DIA showcases chefs and mixologists with virtual series for Black History Month

This Black History Month, the Detroit Institute of Arts has a special, socially distant series for home cooks and craft cocktail fans featuring some accomplished Detroit chefs and bartenders. 

Each Wednesday in February, tune in online to its Wind Down Wednesday series and watch a chef prepare their favorite meal, followed by a bartending lesson from a local mixologist. Each duo's free demonstration will be followed by a question and answer session. 

"I am very excited to have been chosen for such an esteemed project," said Detroit bartender Melanie Mack, who is paired up with prolific chef Max Hardy on Feb. 10. 

"For my aperitif cocktail, I concocted something fruity, bright and effervescent," she said. "For my second cocktail, I went a completely different route, making something very savory with notes of salinity."

The 6:30 p.m. series kicks off Wednesday with a beef-centric entrée from Kyle L. William and drinks from Jennifer Peeples. Poultry is on deck Feb. 17 with chef Angela Michelle and mixologist Devan Clark. 

Vegetarians should tune in Feb. 24 when Gabriel Hall chef Ederique Goudia teams up with sommelier Randall Coats. Goudia will make Gumbo Z'herbes, which she says is an abbreviation of gumbo aux herbes, or "gumbo of greens." 

"It is also a traditional Holy Thursday meal for Catholic families in and around New Orleans," she said, adding that the Gabriel Hall version is vegetarian to honor the Catholic tradition of not eating meat during Lent, which begins Feb. 17.

All online events are free to view on the DIA's social media channels at facebook.com/DetroitInstituteofArts or youtube.com/c/DetroitInstituteArts. 

For more Black History Month programming from the museum, visit dia.org/BlackHistoryMonth. 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens