Winery owned by Chesterite ranked No. 1; new chef takes over kitchen at Inn at Weathersfield; designer joins Chrisandra’s firm

The Daily Meal called the winery “a leader in the use of Rhône varietals in the Paso Robles region, a leader in the fight for approval of 11 sub-districts in the area, and a leader in advancing sustainable and biodynamic vineyard practices. …”

“… this 25-year-old Paso Robles property — owned by noted wine importer Robert Haas and the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel (Rhône Valley royalty) — is as good as it gets. The wines are just amazing.”

Wineries were selected based on input from a panel of sommeliers, wine writers, chefs and restaurateurs for “what gets put into the bottle” but also considering factors such as innovation, leadership in their region and value.

To learn more about Tablas Creek, click here.

New chef at Inn at Weathersfield

The Inn at Weathersfield announces the hiring of Michael Ehlenfeldt as executive chef of the Perkinsville inn and restaurant, located at 1342 VT Route 106.

Richard Spanjian, who owns the inn with his wife Marilee, said, “We’re thrilled Michael is joining us as he is’the real deal. He grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and learned early how to garden, forage, pickle, can and butcher as a child and continues to this day. For years, he also taught cooking classes to underserved urban populations in Boston,” he adds.

Ehlenfeldt comes to the inn from Solo Farm & Table in South Londonderry, where he was a key member of its culinary team. While retaining his home in Charlestown, N.H., the majority of Ehlenfeldt’s 25+ year culinary career kept him in Boston, including 14 years as the executive sous chef under renowned chef/owner Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley Bistro.

Ehlenfeldt will develop and execute the inn’s menus for the restaurant, wedding and special events, which includes the annual farm dinner celebration. Additionally, he will be one of the key instructors in the Hidden Kitchen, the inn’s non-professional cooking classroom where chefs and cookbook authors teach hands-on and demonstration classes.

New designer to manage Chrisandra’s;
firm says farewell to two longtime employees

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hrisandra’s Interiors Hammond Hall Store, located at 122 Main St. in Ludlow,  welcomes Ana Hart as the new manager of Hammond Hall, all the while saying farewell to Ginny Snyder and Shirley Holden, who have worked at Chrisandra’s for the past 10 years.

Hart, of Manchester, will be bringing her design and retail experience. She has a degree in interior design and has spent seven years in retail, the last three of which were specifically in interior design retail.

Chrisandra’s is also renovating its on-line presence. With a new website under construction — complete with e-commerce — a Pinterest site has been launched to help customers learn more about their design preferences. It also manages a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisandrasInteriorsVermont  and a new Instagram site (instagram.com/chrisandras_interiors) will be posting pictures relating to both the store and design in general.