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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
Mary Wesley and Peter Bogdahn will be featuring crab focused recipes. About Mary Wesley
In 2006, Ms. Wesley joined the Sea Ranch Lodge as Executive Sous Chef. During her three years at the Sea Ranch Lodge, Mary made several significant contributions to the Lodge's restaurant. Mary has worked as Chef and Manager at The Food Company in Gualala, and as a Sous and Pastry chef for the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. Mary is currently the Executive Chef at the Pier Chowder House and Tap Room in Point Arena, where she has selected and developed an outstanding culinary team and created a fabulous menu that incorporates and highlights the characteristics of the Coast and its farmers and fishermen with fresh local and seasonal ingredients. About Peter BogdahnPeter Bogdahn was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where his education led him to a 4-year apprenticeship at the Porsche factory, which instilled in him a pride in precise workmanship.
Peter's boat, the familiar White Whale, is still operating out of Arena Cove when Peter is not running the pier as head Harbormaster. A harvester of salmon, live fish and crab, Peter can often be seen selling crab on the street when it is in season. Given the near impossibility of operating the Point Arena pier from the meager revenues available to it, the creative workers at the cove have devised numerous methods of raising the cash needed to keep the pier open. One such method is the very popular Harbor and Seafood Festival held each year on Labor Day Weekend. In celebration of last year's 10th anniversary festival, Peter organized and edited a cookbook, Catch of the Day, sales of which would be used to support the pier budget. The idea sprang from the fact that quite often as people are buying fish or crab off the dock, they will ask how best to prepare the catch. The idea of a collection of recipes for sale was a natural. The recipes include those of locally renowned chefs - or straight from the fishermens' mouths. Many of the unaccredited recipes are from Peter, who keeps close ties still to his German culinary ancestry while staying true to the Northern California idea of keeping it simple. The fundraising cookbook for the pier will be for sale at the workshop.
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The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA, |
Mary is a native of California and was raised and attended grammar and high school in Point Arena. Mary later moved to upstate New York to pursue a professional career in the culinary arts where she attended the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. Mary received an occupational studies degree in culinary arts and a certificate in baking and pastry arts. During her time at the Culinary Institute, Mary was also the assistant teacher for the school's formal dining room - the Escoffier Room. At Hyde Park, Mary was recognized on the Dean's list and served as the school's elected class leader for three consecutive years.
He moved to the Mendocino coast in 1981 and for a number of years operated an auto body shop in Point Arena. Health problems forced him away from the toxic environment of a body shop and led him to build (along with the now deceased Rick Bello) a steel fishing boat in 1990. Shortly after its launching he also began working for the City of Point Arena as a part-time harbormaster.
