If so, then plan to attend the weekend cooking school this fall at Garth Newel Music Center in scenic Warm Springs, Virginia. Limited space is still available for this unique three-day school, which runs from September 15 to 17 this year.
It's a combination that adds up to an outstanding weekend getaway. (If your significant other isn't interested in the cooking part, don't worry. The Garth Newel Music Center, nestled in the scenic Allegheny Mountains, has 114 acres, and over 20 acres with woodland trails, so there's plenty of room to wander, or just relax and enjoy a book.)
Each morning, students don their festive green aprons and have fun preparing lunch. Resident Chef Ed McArdle, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, teaches the class, and enjoys orchestrating things so everyone has a fun hands-on experience cooking with a wide variety of foods. (After class, be certain to look outside for Shiloh, Chef Ed's friendly dog. Ahh, a dog's dream: to have a professional chef as an owner.)
Evenings feature an inspired concert followed by a gourmet meal. This year, Chef Ed's Cooking School will feature guest chefs Edmund Rek and Dawn Woodward. They will help to prepare a Thai menu on Friday (with such eclectic treats as a Kabocha Squash Soup with Coconut, Chili and Cilantro and Spiced Duck Breast with Bok Choy with Sweet Soy Sauce and Pickled Lotus Roots) and a Mediterranean meal on Saturday (which includes Shaved Fennel Salad with Watercress, Baby Radish and Aged Pecorino and Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Grilled Peaches and Balsamic Drizzle.)
Conversation at these meals is just as innovative because performers dine along with the guests.
Chamber Music for Everyone
At the Garth Newel Music Center, "chamber music," isn't limited to Mozart, Bach and Beethoven--although they have a generous portion of this classic style. They also feature a wide variety of other music designed for a small setting (no more than 200), such as the Piedmont blues of Cephas & Wiggins and folksinger John McCutcheon, with music by composers ranging from Ellington to Copland.
For this cooking school weekend, performances will be: Thursday - the Garth Newel String Trio, performing music by Martinu, Gliere and Beethoven, followed by a special wine dinner with wine expert Rob Crittenden; Friday - Elements of Jazz with the Justin Flynn Quintet; and Saturday - The Flynn Quintet performing the world premiere of a jazz suite written for Garth Newel and Bath County.
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