Details: This album portrait of Carlos Simon grew out of a commission, The Best Cuisine, which was funded by a grant from Chamber Music America and composed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The artists on this album presented the work's premiere in Washington, DC in 2022. At it's core is a spirit of collaboration - a coming together of art song and culinary flair, musical styles, and friendships - during a time that was otherwise quite solitary. It's text, written by baritone Carl DuPont, celebrates the craft of cooking that both he and Simon honed during the pandemic. With newfound inspiration drawn from the multifacetedness of Simon's compositional voice, DuPont and violinist Domenic Salerni, cellist Carrie Bean Stute, and pianist Efi Hackmey returned to Chiarina's longtime venue, the historic St. Mark's Church in Capitol Hill, to record The Best Cuisine and additional works for combinations of violin, cello, piano, and baritone. While Simon has more recently become known for his large-scale works, Chiarina seeks to highlight Simon's versatility and poignancy in works for more intimate performing forces.