Professional chef, educator and artist Gigia Kolouch remembers people and events by what foods were being eaten at the time. Oral history became edible when her son Fred, made reservations for two at the StoryCorps MobileBooth.

2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
1/2 lg. onion, mined very finely
10 mushrooms, chopped very finely
2 cups aborio rice
pinch saffron 4-5 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1/2 -1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste…..Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil and butter. When soft, add rice and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the saffron, 1/2 cup wine and 1 cup broth and let simmer with the lid off, stirring frequently. As the liquid is absorbed, add more, a cup at a time until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the wine last. Before serving, add the parmesan cheese and let cook 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve AT ONCE with parmesan cheese. Risotto waits for no man (or woman)!

“If I make something that they taught me how to make, they’re still alive…they’ll be alive because you’re eating the food that they made.”

Married couple Jodi & Page came to the MobileBooth in Denver this afternoon to talk about the way they first met — online.

“He thought that it was sad that I would use the ‘internets’ to find someone,” Jodi said of his father.

Little did dad know, that not only would the two get married within the year, but that he would also jump on the internet bandwagon, becoming an ordained minister online so that he could preside over their wedding.

Jodi and Paige wanted someone official at the altar, but preferred that it not be a stranger. “My dad…who’s practically atheist. He got online and was able to get ordained, just like that,” said Jodi. “You can do that in Colorado.”

Opening Day in Denver was a full day of celebration. Colorado Public Radio welcomed us with open arms and bright t-shirts. Our first booth storyteller was John Kite who has played piano at Denver’s Brown Palace for over 20 years. We were also delighted to welcome Rhoda Krasner, owner of the Denver institution, Lakeside Amusement Park.

After the press conference, listening became an act of community with 12 Colorado storytellers who told their tales to a curious audience in Skyline Park. “What designs are tied up in our memories?” Storysmith Susan Marie Frontczak asked in her narrative. The ‘designs’ at this performance were diverse and colorful: Brahmans, 60th wedding anniversaries, adventures on a tricycle and Christmas trees. That was only the beginning…