Expand Your Culinary Skills at Our Northern Virginia Inn

Learn something new during your next getaway by spending a weekend cooking with us. These getaways are held during our winter season. The cooking class weekends feature Chef Matt Finarelli. You will eat & learn how to prepare 4-course gourmet meals. Wines from local wineries will be served. See the menus below for the cooking class weekends.

Special classes for groups can be arranged – just ask!

Dates for our 2023 cooking class weekends:

January 27-28, 2023
February 10-11, 2023
March 24-25, 2023

What’s Included

2-night stay with full hot breakfast Saturday & Sunday mornings
Wine tasting with an expert from a local winery & hors d’oeuvres on Friday night
Cooking class (mostly demonstration) on Saturday night

What You’ll Do

Arrive on Friday afternoon or evening, when you’ll meet the chef and be treated to some delightful appetizers prepared for your enjoyment. We have arranged a wine tasting of Virginia wines at the inn featuring an expert from a local winery. These wines will be paired with the meal you help prepare on Saturday night.
Enjoy a full hot breakfast Saturday morning.
Explore the beautiful Middleburg area countryside on your own — we have lots of information on fun things to do in the area, such as visiting local wineries & craft breweries, horseback riding, hiking, scenic drives, shopping at the Leesburg outlets or the wonderful shops in the area, or visiting Civil War sites.
On Saturday evening we will gather in The Fox Den at Briar Patch (our event building) for the cooking class where the chef will demonstrate, and guests will help prepare (and consume!) a 4-course meal. The chef will discuss the many aspects of preparing gourmet meals, including how to prep, how to pre-cook and hold, and how best to present the dishes. And, of course, recipes will be provided. Wines will also be served with the meal.
Enjoy another full hot breakfast Sunday morning.

These are sure to be fun weekends of good wine, fine food, and new friends.

Rates for Cooking Class Weekends

Lodging:

	Cottage for 2 nights		$295 plus tax per night
	Room with a private bath for 2 nights		$210 plus tax per night
	2-bedroom suite for 2 people for 2 nights		$250 plus tax per night
	2-bedroom suite for up to 4 people for 2 nights		$290 plus tax per night

Cooking Class:

Hors d’oeuvres & wine tasting on Friday night and a 4-course meal with wine on Saturday night – $150 plus tax per person

To make a reservation, email us or call us at 703-327-5911.

Menus for Cooking Class Weekends

January 27-28, 2023 — Theme: Journey to Morocco

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres with Wine:

Roasted Peppers and Chickpeas with Fresh Goat Cheese
Individual Chicken Pastillas
Grilled Chicken Wings with Lemon and Garlic

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu with Wine:

Moroccan Cabbage and Carrot Slaw – This refreshing slaw is made with mint, honey, spices, and almonds to make for a beautiful and healthful first salad or side dish.
Moroccan Beef Tagine with Apricots and Chickpeas – The classic style of preparing Moroccan stews done with the balance of meat and fruit to make for a wonderfully perfumed and fabulous main course.
Couscous with Cucumber, Pine Nuts, and Raisins – If you’re having tagine, you need couscous. And rather than just have it plain, let me show you some fabulous ways to flavor it up to make it a dish of its own!
Olive Oil and Orange Cake – This wonderful fresh cake is made with fresh oranges, top-quality olive oil, and is perfumed with vanilla as well. A lovely fresh orange glaze tops each piece to make for one of your new favorite desserts!

February 10-11, 2023 — Theme: Valentine’s (The focus is “coupling” – all the dishes have some element of a coupling or pairing to them!)

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres with Wines from Molon Lave Vineyards:

Spinach and Red Pepper Mini Quiches
Bourbon Sesame Shrimp Couples
Potato and Leek Soup Shooters

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu with Wines from Molon Lave Vineyards:

Cacio e Pepe Pasta – The menu of pairing starts with this pasta that pairs black pepper and cheese (that’s the what the name means in Roman – “Cheese and Pepper”) in a dish that is simple with its ingredients, but takes perfect technique to pull off properly.
Surf and Turf — The classic main pairing – as we bring some wonderful dishes together
Fillet With Rosemary Garlic Butter – A beef fillet is perfectly seasoned and seared, and cooked perfectly crisp and shiny with a pan-sauce of butter, garlic, and fresh rosemary.
Lobster Tails with Cilantro, Lime, and Mango – A chef friend of mine once said, “lobsters come from the water, they should not return to it”, meaning he always roasted them. I’m going to show you how to prepare and roast a lovely lobster tail, and the fresh bright topping brings it all together perfectly!
Cookies n’ Cream Cheesecake – It’s almost impossible to pick the perfect pairing in the world of desserts, there are so many. But when I thought about the best dessert with “and” in the title, “Cookies and Cream” jumped right out at me. Making a beautiful cheesecake to round it all out is just perfect as well, and you’re going to love it all!

March 24-25, 2023 — Theme: Napa Valley Cuisine

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres with Wines from Three Fox Vineyards:

Mushroom Aioli Crostini
Brie and Raspberry Puff Pastry
Tuna Tartare with Avocado on Shaved Jicama

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu with Wines from Three Fox Vineyards:

Pear and Radicchio Risotto with Red Grapes – This recipe of mine is both in my cookbook and was published in the Washington Post! It’s one of my best risottos, and it would fit in with any Napa Valley menu.
Herb-Crusted Lamb Rack – So many people are afraid of cooking lamb rack, but my method is straightforward, brings in all the right flavors – Dijon, Mint, Rosemary – and gives you a perfect rack, every time!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pears – One of my favorite all-time roasted vegetable sides, this pairing has one of the all-time great sauces of Dijon, Apple and maple!
Vanilla Panna Cotta – This silky Italian pudding is so perfectly delicate that you can’t escape its beauty. Made with real vanilla, the result often makes me weak in the knees when I have it!

To make a reservation, email us or call us at 703-327-5911.