The "Gourmet Getaway" at Seven Springs

Well we're back from the "Gourmet Getaway" at Seven Springs Ski Resort. What an awesome weekend. It's one of the best times Dee and I have had on a "getaway" trip experience. The accommodations at the Resort are first rate. And the food was phenomenal. Every meal was like a banquet and the chef's banquet was like a formal wedding reception with chair seat covers, cloth tablecloths and napkins and each course of the meal announced as it was being served.

The process was that we'd have a class where the chef would prepare a meal for a few people and explain every step of the preparation process and why he used the various ingredients he did. Then later we'd have a full meal (all 240 of us) with food made from the recipes just demonstrated.

There were about 8 chefs there for the weekend. You could chat with them on a one to one during the weekend and ask all the questions you could think of. They even sat at our tables so we could gt to know them better.

Dress was casual all weekend, however, some people dressed up for the "Chef's Banquet" on Saturday night. Among my favorite dishes was the crab cakes. I also like the risotto. The packets we were given had the bios of all the chefs and the printed recipes of the meals they were making.

This was the "first annual" such event. They're planning on doing it again this same weekend in January next year and we already have our name on the list to be notified as the date rolls around again.

We learned about the weekend by an ad in the newspaper. But it seems most of the people there either received a postcard or an email inviting them to it. The guy in charge indicated that they used the mailing list from "Bon Appetite" subscribers who had indicated on a survey card that they were interested in "cooking."

The people attending seemed to be from all walks of life and were in our age range give or take 10-15 years. But most were about our age. We met some really nice people. Two gals we hung out with and ate with a lot were Linda and Susie. Two ladies who were best friends for many years. Linda lives at the resort and has worked there for 23 years. Susie has a "primitive American" gift shop off Route #19 near Washington, PA called "Heart's in the Attic".

The "blind wine tasting" and the seminar on cheeses, oils and salad presentation were eye opening to me. They especially whet my appetite for learning more about cheeses. They had some cheese there was just outa this world. One bite just exploded in your mouth with flavor. We also learned how to "eat" cheese, swirl our wine and what to look for as wince sits in your glass. Lots of fun.

The last seminar (Sunday morning after a cordon blue and lamb breakfast) was called "Deja Brew" and was taught by a "brew master" from Starbucks. She told us with the use of PowerPoint about the history of coffee; the processes used to pick and prepare the beans; and how coffee is made. She also talked about the various nuances of coffee's aromas and how to store coffee properly. I didn't know there were citrus, smokey, floral, chocolate, and earthy notes in what makes coffee smell so good. We actually "tasted" some coffee there and then paired it with chocolate truffles.

Some people took advantage of the sleigh rides each night and the "grooming machine rides" as well. Some spouses were there and went skiing while the other one attended the classes. At the end the management of Seven Springs invited us to stay another day at 50% off. Everything was first rate!

Of course while we were inside, weather was happening outside. Our car was encased in ice. It took a good 20 minutes to clear with windows of the 1/2 inch thick ice to get the doors and trunk open. However, we stayed with it and despite breaking our ice scraper we were successful. The roads home were clear all the way. However, we did note that our area had received about 5" of snow while we were gone.

Our dog, Bonz, was well cared for by neighbors who fell in love with him while we were gone. And of course we finished off the evening watching the Steelers beat the Chargers! Here's is a photo of one of the chefs - Robin Cook, of the Steeler's Super Bowl winning team. His sweet potato pic was truly delicious.