The Inn At Ocean's Edge blog

Come spend an evening learning and enjoying a 4 course meal featuring dishes that celebrate the freshness of spring from our Chef Bryan Dame at the picturesque Cellardoor Winery.

We will gather in the winery’s farm house kitchen while Chef Dame demonstrates how to prepare a perfect spring meal and discusses favorite uses for seasonal ingredients. After the class we will move to the winery’s loft dinning area overlooking the vineyard at twilight to delight in dinner paired with the wines of Lincolnville’s only winery.

This cooking class is great for couples as well as groups of friends who are looking for an educational, and fun dining experience rolled into one.

The class will meet at 4pm Sunday April 25, 2010.  Space is limited so call or email soon to reserve your spots! 207-763-4478 or  email Cellardoor for more info.
This special event is $75 per person including class, dinner and wine.

Yesterday, Tim drove in with a logsplitter in his truck and Rich and his crew went straight to it. This year, we welcomed back Dylan, and together with Gordon, Kevin, Rich and Tim, the logs were flying everywhere. They worked in pairs, two at the logsplitter, two stacking and one with an axe. They sure were hungry for lunch! Now we’ll have firewood for the lounge fireplace at The Edge and the indoor and outdoor fireplaces in the Poolhouse, and our paths look lovely lined with the stacks.

-Olga

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Today's post by guest blogger Natasha Dame, manager of The Edge Oceanfront Dining.

Stagiaire – (Noun) – Singular:  A person attached to a group of professional workers for a fixed
period in order to gain experience in their specialized field; intern,
work study program.

I am planning our trip to the big city at the end of the month. The Edge's Executive Chef Bryan Dame has been invited to be a stagiaire at New York City's acclaimed wd~50 with Chef Wylie Dufresne & Pastry Chef Alex Stupak.

wd~50 opened at 50 Clinton Street, between Rivington and Stanton, on Manhattan's Lower East Side on April 9th, 2003.

The menu at wd~50 utilizes elements and techniques from a wide array of cuisines. Both Wylie and the pastry chef, Alex Stupak, have garnered praise for their inspired culinary combinations, cutting edge culinary techniques, and innovative use of ingredients.

In 2000, Wylie was a James Beard nominee for Rising Star Chef of the year. In 2004, wd~50 was nominated by the James Beard Foundation in the category of Best New Restaurant. In 2005, Restaurant Magazine (UK) voted wd~50 thirty-fourth in its annual "The World's Best Restaurants" issue. In New York magazine's 101 Best Restaurants edition (January 9, 2006), wd~50 was awarded four stars (out of a potential five) and was ranked fourth overall. In 2006, in the Michelin Guide's inaugural American edition, wd~50 received one star, which it retained in 2007 and 2008.

Alex Stupak, the pastry chef at wd~50 since August of 2006, was most recently the pastry chef at Alinea in Chicago, where Bryan was a stagiaire in March of 2008 with Chef Grant Achatz.

While Bryan is spending his days and nights on the line at the restaurant I will take some time to explore Manhattan's Lower East Side, the foodscapes of the Meat Packing District and Brooklyn. After a week in the city, Chef and I will head upstate  for a much anticipated visit to Hudson Valley Foie Gras and New York’s only whiskey producer for a little R&R before returning home to open the Edge for another wonderful season.

I promise to send notes from the road and bring back some regional favorites. Too bad pizza will not travel that far.

Cheers!

Natasha

It may not be the most American of holidays, but March 8th – Women's Day, is an international holiday and in my own family has always been celebrated. Ever since I can remember, my father always brought my mother a bouquet of tulips or wildflowers (she's not one much for roses), and then one year he started bringing me flowers too. A few years ago in a subtly poignant moment, my husband took over the tradition. Today when he suddenly needed to run to the hardware store in the middle of the day for an unmentioned item, my suspicion that he was up to something was confirmed when he returned with a bouquet of spring flowers. To all the women out there – congratulations! It's your day!

-Olga
Innkeeper

Hot off Natasha’s press:

“Chef Bryan Dame has teamed
up with Lincolnville’s own Cellardoor Winery to offer an early evening cooking
class on Sunday April 26 from 4 -7pm. Learn to prepare, present and pair a fabulous
dinner with Bryan
at the vineyard. Guests will take part in this hands on class from preparing
and plating the menu to dining on four courses featuring local ingredients
paired with Cellardoor Wines. Cost is $50 per person and space is limited for
this special event. Don’t wait contact  http://www.mainewine.com/events for reservations today.”

-Olga
Innkeeper