WHERELIFELEADSYOU This month, October Kitchen celebrates teachers. On the cover, Paul shared stories about his favorite teacher, Mrs. Lucy Dembeck. While Mrs. Dembeck no longer teaches culinary arts in Connecticut, she’s still helping students find their passion. We were lucky to interview one of the greatest teachers in the world. family. Around this time, Lucy decided to retire. She spent only one year in retirement before she happily went back to the classroom. Lucy Dembeck on a Teacher’s Responsibility
“I tried to retire after 36 years of teaching, but I quickly realized I missed the kids. I didn’t want to hang out with a bunch of old people who spend all day complaining about how horrible kids are. That’s not who I am. I wanted to spend time with the wonderful kids out there who are doing wonderful things.” Lucy now works as a substitute teacher for a lovely small school system in southern Indiana. Lucy often subs for extended periods of time; right now, she’s covering for a teacher who is on maternity leave until November. In between her jobs, Lucy and her husband do a lot of traveling. They’ve been everywhere both in and out of the country, including places like Budapest and Ecuador. “Why shouldn’t I keep teaching?” Lucy asked. “I love it. It lets my husband and I keep traveling and education is a wonderful thing. A lot of people like Paul wouldn’t be doing what they love today if they didn’t have a teacher who helped open that door for them. It’s part of a teacher’s responsibility to connect the dots and help passionate students find what they love.” In 1811, a large agricultural fair was mixed into the event and in 1817, beer pubs and performers were added. Perhaps one of the most famous events during Oktoberfest is the costume parade, where men and women alike dress in old- fashioned garb and march through the streets in honor of Ludwig and Therese’s marriage. The rest you could say is history, or geschichte ! Oktoberfest in … Canada? While Oktoberfest in Munich traditionally starts on Sept. 22, the Canadians celebrate during the week of Oct. 6–14. The twin cities Kitchener-Waterloo host the largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich, boasting more than 700,000 people in attendance each year. The event has a musical concert dubbed “Rocktober” and a dog parade known as “Dogtober.” Even though the Ontario area is becoming more and more popular, you can still enjoy Oktoberfest on a budget. You can find hotels in the area and surrounding cities for well under $100 per night. Not everyone can make their way to Munich or even Canada to celebrate the fantastical event, but most areas will have something going on. If you love German culture, do a little bit of digging and you’re sure to find an Oktoberfest event near you!
“I didn’t want to be a teacher at first,” says Lucy Dembeck in a shocking revelation. “I went to college for fashion design. But I lived in a rural community in Indiana. As a child of the ‘60s, moving to New York City wasn’t in the cards. Fortunately, while I was in college, I started working at summer camps to help pay my tuition. Working with youth really changed me and I decided education was where I wanted to be. I did student teaching on a whim and 40 years later, I’m still teaching. You never know where life will lead you.” In addition to working at summer camps, Lucy also worked in the restaurant industry for many years. It was this background plus her experience as a teacher that eventually brought her to the culinary arts program in Wethersfield. Her friend and former classmate, Dan Speneas, helped start the program after seeing the need for more vocational education programs in Connecticut. After many years in Connecticut, teaching many students like our own Chef Paul Finney, Lucy and her husband eventually put down roots in Indiana to be closer to the rest of Lucy’s Roots of Oktoberfest Oktoberfest Outside Munich With Oktoberfest right around the corner, you may start hearing some of these fun sayings: “I don’t give a Schnitzel,” “Keep calm and Prost on,” or “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy beer.” But what exactly is Oktoberfest and why do so many people celebrate it? Here are some fun facts about it. Royal Beginnings Oktoberfest is deeply rooted in Munich culture. It all started with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on Oct. 12, 1810, and the citizens of Munich were invited to attend the celebration just outside the gates of the city. The celebration’s main attraction was horse racing, which was also a staple event for the next year but has since been removed from the current celebrations.
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