The Brussels sprout … it’s a leafy green vegetable that grows on a space alien-like stalk and looks like a tiny cabbage.

It’s so cute!

You want to love it, but every time you bring it home and prepare it you’re disappointed. Steam it, sauté it, broil it, bake it. Cover it with dressings and sauces, combine it with other trendy vegetables and it still leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

Often forgotten in our quest to prepare and enjoy new and novel foods is that access to such things as fresh Brussels sprouts is not an option for some men, women and children in our communities. Thanks to the passion of employees and volunteers at the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, food options are changing and increasing for everyone in our community.

The Nutrition Center’s simple belief — good food for everyone — has resulted in a number of initiatives over the years, including urban community gardens, hands-on cooking and nutrition programs for all ages, and the sponsorship of a year-round farmers’ market in Lewiston. More fresh local food now finds its way into more urban homes. To sustain the work of these important projects, the Nutrition Center hosts an annual “Soiree.”

On Friday night, Oct. 30, it was standing room only at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center on Bates Street in Lewiston for the organization’s 10th anniversary Soiree. All available tickets sold out and a long list of business and personal sponsor/donors filled the event guide. There were plenty of volunteers to help in every capacity, and most of them were veterans of the event. The social hour started promptly at 5:30 p.m. with wine from The Vault and hard ciders from Ricker Hill Orchards.

Double Z Land & Livestock’s Chris, Kate and Teo Abbruzzese — with a little help from Samantha Sawyer — set up their “Fireworks” wood-fired pizza oven near the rear entrance of the building, and the smell of roasting beets and grass-fed beef short ribs filled the cool night air.

The Good Food Bus rolled into the parking lot about a half-hour into the event and bus coordinator Annie Doran gave tours and explained how the “farmers market that shows up at your door” will be serving L/A and beyond.

Promptly at 6:30 p.m., emcee Jim Pross introduced St. Mary’s new CEO Christopher Chekouras.

“I’m the new guy,” Chekouras laughingly said, noting he was impressed by what he’d observed in his four weeks on the job, including how far “the hospital’s outreach goes beyond the doors of the hospital.”

Nutrition Center Director Kirsten Walter welcomed the guests and also honored Joyce Gagnon, who retired this year after serving as food pantry manager for 25 years.

Gagnon, interviewed during the social hour, recollected one of her first memories of running the food pantry. She said a man came in to get food to make his son a birthday meal. Gagnon recalled how she had helped this father select food for the meal and had bagged the things up for him. His appreciation of the pantry’s help was just one of many events which she said “fueled my passion for the work of the food pantry all these years.”

Following these remarks, Chef Leslie Oster from Aurora Provisions in Portland and Abigail Carroll from Nonesuch Oysters in Scarborough got to work cooking up some “Maine oysters Rockefeller.” The cooking demonstration was broadcast live in all the rooms of the center, as well as outside for those who weren’t able to get seats in the kitchen. Oster and Carroll made it look easy and do-able from a home kitchen and samples were passed to guests.

Tasting a sample, Rob Westhoven of Auburn said the dish was “awesome.” He said this was his fifth or sixth year attending the event and he started going because all of his three children were born at St. Mary’s. “I love the people at the hospital.”

He said he and his entire family also like to garden and cook and that’s part of why he supports the event. When asked about his year-to-year experiences, Westhoven said “it’s always a little different each year and I always get to try something new.”

“Like the oysters” he said, finishing the last forkful.

Oster’s second live cooking demonstration included the Double Z short ribs, cooked up into a chili with pumpkin and served with Bannock quick bread. More warm and cozy happiness in a dish was served and enjoyed all around.

Oster’s final cooking demonstration was beet ravioli with goat cheese. Using Emery Farm beets that had been roasted in the Fireworks mobile oven, she mixed them into a paste with Sunset Acres Farm and Dairy goat cheese (all the way from Brooksville). Seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper and held together by an egg, this mixture was scooped into wonton wrappers and quick boiled in small batches. The rich flavor of the goat cheese was smoothed out by the earthy flavor of the beets and served with a side of … raw Brussels sprout salad.

A few glances around the room convinced this writer that everyone was having the same unbelievable response to the tiny cabbage salad. Freaking awesome!

Happy and full of fresh, local food, guests mingled over coffee and brown paper cones filled with mini-apple doughnuts drizzled with honey. It was a perfect and sweet ending to a lovely soiree, capping off 10 years of helping bring good food to all.

Julie-Ann Baumer lives, cooks, writes, and now eats Brussels sprouts from her home in Lisbon Falls. Read her blog www.julieannbaumer.com or follow her on twitter @aunttomato.

Raw Brussels sprout salad

Leslie Oster, Aurora Provisions Maine, Portland

Serves 6

2 quarts shaved Brussels sprouts

juice of 1 lemon

1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

olive oil

1 cup or more shredded local hard cheese (Pecorino-like)

2 tablespoons of honey to taste

Toss ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste. For a variation, add 1 cup crisped pancetta.

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Bannock quick bread

Chris and Kate Abbruzzese, Fireworks Mobile Wood Fired Pizza, Turner 

Makes two 8-inch bannocks

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

5 ounces rolled oats

1 tsp salt

1/2 ounce baking soda

1 ounce honey

scant two cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a pizza stone for about 40 minutes.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the honey into the buttermilk. Stir this mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients to form a sticky dough. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Cut in half and shape into two 8-inch rounds. Flatten slightly and cut a large cross on top. Use a well-floured wooden peel to place the bannocks on the stone. Bake for 35 minutes until the base of the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack. This bread is best eaten the day made, or as toast the next day.

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Beet ravioli with goat cheese

Leslie Oster, Aurora Provisions Maine, Portland

Serves 6

2 pounds beets

8 ounces goat cheese

8 ounces farmers cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

mint and basil chiffonade

1 package wanton wrappers

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap beets individually in foil with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast beets until tender, about 20 minutes. Grate and mix with cheese, herbs, egg, salt and pepper. Chill mixture.

Lay out wonton wrappers. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture, apply water around edges of wrapper and top with another wrapper. Continue until you have 24, or mix is used up.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a soft, rolling boil. Cook ravioli in batches for 5-7 minutes. At the same time, heat butter in a small sauce pan at medium heat until gently browned.

Top ravioli with butter and serve.

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Short rib and pumpkin chili 

Chris and Kate Abbruzzese, Fireworks Mobile Wood Fired Pizza, Turner 

Serves 8

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika powder

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 pounds short ribs (bone-in, or 3 pounds boneless)

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Sambala fresh ground chili paste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 12-ounce bottles stout beer

1/2 cup strong coffee

1 ounce unsweetened powdered chocolate

1 tablespoon cornmeal mixed with 1/2 cup hot water

2 cups organic corn

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 15 1/2-ounce can black beans

3 cups more or less cubed, peeled cooked pumpkin (1/2-inch cubes). Can substitute butternut squash.

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For garnish: plain yogurt, shredded smoked Gouda cheese, chopped cilantro

Combine the chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried thyme and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or large ovenproof braising pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, brown the ribs, transferring them to a platter as they are done. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add the onions to the oil, stirring to coat and scraping the pan to release any browned bits from searing. Cook for about four minutes, until lightly browned, then add the garlic; cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in the chili paste, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and the chili powder-spice mixture. Cook for about one minute, then stir in the beer. Add the coffee, chocolate, cornmeal, corn and tomatoes. Add the seared ribs and cook, stirring a few times, until the mixture reaches a brisk simmer.

Transfer the covered pot to the oven and cook for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Stir pumpkin, black beans and brown sugar into the chili. Continue cooking until the pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Remove the ribs from the pan and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove meat from ribs (if using bone-in ribs). The meat should be fall-apart tender. Remove bones. Using two forks, coarsely shred the meat and return to the chili. Season to taste with salt. Spoon chili into bowls and garnish.

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Maine oysters Rockefeller

Leslie Oster, Aurora Provisions Maine, Portland

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 cups baby kale

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon Tabasco

4 tablespoons cream

1 bunch anise hyssop (in cheesecloth pouch)

salt and pepper to taste

24 fresh oysters, shucked, shells reserved

1/4 cup freshly grated hard cheese (Parmesan-like)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter; add garlic, kale, onion, parsley, breadcrumbs, Tabasco and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Add cream and anise hyssop, cook for five minutes. Remove from heat and take out hyssop. Press the mixture through a sieve or food mill; let cool.

Mixture may be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

Open oysters, reserving as much liquid in shell as possible. Top with 2 tablespoons of mixture and sprinkling of cheese. Broil for two minutes until cheese is browned and mixture is bubbly. Serve on rock salt.