Snap Judgment: Cassoulet Festival at Savoy

Peter Hoffman, Savoy and Back Forty

Why host a cassoulet festival?
We've been putting cassoulet on the menu for the past ten winters, and it's really a dish that speaks the best of regional French cooking. People have a lot of memories about their time in France, and it's a dish people have a lot of love for.

Does this dish have anything to do with the recession?
This does not have anything to do with the recession. You do not write anything about the recession! There are so many things being written about the recession. We did a Mardi Gras thing over at Back Forty, and it was [tied into] the recession by the press. We're interested in doing things with holidays and dishes that speak about culture. It has nothing to do with the economy.