Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
LISA DENTON: Barry, I'm thinking I could learn a few kitchen tricks at the Taste of Home Cooking School at the Tivoli Theatre on Thursday. I'm also thinking that, if there's anything Courters' Kitchen has taught us when it runs on the first Wednesdays in the Life section, is that your dear wife could probably lead one of these expos.
BARRY COURTER: As long as people don't mind watching her read a dozen cookbooks and change her mind a half dozen times before beginning to cook. I'm not complaining at all. It's her process and it works. She would be the first to tell you she'd never make it on any of the food competition shows.
LISA: I got excited when I looked at the website, www.tasteofhomechatt.com, because there's a section where you can shop for cookbooks and gadgets from the show. There's a cake cutter that looks like a carpenter's hand saw, a pizza cutter that looks like a circular saw, salad servers shaped like hands, some gnarly-looking meat shredders called Beast Clawz and Star Wars stormtrooper salt and pepper shakers. I know it's bad form to play with your food, but there's no law against having stuff that helps you enjoy cooking, serving and eating it.
And the Taste of Home Cooking School culinary expert, Michelle "Red" Roberts, is said to be a pro at making the recipe demonstrations enjoyable.
BARRY: I need that pizza cutter. It will go with my sausage-slicing chainsaw.
LISA: Knowing you, it's an actual, full-size chainsaw. But I'm still jealous.
BARRY: The Tivoli will be busy this week. The boys from Texas, ZZ Top, are there Tuesday, My Morning Jacket is there Wednesday and Blackberry Smoke plays there Friday.
My Morning Jacket, one of my favorite newer groups, is sold out. I've only seen them in festival settings, where they are really good, so I'm looking forward to seeing them in a smaller room like the Tivoli.
LISA: And don't forget we're coming up on the weekend before Halloween, so there are haunted houses and pumpkin festivals and trunk-or-treat events aplenty.
BARRY: I also hope to get over to the Jewish Cultural Center on Thursday for "Old Jews Telling Jokes." Here's my favorite:
A son calls his mother and asks how she is.
"Not well," she says. "I'm very weak. I haven't eaten in a month."
"That's terrible," he says. "Why?"
"If you should call, I didn't want to have a mouth full of food," she says.
LISA: Love it. Jews don't have a monopoly on mother guilt, but they may do it better than anyone else.
I've always liked this poem:
Roses are reddish.
Violets are bluish.
If it wasn't for Christmas,
We'd all be Jewish.
This is a national touring company with a cast of five delivering one-liners, double entendres, songs and skits. The press release says that, if you've ever had a mother, visited a doctor or walked into a bar with a priest, a rabbi and a frog, this show's for you.
Get event details every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281. Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.