The Lyceum

The Concord Culinary Lyceum gets its name from the original Concord Lyceum founded in 1829 where greats like Emerson and Thoreau shared their wisdom of the world. The name Lyceum finds its origins in the Ancient Greek school which Aristotle ran. While we are focused on food and drink, we hope to also bring with it the philosophical considerations of our inspirations, even if that philosophy is as simple as good food, good drink, and good company brings happiness.

Recipes play a large part of what we do. We are not fixated on the science of cooking. We aim for a more rustic approach, often shunning details in favor of theme. Salt, pepper, oil, and most herbs and spices are rarely measured and any measurements given in the recipes should be used as guide, not a rule. Baking, which rarely happens here, is the exception as it must be. We prefer local food, but appreciate flavors from around the world. There is something special about eating what is grown and raised near by, but likewise there is magic in that rare ingredient brought back from travels. However, given the choice between a green pepper from Concord and a green pepper from South America, we will pick the parochial pepper when possible.