Glens Falls FSC Finds Recipe for Success
By Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz, special to U.S. Figure Skating Online
 |
Club members are excited to introduce their new cookbook Figure Skaters Favorites: A Collection of Recipes from Figure Skaters around the World.
"I remembered a cookbook our elementary school had done many years ago to raise funds for the PTA, and I thought it might be fun to do a similar project with the club since we needed a good fundraising project," Glens Falls FSC President Michelle Capron said. "I originally thought it would be fun to include a few famous skaters, and as it began to grow, it blossomed to a book filled with recipes from skaters all over the world."
Capron immediately started making a list of all the elite skaters she could think of, and then looked online for contact information. Several of the skaters were coaching, so their e-mail addresses were readily available. She also contacted IMG, Skate Canada and U.S. Figure Skating for assistance in locating skaters, and when Facebook and Plaxo became popular, she contacted skaters through those sites.
Of the 1,100 skaters she contacted, Capron received recipes and responses from about a quarter of them.
"I think everyone including me has been amazed by how many of the skaters responded and by their enthusiasm," Capron said.
The cookbook includes recipes from Oksana Baiul, Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, Todd Eldredge, Debi Thomas, Rachael Flatt, Adam Rippon and many more current and former skaters.
"We wanted to include a wide variety of current and past champions as well as adult skaters and up-and-coming skaters," Capron said.
The book is professional looking and extensive. It has a ring binder-style cover and category dividers, and features recipes for appetizers and beverages, vegetables and sides, main dishes, breads and rolls, desserts, cookies and candy, and a miscellaneous section called "This and That."
The book includes a 24-page section with bios of each of the contributors. There is also a section on entertaining and helpful cooking tips, a pocket page to store recipes and a plastic stand, which can display the open cookbook upright on the counter while cooking.
"Once the project began to grow, we really wanted it to be a nice, high-quality book as well as a fun project," Capron said.
 |
"I grew up in the northland, where I learned to skate outside," Ladwig said. "Nothing was better than coming in from the cold and having mom's Tater Tot Hot Dish. It has been a favorite of mine since I was little."
Militano, who admits to having "a huge sweet tooth," submitted her recipe for zucchini bars.
"If you tasted them, you would know why they are my favorites," Militano said.
Courtland Kelly went for her favorite: "Karen's Super Healthy Omelet."
"It is a super meal because it has two good fats (olive oil and avocado), protein (eggs), fiber (black beans) and vegetables (spinach and tomatoes)," Courtland Kelly said. "What is unique is that it is easy enough to make at home."
Capron is pleased that the book will be sold and promoted throughout the club's upcoming 30th anniversary events. The book makes the perfect gift for any cook or skating fan.
"I think everyone has been thrilled by the way the book turned out," Capron said. "We are so proud of it, and we are also so excited because we have received orders from people all over the world, and the reaction from people who have received them so far has been great." Cooks - and wannabe cooks - can visit the web site www.skaterscookbook.com for more information.
