Anyone who has ever been fascinated by Lucy Maud Montgomery will have a new reason to visit Norval on Nov. 23.
Author, architect and historical preservationist John Ota will be paying a visit to the hamlet on that day for a chat with locals and visitors. The subject? The humble kitchen, namely those that belonged to longtime former Norval resident and fellow author Lucy Maud Montgomery.
His talk is part of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre's celebration marking the anniversary of the Anne of Green Gables author's 150th birthday.
Ota, who penned the book The Kitchen, has explored the culinary lives of many famous and historical figures. These include the American founding father Thomas Jefferson, musician Louis Armstrong and artist Georgia O’Keefe, to name but a few.
Ota’s talk will take place at St. Paul’s Anglican Church’s, which is fitting as Maud was known to put on plays with school children in the neighbouring Parish Hall during her nine years in Norval.
Aside from Norval, Ota has visited two of her kitchens; Leaskdale Manse near Lake Simcoe and the Toronto Manse at 210A Riverside Dr. Having seen the three kitchens and read her publicly-available diaries, he has gleaned much about Maud.
Her home in Leaskdale didn't electricity and indoor plumbing, forcing her to go outside and pump the water, said Ota.
“It had no modern conveniences, but she cooked and liked to cook!” Ota added in his energetic and entertaining style. “Cooking gave her solace, gave her enjoyment."
He added: “When she moved to Norval, she probably liked to cook even more because it was a modern kitchen."
Ota’s talk will begin at 2 p.m. on Nov. 23. He hopes that audience members will come with questions for him to answer. Free-will donations will be accepted as well. Ota will be signing copies of The Kitchen, which will also be sold at the event.
