Date: Fri 28-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Civale-continuing-ed-cooking

Full Text:

Eating And Laughing All The Way Through Final Exam

BY DOROTHY EVANS

The marks are in and every one of the 12 enrollees in the first graduating

class of Cosmo and Sheila Civale's Cooking-By-The-Seat-Of-Your-Pants

University passed with flying colors.

"Whenever I see you guys, I'm always going to have my plate and silverware,"

said Susan Heithaus as she handed over her final exam in a Pyrex dish.

It was Boneless Chicken with Peach Salsa , cooked an hour earlier and ready to

eat as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, Mrs Heithaus did not get full credit on the exam because,

although she remembered to bring along copies of her recipe typed in Signet

Roundhand ATT, she had neglected to three-hole punch them.

Signet Roundhand ATT was the special computerized font style that Cosmo had

used for his own recipes, the ones that he demonstrated in front of the class

every Thursday night during the four-week Newtown continuing education course

titled, "Cooking with Cosmo."

The course was held in the home economics classroom of Newtown Middle School,

where students watched Mr Civale cook and learned his techniques and

tricks-of-the-trade (like crushing a garlic clove with the flat side of a big

knife, rather than peeling it, to remove the skin).

Not only were they educated by Cosmo, they were entertained by his flamboyant

presentation that was often accompanied by brandishing gestures with wooden

spoons and by Sheila's anecdotal commentary.

Then, having brought along their own plastic plates and silverware, the

students sampled the evening's lesson, progressing happily through four

different class sessions that were based upon "Pasta Pasta Pasta," "Southwest

Night," "Comfort Food," and "Year Round Barbecue."

On Thursday, November 20, it was Final Exam Night, and a fifth, or bonus,

class session was being hosted by the Civales in their Crabapple Lane kitchen.

The assignment was to bring a favorite dish and recipe to share.

After the students dipped their crackers into Jennifer Sawyer's Warm Crab and

Artichoke Dip and slurped spoonfuls of Ann Montgomery's delicious Mexican Soup

served in styrofoam cups, everyone including the two Chief Chefs declared the

final class assignment had been a winner.

"We do everything standing up, even eat soup," said Cosmo.

Hectic Schedules

The change in venue from Newtown Middle School to the Civale's cozy kitchen

bothered no one, least of all Cosmo and Sheila.

"We had to schlepp all our stuff to and from the middle school every Thursday

night, including pots, pans, utensils and cleaning materials, not to mention

all the ingredients and spices we needed for each meal," said Cosmo.

"It seemed like every week we would forget something," he added.

At the end of their full day at Darien High School, where Sheila teaches

chemistry and biology and Cosmo is district technology coordinator, the couple

would shop at the Monroe Big Y for groceries and then complete their hour

drive home to Newtown.

Packing up the evening's course material and meal, they drove over to the

middle school to meet their class.

"It was like, at the end of our day we began another day. But we really

enjoyed it," said Sheila.

She called their kitchen collaboration "truly a joint effort." It is a cooking

style that they have developed in their "everyday life" and carried over into

the continuing ed class.

"We call it cooking-by-the-seat-of-our-pants," Cosmo said, because "working

full time, we cook on the fly. Sometimes we don't know even what we're going

to cook until we cook it!"

But the many different recipes the Civales have developed over the years do

share certain similar characteristics. They rely on tasty combinations of

garlic, spices and Italian sauces, and they are relatively simple and quick to

prepare, if a full stock of spices and basic ingredients is kept on hand.

"Come see my auxiliary pantry," Cosmo said, as he opened a closet door with a

flourish, revealing several shelves filled with mega-sized spice jars and

canned ingredients in restaurant quantities.

"We cook for our four children and their friends, and then send them back to

college or work with leftovers in Costco containers," Sheila said.

Cosmo said he first learned cooking from his father and grandfather while

growing up in Stamford and, later, while working in his aunt and uncle's

restaurant.

"I have always loved to cook. My recipes are based on what I remember eating

as a boy."

He and Sheila hope to publish their first cookbook sometime in the spring or

summer, he said. "We only have a few more recipes to finish. It's only a

matter of time."