July has been full of celebrations! We celebrated the Fourth of July with our family and
friends, which was closely followed with a special event featuring Wolf Trap Opera Filene Young Artists dinner- all gearing up for our Bastille Day weekend full of festivities! Our Bastille Day Cooking Demo and luncheon with our very special guest Napoleon (Neil Ruane, export director, Boissett Wines) began the day, followed by our fifth annual Waiters’ Race around our gardens. We had thirteen runners this year, and it was quite the race, with a “photo finish” for Edwin, Zach and Jose. Edwin was awarded the coveted trophy and honor of first place winner.We ended the weekend with the lovely Lynn Veronneau Duo Bastille Day Brunch, and wrapped up with the amazing FRANCE WORLD CUP WIN! Allez les bleus! Congratulations France. Well done!
July also brings inspiration for “moi” in the kitchen. We have squash, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and (finally) tomatoes coming out of our two on-site gardens. Fresh herbs are also in abundance and I’m prompted to come up with dishes that feature our home-grown produce in the most delicious ways. All of our dishes are garnished with our garden vegetables and herbs in season; and, the best part – whatever we make can be eaten outside, under the stars. We even added a Full Moon Dinner Under the Stars event on July 27th, with a garden-to-table menu!
Undoubtedly, there will be a few brutally hot summer days this month, but a chilled glass of Champagne or one of our draft craft beers with a freshly picked vegetable or tomato salad are a guaranteed antidote to the most withering summer days, especially in our brand new wine and
beer garden- the perfect happy hour spot under the shade of our giant trees..
August is around the corner, and features five special events for the hot summer months. We
continue our musical brunch series, with guitarists Alex Barnett and Jarrett Laskey; a “Chef Jacques’ Gardens to Table” cooking demonstration and luncheon, our monthly wine festival and luncheon, and a new romantic dinner series, named after my romantic cookbook “Two for Tonight”. Be sure and join in the fun.
Cheers to summer!
Chef Jacques, Paul Haeringer, and the L’Auberge Chez
François team |
