Culinary Camps
at The Inns at St. Albans
Our name pays homage to Oscar Johnson, co-founder of the International Shoe Company, and his wife Irene Johnson, the visionary who cultivated St. Albans’ beauty and tradition of hospitality throughout the early 20th century.
April 14-16, 2023: Spring Entertaining
WITH JUDITH FERTIG
Acclaimed cookbook author Judith Fertig returns to The Inns at St. Albans to lead an exciting slate of cooking demonstrations, educational sessions and social events centered along the theme of “Spring Entertaining: Take It Easy, Make It Great!”
The daffodils are up, the sun is peeking out, and we’re getting ready for graduations, Mother’s Day, and weekends at the lake. This series of classes lets you take it easy (because you, the host, should enjoy your get-togethers, too!) with make-ahead, stir-together, all-day, easy-peasy recipes that also taste great!
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR – Judith Fertig
Judith Fertig is an award-winning and bestselling cookbook author, specializing in baking, barbecue and the regional cuisine of the Heartland, where flavor and storytelling combine. After college at Wittenberg University and Ohio State, she studied at École de Cuisine La Varenne (formerly in Paris) and The Cordon Bleu in London plus The Iowa Writers Workshop. Her food and lifestyle writing has appeared in The New York Times, The London Sunday Times, Country Homes & Interiors, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Natural Awakenings, Better Homes & Gardens, Saveur, Country Living, Fine Cooking, and Eating Well. Fertig has appeared on the Food Network and many TV and radio programs.
Author of Easy Bread: 100 No-Knead Recipes, Fertig also wrote 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Bread Recipes; I Love Cinnamon Rolls; The Gardener and the Grill; Patio Pizzeria; and Red, White, and ‘Que. The Back in the Swing Cookbook won an IACP Award. Prairie Home Cooking was nominated for both the James Beard and IACP Awards. Currently, she writes for IN Kansas City Magazine and Eating Well and blogs at www.alfrescofoodandlifestyle.blogspot.com. Fertig’s novels include The Cake Therapist and its sequel, The Memory of Lemon, which won the Kansas Notable Book Award in 2017.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday, April 14
12 p.m. – Check In at The Lodge at St. Albans
1-3 p.m. – Lunch and Learn, $70/person
It’s “Spring Break to Mexico,” and we’re making – and sipping on – margaritas while learning from Fertig how to whip up of lunch of mouth-watering queso and chips; aroasted onion, pepper and corn salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette; and oven-planked chicken breasts with chile-lime sofrito. We’ll finish off our fiesta with puff pastry churros with Mexican chocolate ganache.
3-5:30 p.m. – Leisure Time
5:30-8:30 p.m. – Happy Hour Appetizer & Signature Cocktail Demonstration, $45/person
Join us for a festive happy hour and light bites dinner in the presence of our guest chef who will cook up then serve a savory flatbread along with with a spring herb spread coupled with roasted rainbow carrot crudites. She will also demonstrate her bartending skills and show us how to serve up a Da Da. It’s sure be a great night of sipping, savoring and socializing!
Saturday, April 15
9-11 a.m. – Breakfast at Head’s Store
11 a.m.-12 p.m. – Leisure Time
12-2 p.m. – Lunch and Learn, $70/person
Rise and Shine! Fertig is back in the kitchen to demonstrating the following: Sausage, Apple, and Cheddar Plait; Savory Bread Pudding with Asparagus, Cheese, and Herbs; Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote; and Bumbleberry Crisp. Of course, guests get enjoy her creations, along with the Raspberry Rossini she’ll teach us how to mix up.
6:30-9:30 p.m. – Chef’s Dinner and Wine Pairing, $100/person
Some of the most beautiful words in the English language – “It’s Spring!” Celebrate the season with Fertig, who’s showing off Spring’s flavors and elaborating on each of the three courses as they make their way to the table that evening. We’ll start at the bar or patio of Old Barn Inn with a glass of wine, then move to the dining room for a cocktail (Prairie Kir Royale) then a meal of Farm Greens with Herbed Goat Cheese Timbales; Creole Coffee-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Creole Sauce; vegetable and potato sides; and Crackly-Top Pear Cake with Warm Pear Caramel. Each dish will be paired with a wine selected specifically for it.
Sunday, April 16
9-11 a.m. – Breakfast at Head’s Store
11:30 a.m. – Check Out
