After Dark at All Saints-A Month of Learning

Wes Stepp, executive chef at Red Sky in Duck and creator of Tastefully Fit at an After Dark class in 2016.
Wes Stepp, executive chef at Red Sky in Duck and creator of Tastefully Fit at an After Dark class in 2016.

For anyone thinking there is nothing to do on the Outer Banks in the winter, may we present After Dark at All Saints—that’s All Saints Episcopal Church in Southern Shores.

This is the ninth year for the month long event and what is offers are evening classes on everything from gourmet cooking to planning for retirement. The After Dark classes are a great opportunity to learn a little something that there never seems to be time to study.

Some classes have already filled up, so check out what’s available and spend an evening in education.

For a full list of classes, click here. There’s also registration information on the website.

Here’s a small sampling of classes that are offered.

Cooking

PORK BELLY TACOS

Friday, Feb 3

Enjoy the kitchen creativity of Executive Chef MATT PAYNE as he prepares the Bad Bean Baja Grill’s Pork Belly Taco! Students will learn how this popular pork cut is prepared, and then savor its taste with flavorful accompaniments. Space is limited to 20 with an additional fee of $5.

CLASS 815 – CAJUN SAUSAGE BREAD

Thursday, Feb 9

Are you ready to make a New Orleans treat with just the right touch of spiciness that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner? How about an appetizer that your family and friends will rave about? Join ARLINE ARNOLD for a fun and tasty evening in the kitchen. Class size is limited to 10 with an additional fee of $10.

Friday, Feb 24

WES STEPP, owner and Executive Chef of the Red Sky restaurant in Duck, believes gourmet food can be not only delicious, but healthy as well! Join Chef Wes for a special evening and learn from this experienced Outer Banks restaurateur how to create gourmet food in a healthy style.  Space is limited to 20 with an additional fee of $10.

ARTS, FLOWERS, CRAFTS & HOBBIES

CLASS 829 and CLASS 830 – SURF FISHING – Two Separate Classes

Tuesday Feb 7 & Class 830, Tuesday, Feb 14

STU BALDWIN, Past President of the OBX Anglers Club, will share his experience and know-how learned over 40 years, with over 30 years in competitive surf fishing! There are two classes to choose from.  Surf Fishing 101 (#829) is made easy for the family and will cover equipment, knot tying, bait and equipment choices, and how to read a beach.  Surf Fishing 202 (#830) is for the experienced angler and will cover advanced techniques in fishing for Reds, Specs, and Flounder plus equipment, rigging and bait choices. Class size is limited to 18 in each.

CLASS 823A – DRAWING BIRDS and FEATHERS

Tuesday, Feb 14

Join renowned local artist E.M. CORSA for an evening of drawing birds and feathers! Corsa is known for her paintings of Air Angels, birds with halos. Attendees at this class should bring a sketchpad and drawing tools of their choosing – pencils, pens, and/or markers – as well as one or more pictures of birds. Class size is limited to 8.

GENERAL INTEREST

CLASS 878 – WINE 101

Thursday, Feb 3

Join Chef and Certified Level II Sommelier DAN LEWIS of Coastal Provisions for a crash course on wine. The class will be packed with information from how wine is made, regional characteristics, and food pairings, to deciphering labels and restaurant wine lists.  Best of all, you will taste while you discover.  Plan on having dinner before class –it’s a “big agenda!” Class size is limited to 24 students with an additional fee of $10 for supplies.

CLASS 852 – BLIND DATE BOOK CLUB

Wednesday, Feb 8

JAMIE ANDERSON, bookseller at Duck’s Cottage and Downtown Books in Manteo, eats, lives and breathes books and loves introducing readers to books they otherwise might never have discovered. The $10 fee covers the cost of the book, which will be delivered to All Saints for pick-up. This could be the best (and least stressful!) blind date you ever had! There is an additional fee of $10.

The Outer Banks, WWII & the Battle for the Atlantic

JLBook Cover

World War II was fought on the doorstep of the Outer Banks. The Battle for the Atlantic ravaged Allied shipping from the Caribbean to the North Sea and the coastal waters of North Carolina saw some of the heaviest losses.

In March of 1942 more than 70 ships were sunk off the coast of North Carolina, many of them within sight of the residents of the Outer Banks. Although that month saw the heaviest losses, the battle continued throughout the war.

The human cost of that battle was brought to life in a presentation at the Coastal Studies Institute by William Geroux. His book, The Mathews Men, Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler’s U-Boats, tells the story of the Hodges clan a family of seafarers from Mathews.

Mathews, a small city on the  Chesapeake Bay just north of Norfolk was noted for its maritime traditions. Six of the seven Hodges brothers captained merchant ships during the war and two, Dewey and Leslie, gave their lives for the cause.

Geroux’s presentation highlighted the bravery and effort of the merchant marines—efforts that are often overlooked in telling the story of WWII. Geroux points out that the merchant marines suffered the highest casualty rate of any service group in war although the merchant marines were never recognized as a branch of the armed services and they never qualified for any veteran benefits.

The presentation was part of the CSI’s “Science on the Sound” series, once a month topics of interest to the Outer Banks.

The Mathews Men is available at Downtown Books in Manteo and Duck’s Cottage in Duck.

#Joelamb,jr. #downtownbooks