Cornish Colony Museum & Spanierman Gallery, LLC cordially invite you to a benefit reception for the Cornish Colony Museum on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 from 6-8pm at Spanierman Gallery, LLC New York, NY

$50 per ticket
Silent auction and hors d’oeuvres
Wine tasting sponsored by
Frederic Mallo Vineyards, France
Martini bar sponsored by
Vermont Gold Vodka

RSVP to
fionna@spanierman.com

Checks to be made payable to the Cornish Colony Museum, a 501C3 non-profit organization.
Your ticket price will be tax deductible as allowed by law.

Cornish Colony Museum 147 Main St., Windsor, VT (802) 674-6008
Spanierman Gallery, LLC 45 E 58th St., New York, NY (212) 832-0208

The Foliage season is in it’s brightist color now – join us in the historic mansion, just minutes away from the gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, NH and just 20 minute ride to Woodstock, VT – the most “quintessential New England village”. Come and enjoy the intimate nights by the fire and enjoy dinner at the Inn.

The VINS 2nd Annual Mountain Wine & Cheese Festival was held on Sept. 12 -09 and Juniper Hill Inn was there serving Apple Cider Pumpkin Soup and Apricot stuffed Pork Loin w/Moroccan Spices and Grand Mainer Caramel Drizzle – It was a great night to meet all the supporters of nature vild life.

Rachael Ray arrived last month on horsback and had dinner with her husband and our closest friends and guest. Sophie and Simba both had their moment on her lap and her dog Isaboo played with a ball on front lawn.
Moore to come.

‘People Will Always Get Married’
By Chris Fleisher
Valley News Business Writer

Florists, innkeepers, photographers and caterers all have their financial peaks and valleys. But from April to October, they can almost always depend on one part of their business, no matter the economic circumstances of the moment.

“Some believe weddings are recession-proof,” said Judy Risteff, owner of the Vermont Wedding Association. “I believe they are because people will always get married.”

That conventional wisdom has so far proven mostly true for many of the Upper Valley’s vendors.

Wedding party bookings at the Hanover Inn, for example, have doubled from last year, according to the inn. And photographers, including Paige Hiller in Woodstock, say they, too, are busier.

For many of these businesses, weddings are a vital and stable revenue stream, accounting for more than half of annual sales in many cases. But as nearly every sector of the economy has learned, no one is entirely insulated from the current economic crisis.

The wedding industry may have proven remarkably resilient, but the small business owners who depend on it say they must work harder to convince couples their services are worth the expense.

“I think that the scare of the economy, and the threat of potentially not having a job next quarter is actively holding people back from a lot of things,” said Robert Dean, co-owner of the Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor.

Bookings this year have come later than normal, Dean said last week, with people making reservations closer to the actual date of the wedding. In January, Juniper Hill had just three weddings planned for the year, or about one-third the usual number. Activity picked up in the spring, and it now has eight weddings for 2009. But couples are much more cost-conscious, Dean said, no matter the size of the budget.

The July 4 weekend, for example, the inn hosted a three-day affair that cost an estimated $60,000, he said. Everything turned out fine, Dean said, and the guests seemed to have had a great time. But halfway through the planning, the bride’s father lost his job.

“Knowing that he lost his job made us more aware of cost,” Dean said.

Other customers have cut certain options, like going without a tent, he said. It’s a risky bet, especially given the recent rainy weather, but one couples are willing to make to save money, he said.

Lloyd Gabourel, the assistant general manager at Home Hill Inn in Plainfield, said weddings have always been budget-conscious occasions, and they are even more so this year. Some are going with cash bars instead of an open bar and opting for a disc jockey over a live band.

“We’re finding that people with larger budgets are prioritizing more than they have in the past,” he said.

Still, those concerns haven’t hurt the actual volume of bookings. The inn has been chasing wedding business more aggressively since coming under new management a year and a half ago.

As a result, it has more than doubled its number of weddings — from five in 2008 to a dozen this year — and already taken a reservation for 2011, he said.

Florists also have reported steady volume. But do-it-yourselfers have cut into the size of some jobs, said Morgan Perrone, a floral designer at Valley Flower Co. in West Lebanon. Perrone said Valley Flower relies on weddings for half its annual revenue. This year, she has about 40 jobs, the same number as 2008. However, people want only the essentials.

“What I’m finding is people are choosing to do their own centerpieces and having us do personal things, like corsages,” she said.

The orders also have been coming in later. Usually, she hears from brides months in advance. The wedding party she has this weekend hired her just three weeks ago, she said.

Carolyn Sailer, who owns Christophe Chef Services in Brownsville with her husband, Chris, said she also has noticed later bookings and smaller parties. Typically, Sailer said, they work with weddings up to 400 people. This year, the larger ones have come in at around 250.

“We’re finding that we’re having a lot of smaller jobs,” she said.

Realizing that late bookings and a desire for flexibility were becoming the norm, Blood’s Catering in Hartford partnered with the Upper Valley Events Center to set up a semi-permanent tent at the Events Center’s Norwich complex.

It’s a risk, said owner Mike Blood, but one that he is willing to take if it means some extra business. It will save them time and money in setup and breakdown costs, and could lead to a catering job if someone chooses to rent it.

“We’re hoping to capture those last-minute changes, and it’s also discounted,” Blood said.

Wedding catering is a substantial part of Blood’s business, especially as corporate functions drop off, he said. Blood underscores the fact with his marketing: A slide show on the company’s Web site has alternating photos of a bride and bridesmaids, champagne corks popping and elegant tent parties.

The company has a small room at its Route 5 facility dedicated to showing off its event offerings. Tables with formal place settings and serving equipment are on display by the front entrance.

Blood has about 35 weddings this year, which is down a little, but nothing too concerning. It has helped support him this summer as business events taper off. “Thank God we’re in the wedding business because the corporate is soft,” Blood said. “If you’re only in corporate catering, you’re in deep doo-doo.”

Small extras — another hour from the photographer, a few dollars knocked off on the table and chair rental — have proven to be an important incentive this year, said Risteff of the Vermont Wedding Association. More important than the actual price, she said, is that people feel they are getting good value.

“If you can offer the slightest concession, it doesn’t have to be a huge monetary concession,” Risteff said. “Spend another hour taking pictures. That’s what these couples are looking for.”

Hiller, the photographer in Woodstock, competes on value rather than price. Quality, combined with some savvy online marketing, has helped her double her wedding business even as she increased rates.

“They’re not spending less on photography,” she said. “They’re cutting corners in other areas.”

Julie Ireland, a photographer in Hartland Four Corners, said she has included a couple of freebies in her package, such as an “engagement portrait” of the couple before they get married. She doesn’t try to sell herself on price, however.

“I treat my clients very personally,” she said. “Little things like that mean a lot to people.”

And as with the florists, the innkeepers, the chefs and everyone else, Ireland sees herself as providing a critical service to the couple getting married. This, ideally, is a one-shot deal. It is one special day that her photographs will preserve forever.

And when it’s put that way, almost no one wants to get cheap.

“From my perspective, the photographs are what they have when the meal is finished and the flowers are put away,” she said. “People understand that, so they’re pretty generous toward it.”

A flavorful taste of what’s local

By CORIN HIRSCH, Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:21 PM

When Robert Dean, innkeeper at Juniper Hill Inn in Windsor, and Sara Poisson, owner of Thyme and Ewe Farm in Claremont, signed up for the annual “Flavors of the Valley” event in Hartford, they had no idea they would end up next to each other.

But fortunately, they did. On one end of the table, Poisson arranged jars of Thyme & Ewe’s jellies and preserves and spread some on crackers that she offered to visitors. To her left, Dean and chef Lyda Lemire were serving cheddar-and-ale soup (Cabot cheddar, Harpoon IPA) and sautéed beef tenderloin (Black Watch Farms) wrapped around local chevre.

The Juniper Hill folks eagerly sampled Thyme & Ewe’s jelly and it is now slated to appear on the inn’s breakfast menu.

Such is the serendipity that can happen at Flavors of the Valley, the annual meet-your-local-food-producer event that has taken place in Hartford every spring for the last eight years.

The 60 vendors that filled the Hartford High School gym Tuesday hailed from every agricultural corner — farmers, cheesemakers, gardeners, chefs, meat curers, picklers, even a sauerkraut maker. Most of their tables were full of free samples as well as produce for sale, like meat, cheese and herb and vegetable seedlings.

“This is their chance to meet the farmers face to face,” said Lisa Johnson, director of Valley Food & Farm, the event’s sponsor and a nonprofit organization that aims to connect people with local agriculture. Valley Food & Farm in itself is a program of White River Junction-based nonprofit Vital Communities.

“Until you meet a farmer face to face, sometimes it doesn’t click. You get the story behind the food,” she said.

Dave Westover, a partner in Walpole Creamery, echoed this. “When you’re a small business, you basically build your customer base one at a time. This is an opportunity to show what we make and tell our story.”

Several farms were selling shares in their CSAs, or community-supported agriculture programs — typically a box of food that participants can pick up from farms weekly throughout the growing season.

“Once you know the farmers, you can’t wait to sign up for their share,” said Johnson, adding that the agricultural booty can be diverse even in spring and fall. “There’s lamb, eggs, milk, cheese, poultry and spring greens. You can buy locally-grown food 365 days a year.”

An hour into the event, the gym was shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people gnashing their way through jams, jellies, sausage, cheese, vegetables, bacon, teas, pickles, chili, horseradish, sauerkraut — even lamb ragu (from the Hanover Inn) and flint corn seeds. The line for organic ice cream was 10 deep, many of the faces expectant — in years past, the ice cream has run out long before the end of the event.

Johnson said that after eight years, “People learn to come early, because the samples last only as long as they last.”

The last lavender cookie disappeared from the table of Windsor’s Cider Hill Gardens around 3:15 p.m., but co-owner Sara Milek refilled a jug of lemon verbena peppermint tea with help from her stepdaughter, Chloe Milek.

The Mileks grow herbs and vegetables on a farm on Windsor’s Hunt Road and Sarah Milek loves the “Flavors of the Valley” event because of the chance to let people know about their “out of the way” garden.

“We love for people to find out about our herbs because we’re off the beaten path — you really have to look for us,” she said. Various potted herbs adorned the table and Milek encouraged visitors to rub and smell the velvety leaves of a fruit sage, an unusual type of salvia that she grows at the farm.

A few tables down, chef Jason Tostrup of the Inn at Weathersfield served up sliders from Black Watch Farms, a producer of grass-fed beef in Weathersfield.

Black Watch Farms’ co-owner Frank Manafort said their meat comes from Highland cattle, which is leaner than regular beef and can be purchased at coops in Springfield and Middlebury as well as Boccelli’s in Bellows Falls.

It is also a favorite of Tostrup’s, who slathered the burgers with a ramp aioli — a kind of mayonnaise infused with the pungent wild onions that start springing up in the woods in early spring.

Tostrup found the ramps himself that morning and loves them so much he serves them on the Inn’s menu throughout the year — he takes their green tops and purees them into a pesto that he can freeze and use whenever he wants.

This was the fourth “Flavors of the Valley” event for Tostrup, who despite his gourmet pedigree said he decided to serve up hamburgers and hot dogs this year to show people that they could eat local without dropping a fortune.

“You can eat local without spending a lot of money. These are things you can serve a family,” he said, as a steady stream of visitors picked up the burgers as soon as they hit the plate.

Two hours in, the soup, tenderloin and crackers-and-jam were still flowing at Thyme & Ewe-Juniper Hill table. Sara Poisson said that Thyme & Ewe’s proceeds go toward supporting the growing coterie of rescued farm animals that live at the farm.

“We have draft horses, 17 sheep, a cow, a pig, seven goats, roosters, geese, you name it,” said Sarah Poisson’s husband, Paul Poisson. “Once they’re here, they’re here for life.”

The Juniper Hill Inn is proud to host the first Bi- Annual Windsor Freedom Award Celebration. The inaugural honorees are Dr. Irving & Elvira Williams. Their tireless efforts in founding and funding their nonprofit organization AHEAD, has affected thousands of citizens of Tanzania by helping thousands of people develop self sustaining agriculture, clean drinking water, hospitals and schools.

The award designed by the legendary glass artisans of the Simon Pearce Glassworks in Windsor, Vermont will be presented to the Williams’ on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at the famed Juniper Hill Inn also in Windsor, Vermont. The sponsors of the Windsor Freedom Award Celebration are Juniper Hill Inn, Seldon Technologies, Simon Pearce, TourWindsorVT.com, Artisanal Cellars of Vermont, Vermont Wine Merchants Company, Harpoon Brewery, and two anonymous donors. The honorary chairs of the event are His Excellency Ambassador Ombeni Y. & Mrs. Sefue of the United Republic of Tanzania and Co-chairs Robert Lewis Dean, II & Ari T. Nikki.

The Windsor Freedom Award was founded by a distinguished committee of Vermonter’s to highlight the many firsts that the State of Vermont, and the town of Windsor, have forged in its history, including: the first state to abolish slavery, the first state to allow non-land owners to vote, the first state to allow equal opportunity for education to women and more recently the first state to allow marriage to all its citizens by popular vote. These deeply forged principles are what form the basis and spirit of the Windsor Freedom Award. Each recipient must have, in some significant way, contributed to the quality of life of others and offered them opportunities to pursue their lives and God given freedoms. The Williams have enabled an entire generation to have opportunities that did not exist before they came to the regions in which they work. They have offered thousands of individuals the opportunity to be free from disease, hunger and the opportunity for quality education and; in turn, the ability to realize their purpose in life. It is appropriate that this award would be born in a region known for its independence, its willing to help a neighbor in need and its independent and enlightened spirit.

Tanzanian ambassador thanks family for aid

By CORIN HIRSCH, Staff Writer
Sunday, May 31, 2009 8:37 PM

http://www.eagletimes.com/ET/LocalNews/story/090531-ch-tanzania-story

WINDSOR — The Tanzanian Ambassador, Ombeni Y. Sefue, and his wife, Anita Sefue, traveled to Vermont for the first time this weekend to honor the work of two people who have worked for almost 30 years to improve public health in their country.

The newly-minted Windsor Freedom Award was presented to Dr. Irving and Elvira Williams at Juniper Hill Inn Saturday night by co-owner Robert Dean, and Gov. Jim Douglas was also on hand to celebrate the Williams and their organization AHEAD — Adventures in Health, Education, and Agricultural Development — which works to improve public health in Tanzania and Gambia.

“We’re very pleased to be recognized by the people of the state of Vermont, and to realize there are so many that care in this area — it’s a real blessing,” said Mrs. Williams.

But there was a part two: the convergence of dignitaries, physicians, educators and scientists on the inn’s bucolic patio was also in honor of a Windsor company, Seldon Technologies, that has worked for years on a water filtration system for use in developing countries. Three of their systems, called the “Waterbox,” will be donated to AHEAD to begin using in Tanzania later this year.

Juniper Hill co-owner Robert Dean presented the award to the Williams’ while a host of state and town representatives simultaneously acknowledged Seldon’s work. Dean said he conceived of the Windsor Freedom Award because “Vermont has had so many firsts,” not the least of which was abolishing slavery in its 1777 constitution, signed in Windsor.

“Vermonters have an ethic of helping people, and this award is consistent with the values, traditions and history of the people of our state,” said Douglas.

The Williams’ live in Rockville, Md., but spend half of their time in Tanzania. They first visited the country in 1974 after Irving’s serendipitous visit to the Tanzanian embassy in Washington, D.C.

“I suspect had I gone to another embassy, we might not be here today. Tanzanians have a sense of country and nationality that is unique.”

In 1981, the Williams founded AHEAD to try and improve public health in the country.

“One of the things we saw there were that so many children were dying from preventable diseases, like whooping cough, measles and diarrhea,” said Dr. Williams. His wife is an educator, and they combined their experience to address multiple aspects of health and disease in the country. “Good health requires good nutrition. Good nutrition requires good agriculture. And education is a powerful change agent.”

Over the past quarter century, the volunteers of AHEAD have made significant inroads in public health. Among the Williams’ many accomplishments, through AHEAD they have been able to raise immunization coverage among children — from 28 percent to 98 percent in one Tanzanian district — as well as expand family planning, reduce malnutrition, construct six health care centers, and provide school scholarships to more than 500 young people.

Ambassador Sefue said that lack of access to clean water remains one of the most pressing public health issues in Tanzania, and he was impressed by his tour of Seldon on Saturday morning. “One of the leading causes of death among children under 5 is intestinal problems. This technology is extremely important to us.”

Seldon Technologies sprung from the research of a Dartmouth physics post-doctoral student, Chris Cooper. “It was kind of a middle of the night idea,” he said of water filtration based on nanotechnology. “My aim was to start a nanotech company that would fundamentally address some human need — and one of the most fundamental human needs is clean water.”

Cooper conceived of using carbon nanotubes to remove bacteria, viruses and other contaminants from ground water. The carbon nanotube is particularly strong, he said, and can handle a high flow of water. The technology was so compelling that Alan Cummings, a business executive, joined Cooper in cofounding Seldon in 2003.

In 2004, the town of Windsor offered the new company $100,000 from their revolving loan fund to build their first lab in the town, and Seldon has been there ever since. A series of military and government contracts ensued, including a contract with NASA to filter lunar dust from the air. All the while, they have been improving and refining their filtration systems.

Douglas said he first learned of Seldon Technologies five years ago as the town of Windsor was luring the company to their town with development grants. He found their work “an intriguing technology. They made products that will improve the lives of people both in this country and beyond.”

The newest of Seldon’s water filtration products is a compact, lightweight filtration pack — and Cooper would like to keep working towards even smaller, even more portable water filtration solutions. His hope is that “one day every village in the developing world will have clean water.”

Robert Dean moved to Windsor three years ago to run the inn with his partner, Ari Nikki, and subsequently found out about Seldon. He was also friends with Dr. Donna Williams, the Williams’ daughter, and eventually connected the dots — Seldon’s technology would be a perfect fit for AHEAD’s work. AHEAD had engaged in several water-based efforts, including building a 50,000-gallon water catchment system for a rural health center and pasteurizing water to fight diarrheal disease.

In introducing her parents, their daughter recounted that first trip that the family took to Tanzania in 1974. “I had no idea of the impact that Tanzania would eventually have on my life. It’s amazing how much they do with so little. They have touched the lives of millions of people, and one of the most important things they taught me was that we are a global community and we have a responsibility to each other,” Donna said.

In accepting the award, Irving joked that the second Seldon headquarters would soon be in Dar-es-Salaam, though the company did not know it yet. He also urged those attending to work toward reducing maternal and newborn mortality rates in the developing world, which remain exponentially higher than rates in countries such as the U.S. and Japan.

Resting humbly on a stone wall throughout the reception was a roughly three-by-four foot “Waterbox,” one of the three 54-pound systems that Seldon will donate to AHEAD. Nearby were before-and-after pictures of its filtering prowess: a cup of yellowish-brown water (before), and another of nearly-clear water (after).

The Waterbox should be in Tanzania within a few months.

This post comes late as I am technologically challenged!  Juniper Hill Inn is pleased to announce a wine tasting dinner Tuesday, June 30, 2009 in our historic dining room.  Artisanal Cellars and Juniper Hill Inn are hosting the owners/wine makers of Chateau Camplazens from France.  Some delicious wines and outstanding cuisine will be featured and the entire evening cost just $69 plus tax and grautity per person.  Try something different from Woodstock restaurants and Hanover restaurants and come explore the Windsor dining scene. Call the inn for details and reservations.

After ten days of rain the weather could not have been better for the 4th July wedding – blue sky, 70F and no humidity. The final touch of flowers came from Northern Nursery, VT,Longacre’s Nursery, NH and Home Depot, NH.

The tent from Blood’s Catering, VT blended in the scenery on the lower lawn. The guest enjoyed the best Black Angus steaks from local Black Watch Farm, VT that were grilled just before serving by the Exec. Chef Lyda Lemire. And the mood was taken to the heights by Jerry Grimo Swing Band. The same local Vermont 10 piece orchestra that has been playing at the New Years Gala for 3 Years now on New Years Eve at the Juniper Hill Inn.

After couple of days rest we are ready for the next wedding this coming weekend July 11.

The season is starting great here at the Inn.