by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Nearly two decades ago, members of the Jacksonville Symphony Guild compiled some of their favorite recipes to create its first ever cookbook titled, “Sounds Delicious” in hopes of raising money for the organization. This year, that cookbook will be resurrected, spiced up with some help from members of the community and released just in time to celebrate the book’s 20th anniversary.
First published in 1987, “Sounds Delicious, Volume I” contained dozens of recipes on everything from syrupy confections to main-course holiday dishes and sold over 2,000 copies, according to Pat Manco, chair of the Guild’s cookbook committee. The Guild is Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s philanthropic arm. Despite the book’s success and with a large number of cookbooks available on bookstore shelves already at the time however, Manco said the guild decided not to continue to put out new volumes annually.
“So many organizations sell cookbooks. Just like bake sales, everyone has them,” said Manco. “So we decided to bring it back this year but ask the community to help add some flavor to it.”
Manco said the input from the community will also be a way of thanking them for the role they have played in continuing cultural development of Jacksonville.
“Plus, more people can use a cookbook and that’s what we wanted — something that would be all inclusive,” she said
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra reaches audiences in venues that vary from schools and senior citizen centers to stages throughout Florida and the Southeast. Over the past two years, it has become more and more “all-inclusive” by offering a wider range of performances to reach a newly shaped audience scope that includes all age groups.
It has recently teamed up with Jacksonville’s Grateful Dead cover band, the Glass Camels as part of the orchestra’s Plugged-In series and in November, it will perform alongside the Alhambra Dinner Theatre’s cast of the Music Man at Jacoby Symphony Hall for the theatre’s 40th anniversary celebration.
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra has also reached a national audience recently with appearances on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
According to Manco though, a large portion of the educational programs – including concerts, ensemble performances and master classes and the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra – depend on money from fundraisers such as the Symphony Showhouse, the Pops Series and Music for Your Eyes.
With a budget of approximately $7.9 million, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra reaches nearly 250,000 residents on the First Coast and throughout Florida each year.
“That’s why the cookbook is going to be so important,” Manco said “This will really help us not only include members of the community in a project that has meant so much to us over the years, but will also provide us with a great opportunity to raise money to continue some of our most popular programs.”
Various community members that have been invited to submit recipes but Manco said anyone can submit one of their own. For more information or to submit a recipe, call 358-1479.