Many of you know I occasionally cater a wedding or special event for my in-laws at their Inn in Vermont. The Chipman Inn can really only hold 25 people or so for a sit down meal comfortably, and that’s if the people all really, really like each other. So for a function exceeding that number we move the party next door, to the Ripton Community House.

So do I make magic when I cook? Not really, but sometimes, when my meat thermometers don’t agree or the timing is slightly off and I need to pull off what feels like a miracle I think I’ve experienced a bit of magic, or possibly divine intervention.

The community house is a gorgeous old building, with huge, multi-paned windows and wide plank wood floors. It hosts the Ripton Community Coffee House, a non-profit concert series held the first Saturday of each month, and can be rented for a nominal fee for events such as the wedding we catered in September. The bridal couple had chosen it as their venue and we’d discussed the details, so all that was left was to execute the plan!

Click on image to view full size

And I don’t know if it’s the Vermont air or the kind of people the area attracts, but, knock on wood, I’ve not been plagued by any bridezillas or obnoxious parents. This couple was no exception. They were lovely. They weren’t kids and had actually been together for many years, so they wanted a tasteful, quiet event with colors to celebrate the fall foliage, and really good food. We put together a beautiful menu, with appetizers of smoked salmon with a sour cream, caper and red onion sauce, a caramelized onion, squash and apple galette, and spanikopita. Their main courses were roasted salmon and mustard and herb crusted beef tenderloin. There was vegan paella, sesame green beans, red potato salad and an arugula, fresh corn and tomato salad to satisfy the vegetarians and provide plenty of sides for the main courses, and carrot was their choice for the wedding cake. And I threw in some apple cider caramels for their guests to savor on the way home.

Click on image to view full size

With the onset of Pinterest there will never, ever be a boring wedding again (or Halloween party, but that’s next week’s post). So I also arranged to do the floral decorations for the space, and had great fun capturing the essence of the season with arrangements of coral, mango and burgundy roses, mini calla lilies and mums with fresh eucalyptus in orange and white pumpkins, sunflowers with willow branches, and hay bales dressed for fall.

Click on image to view full size

Putting together an event for appreciative clients is ever so satisfying. Multiply that feeling by five when a bride and groom are happy. They had to write one check for their whole event, every guest complimented them (and us) for the food and décor, and the bride’s sister described the whole evening as “magical”.

So do I make magic when I cook? Not really, but sometimes, when my meat thermometers don’t agree or the timing is slightly off and I need to pull off what feels like a miracle I think I’ve experienced a bit of magic, or possibly divine intervention. That night I held my breath, sliced the tenderloin and found the middle to be a perfectly cooked medium rare. Whew!

Yup, magical.

Deborah