On Mardi Gras the Food Mercenary Chef Michael Niksic shared tips and free samples for a Mardi Gras Feast at the Matteson Library. He prepared Jambalaya and Black Beans and Rice. He told the history and methodology used in N'Awlins Cookin'.

He will be at the Matteson Library again on Wednesday April 13 at 7pm. The focus will be on Civil War Cooking. This date marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

Not only will Chef Niksic be featuring food, he will also display his collection of Civil War memorobilia. Chef Niksic says that he has been an avid scholar and collector of the Civil War period since he was a teen.

So register and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the era in a way that’ll please your stomach. Browse Civil War era artifacts, posters, newspapers, dioramas, and replicas. Learn which canned foods that were originally produced during the war are still available in grocery stores. Then, enjoy as Chef Michael Niksic prepares and serves a hearty farm-style corn stew and a pound cake with peaches and pecans, typical of meals consumed during the Civil War period.
Matteson Public Library is located at 801 School Matteson Il 60443
Register online at http://www.mattesonpubliclibrary.org