On Nov. 7, Ten Mile Table, the independent wine and spirits shop in the hamlet of Wassaic, will host its first Cookbook Fest and Swap. Erika DaSilva, the shop’s owner, is a big fan of cookbooks. While most people will flip to a recipe that piques their interest, she reads them cover to cover like novels. She’s already published two volumes of her community-based cookbook, “The Corner Table,” featuring recipes and writings from cooks and foodies all hailing from Wassaic and the surrounding towns. For DaSilva, community is half the reason for the event.
Spend any amount of time at Ten Mile Table, located in Wassaic’s old candy shop, and one thing will becomes obvious: Community comes first. DaSilva stops to talk with local residents as they pass by her open door, asking about health updates or letting them know she has something they requested back in stock. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that, as publisher of the hyperlocal newspaper the Hamlet Gazette, DaSilva knows more or less everything about everybody in town. But despite having all that knowledge, she doesn’t treat it like gossip. She holds it with care until the story is ready to be told — or kept forever as a secret.
Of course, sharing information is the other big reason to hold a cookbook swap. More than most forms of literature, cookbooks have one overriding purpose: to share knowledge. Over time, cookbooks have undergone a whirlwind of changes. Scholars have noted that cookbooks of the past two or three centuries often contained language that reinforced the subordinate roles of women and people of color. On the other hand, many cookbooks were written for and by women who wanted to share hard-won wisdom from their experiences in those very roles, offering guidance to others in similar circumstances.
Problematic or progressive, cookbooks are, at their essence, are a way to help others become better cooks, bakers, mixologists, gardeners or providers of sustenance. Unless there’s an amazing chef in your life, chances are many of your best home-cooked meals come from recipes that have been shared. The cookbook swap offers a chance to keep that tradition alive.
For the past two weeks, DaSilva has been busy gathering donations from bookstores, restaurants and enthusiastic members of the culinary community. Those books will fill a long swap table (though probably not 10 miles long) in the garden of the Lantern Inn, next door to Ten Mile Table and run by DaSilva’s husband, Minh Le.
That table will be the heart of the cookbook swap. No money is involved. Bring books, take books, trade with friends. DaSilva believes people who participate in a cookbook swap are there to share, not hoard, so she isn’t placing rules or restrictions on what or how many anyone can take.
Beyond the swap table, DaSilva has partnered with Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook to offer a selection of cookbooks and books about food, many chosen by chefs and friends in the culinary world.
Some of the donated cookbooks that will be at the swap in Wassaic.D.H. Callahan
Some of those friends will be on hand to share their favorite recipes for visitors to sample. Wassaic favorite Vitsky bakery and former White Hart Inn pastry chef Gaby Rios will provide baked goods. Daniel Meissner, executive chef at Willa in Millerton, will serve soups, while his longtime cooking collaborator, Wilfrido Landaira, will grill yakitori.
The Lantern Inn will offer its grandma pizza slices bánh mì sandwiches. Meatballs and other delights will come from Fat Apple Farm, a sustainable livestock farm, while oysters will come from Millbrook’s Canoe Hill. Maitri Farm in Amenia will bring certified organic produce, jams and cut flowers.
Ten Mile Table will also sell its curated selection of wines, spirits, sundries and publications, with beverages for adults and all ages available to try and to buy.
As part of the fest, DaSilva is encouraging visitors to bring recipes that are meaningful to them so she can begin another community collection. While the recipes in “The Corner Table” come from food professionals, she knows that everyday home cooks sometimes have the most hidden gems.
Whether that collection becomes another cookbook will be determined by the recipes people bring. Nothing’s set in stone, but she has faith that the community will provide.
For more information about Cookbook Fest and Swap, visit tenmiletable.com.
Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.L. Tomaino 
