Your place for arts and culture is right in the middle of Amelia Island: the Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture. Literary, culinary, visual, and performing arts – they are all there. Nine years ago, Mark and Donna Paz Kaufman opened a charming bookstore, then they added a bistro, and today their enterprise, which has evolved into Story & Song, is the heartbeat of the community.
Feeling frankly frazzled the other day, I stopped into Story & Song to recompose myself, to be around books and people who like books. Donna offered me my very own tea experience and oh, how it calmed me! A new brewing method to me, the Tea Forté pyramid loose tea infuser, made me feel I was a part of the steeping process.
The Bon Maman Tartlet was just the bit of crisp elegance I needed at this moment, although admittedly I could eat mountains of these in lemon or raspberry at any given moment. And that little dark treat I thought was dark chocolate was really toffee. ReThreaded® toffee, that is, made by a sweet group that “works with survivors of human trafficking as they restore their lives.” This morsel tastes delicious and does so much good. When you need a soothing pause amid the fast pace of your life, your tea experience awaits.
The bistro was begun by a bibliophile, who carefully plotted a bookish menu tradition that now exists in expanded editions, spinoffs, and sequels. The bistro caters private events such as birthday parties and end-of-life celebrations, ongoing community events, and public events, too. Check their calendar for the latter two.
Lifelong Fernandina girl and local Pilates expert Karen Langshaw joined me at Story & Song that day to check in on all the goings-on there. She is as enthusiastic about the entire range of offerings as I am, and now when I see her at events I know I have made a good choice. We enjoyed visiting with bistro manager Susan LeVee and hearing what she loves about being in this community. How Nancy, Dawn, Patty, Terri, and Susan manage everything from that cozy little kitchen we could not imagine.
“Ina’s Chicken Salad pays the rent,” Donna is known to say. Ina Garten, that is. Her chicken salad is popular indeed, by itself, in the ever-popular bistro salad trio, or as a take-home item. The trio is my go-to dish, as I have loved Carrot Salad since I was very little, Jacques Pépin’s Potato Salad is striking, and Ina’s chicken salad is superb. Each can stand alone or work as a scoop alongside any other bistro choice, such as Turkey & Brie with Cranberry Panini, the Little Paris Bookshop Quiche, or the Giving Tree Kale Salad. If you are new to Ina Garten, sign up for the October 20 launch party of Ina’s new book Simply Ina, where Susan will make yummies from the book.
Susan began her Story & Song chapter at a First Thursday Mindfulness & Meditation event while her husband visited with his parents. What a story it is, and it is still being written. How will your story begin? Maybe at the Lavender Harvest Tea on September 10? At the Literary Luncheon on September 15? What stories and songs lie ahead for you? Story & Song is located at 1430 Park Avenue.