. It will be published by Harvard Common Press in Spring 2006. Go Mary Lou!
 

Late April-Early May
Trip to Italy (account written by Bob Heiss)

Because of SARS, our bi-annual tea-sourcing trip to Asia is postponed
(for a second year in a row, as the 2002 trip was postponed due to 9/11). As we have a great staff and had already carved out the time, they insisted that we go to another of the great food countries.  So we continued on from the IACP Conference in Montreal (see below) to the country that has been on our list for a long time, but has repeatedly been bumped: ITALY.

We began our trip in Venice (one of our favorite cities of all time...) with a traditional Easter dinner of kid, accompanied by early parsnips. Continuing on to Ravenna to view the wonderful mosaics, we found a delicious 'slow food' -recommended cafe in Faenza for supper. Skirting the Marches, we focused on Umbria for the next week, spending peaceful times in Gubbio, Assisi, and other hilltown villages that are so beautiful in the early spring light.  The vineyards and olive groves were just re-awakening, and the agricultural cycle was about to begin the process of renewal. We ate all the classic foods from this famous region and met many charming food enthusiasts. Then it was on to Tuscany.  We enjoyed the panforte that they eat year-round in Siena, and drank our fill of Chianti in Castellina.  We stayed in the bed and breakfast run by a charming cooking school teacher, and drank in the essence of small village Tuscan life (13th C). We ate Florentine steak and gelato, and just enjoyed the gusto of the momento.

We stayed with old friends in Pisa for several days and took day trips to Lucca and Livorno, marveling at the fresh seafood and the fantastic olive oil that the north of Tuscany can provide.

On to the Cinqueterra, we bathed (Brrr...it was only April) and train-hopped and walked through the magical hills of these glorious coastal villages.

As the spring holidays were making it difficult to meet up with many of our contacts, suppliers, and friends,  we decided to make a quick run through Emilio-Romagna, drop the auto, and fly out of Bologna. We will save exploring that region for another, more well-planned expedition.

Flying back through London ( another one of our favorite cities ) we popped into Harrods and Sainsburys, and did many of the food things that we all do in London.

Click here to visit our Italy Photo Gallery
 

April 10-12th
International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Conference
Montreal, Quebec Canada

April 10th Presentation:
Ancient Roots, Solid Ground: Extra-Virgin Olive Oils in the Old and New Worlds Mary Lou Heiss, Moderator.
Panelists: Jean-Benoit Hugues, Castelas Huile d’Olive Provence France &
Aglaia Kremezi, Author and journalist, Athens Greece

April 12th Presentation: 
Drink Your Apple A Day: Cidre and Calvados, Beverages Par Excellence A Grand Tasting of Cider, Calvados, and Ice Cidre
Robert J Heiss, Moderator
Panelists: Susan Hermann Loomis, On Rue Tatin, Louviers, France &
Steve Wood, Farnum Hill Orchards, Lebanon, NH
 

March 8th / 2-4pm:
Photography Exhibit Opening Reception: Forbes Library, Northampton MA
Mary Lou’s photos of Tea Production in China will be showcased at Forbes Library March 1-29th.

March 19-23rd
2003 Food Writer’s Conference at the Greenbrier: The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV. Mary Lou joined with colleagues to hone their skills
 
March 23rd
Newspaper Article:  Suited to a Tea, Sunday Republican, Springfield, MA.
Living Section feature article on tea. Ronni Gordon, Features reporter, quotes Bob extensively, following a 2 ½ hour interview two weeks earlier! She reported a great story
 

March 12th
Giacomo's Product Launch: The Four Seasons, New York City
Mary Lou and Bob attend the “launch” for our good friend and olive oil supplier Giacomo’s product line
 

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November
Presentation: My Spring Green Tea Sourcing Trip to China, Southbridge Library, Southbridge MA. Mary Lou’s photojournalism presentation on her trip to Mainland China in Spring 2000. Read more about 2000 Trip to China:

*PDF file
 

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