Best of Central Vermont - Winter 2013

Central Vermont best of

winter 2013/2014 volume 2, no. 1

communities and lifestyle in the heart of the Green Mountains

winter’s

sparkle

all in the family Keeping Good Company’s Mother-Daughter Team

ladies nordic ski expo Set Free Your Inner Skier

a vast nation

Snowmobiling Over the River and Through the Woods

40 ladies nordic 52 ski expo all in the family 62 a vast nation

Snowmobiling Over the River and Through the Woods

By Tim Reynolds

set free your inner skier

by phyl newbeck

keeping good company’s mother-daughter team by mark aiken

Contents Features

58

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

holiday wonders!

Shopping and fun things to do in Central Vermont

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departments

15 Editor’s Note 16 Contributors 18 community hub 22 Occasions & About 24 Out

by Cassie Horner

68

from the kitchens of neci

30 the mother sauces

by susan salter reynolds

bright ideas

34 woodworking at its finest by david cogger

inn touch

46 stoweflake mountain resort & spa

by nancy humphrey case

51 holiday cocktails vermont style what’s cooking

68 it’s a winter wonderland by susan nye

73 central vermont dining guide calendar

76 arts and entertainment chat

80 with sue minter by stephen morris

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Central Vermont best of

winter 2013/2014 | Volume 2 no.1

Coffee Table Publishing P.O. Box 1460, Quechee, VT 05059

(802) 295-5295

www.bestofcentralvt.com Publishers

Robin Gales John Gales Bob Frisch Editor

Kate Carter Copy Editor

Elaine Ambrose Creative Director

Ellen Klempner-Beguin Art Direction/Design

Robbie Alterio Advertising Design

Hutchens Media, LLC Web Design

Locable Advertising

Robin Gales John Gales (802) 295-5295 coffeetablepublishing@comcast.net Keep us posted. Best of Central Vermont wants to hear from our readers. Correspondence may be addressed to letters to the editor, Best of Central Vermont, P.O. Box 1460 Quechee, VT 05059.

Advertising inquiries may be made by e-mailing ctpublishing@ comcast.net or coffeetablepublishing@comcast.net. Best of Central Vermont is published quarterly by Coffee Table Publishing, LLC, Š 2013. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Best of Central Vermont accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or photographs.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

SFI-00665

editor’s note

Winter is upon us.

It’s time to bring out the sweaters, scarves, down parkas, and sheepskin-lined boots.

Like the change of seasons, the transition is gradual, but ultimately the cotton tees, shorts, and sandals will be replaced by wool, fleece, and fiberfill. There’s nothing like snuggling under a blanket by a fire, glass of wine in one hand, book in the other. No doubt about it, winter is the coziest of seasons.

Winter is also a season full of holidays, gatherings, and celebrations. Planning starts early: How shall we cook the holiday turkey? Roast it or deep fry? Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or both? Does anyone care if we nix mom’s Jello salad? Apple, pecan, or pumpkin pie? Who’s bringing the wine?

And then there’s the day after, with turkey sandwiches, football games, and venturing out for a long and leisurely walk with the dog. Or perhaps your kind of adventure involves braving the crowds at the mall for Black Friday, the day that marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Religious holidays follow, but the day I look forward to most is the winter solstice. Oh joy!

The days are officially growing longer! Winter solstice is when I hang my holiday lights and bring out an array of candles. The coldest, snowiest days are just getting started, but knowing that each day that passes adds a few more minutes of light is as good a reason to celebrate as any. Bring on the bubbly!

This winter issue of Best of Central Vermont is also a reason for celebration. It marks the end of the magazine’s first year in business and the beginning of its second. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the magazine’s success. What was once a spark of an idea has blossomed into an integral part of Central Vermont’s community, and we could not have done it without the writers, photographers, designers, advertisers, and most importantly, you, the readers. I hope you’ve enjoyed our first four issues, and I promise the next four will be even better.

Everyone at Best of Central Vermont wishes you a happy holiday season filled with friends, family, good food, and a lot of winter fun on snow. Happy holidays!

Kate Carter

editor@bestofcentralvt.com

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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contributors

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be s t of centr al vermont

Susan Salter Reynolds is the editorial director/writer for Harp & Co. Graphic Design and Marketing in Hanover, New Hampshire.

For 23 years, she was a columnist and book critic at the Los Angeles Times. She has three children, Sam, Ellie, and Amelia.

A former flatlander from New York City, Phyl Newbeck lives in Jericho where she has learned to stack a mean pile of firewood. She writes for several local weeklies, biweeklies, and monthlies and is the author of the book Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.

When he’s not freelance writing for regional and national magazines, Mark AikeN of Richmond teaches skiing at Stowe and trains for marathons with his wife Alison.

They recently became involved in a new endurance sport: parenting. Contact Mark at aikenaction@gmail.com.

Writer and chef Susan Nye lives in New Hampshire and writes for magazines throughout New England. Named one of the Top 100 Foodie Bloggers of 2012 by BlueStar Range, she shares many of her favorite recipes and stories about family and friendship on her blog at www.susannye.wordpress.com.

Jeb Wallace-Brodeur grew

Tim Reynolds writes from

up in Montpelier and graduated from Middlebury College. He is Chief Photographer at the BarreMontpelier Times Argus, where he has worked for more than two decades. His work appears regularly in Seven Days, Vermont Life, and other regional and national publications. He lives with his wife and son in Montpelier.

When not out shooting, Jeb is usually skiing, biking, or hiking in the Northeast. Contact him at jebcas@gmail.com.

his home in Winooski, Vermont.

His work has been published in Middlebury Magazine, Ski Racing Magazine, Adirondack Explorer, and other regional publications. A native Vermonter, Tim is an avid skier, climber, runner, and biker.

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

www.bestofcentralvt.com

best of central vermont online More than a Magazine—a Community Hub!

Central Verm ont best of

WINT ER

COM MUN

ITIE S AND LIFE STY LE

2013/ 2014

VOLU ME

2, NO. 1

IN THE HEA RT OF THE GRE EN MO UNTAIN

S

winter sparkle ’s ALL IN THE FAM

Best of Central Vermont is taking the charm and identity of the towns we live in and giving them a home online, with all the connectedness and convenience of the 21st century. There’s nothing better than the feeling we get from the place we call home. The familiar faces and places we see everyday are the foundations of treasured memories—the markets we visit to buy ingredients for supper, the park where our kids learned to play ball, the trails where we walk our dogs, the coffee shop where we catch up with friends.

Now we’re adding fresh ways to interact with the great people, places, and happenings that make our communities unique. Stay connected and go behind the scenes with us. Comment on articles, enter and vote in contests, and help create a showcase of what makes us special.

ILY Keeping Good Company’s Mother-Daughter Team

LADIES NOR

Set Free Your

DIC SKI EXPO

Inner Skier

A VAST NAT

Snowmobiling ION and Through Over the River the Woods

At www.bestofcentralvt.com you will find photo galleries of our magazine’s stories, a comprehensive calendar of community events, contests from local merchants, and opportunities to share stories and photos.

In our last issue we held a fall foliage photo contest and we present the winning photos here.

Congratulations to winners Janice Hurley and Julie Atwood, and thank you to everyone who submitted photos.

Julie Atwood got the fall colors just right in the woods near her home in Northfield.

eNewsletter Sign up for our newsletter www.bestofcentralvt.com Our newsletter includes up-to-date info on: • Local event listings from our online calendar • Special offers from Best of Central Vermont and local businesses

Janice Hurley took this photo from her porch in Waitsfield.

• Insights from our communities and towns, and much more . . .

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CLICK ON OUR ONLINE CALENDAR TO SEE LOCAL Januar EVENTS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND YOU CAN ADD YOUR OWN EVENT FREE!

like us www.facebook.com/BestOfCentralVermont

Follow us on Twitter @bestofcentralvt

Special thanks to Stowe Soaring for sponsoring our photo contest. For more info about their glider rides go to www.stowesoaring.com.

are you a blogger at heart?

Do you want hands-on experience in the world of professional blogging? If so, this could be your lucky day. Bestofcentralvt.com is looking for a blogger. Is it you? For more information contact Kate Carter, editor@bestofcentralvt.com.

occasions

All photos by Hilary Ostrout

Barre Opera House Annual Gala

The Great Gatsby Held on October 19, 2013, at the Capital Plaza in Montpelier, the annual dinner party is the Barre Opera House’s biggest fundraiser.

Attendees dressed in the style of the Roaring Twenties, an era of extravagance and romance, as reflected in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The evening included a four-course meal, silent auction, entertainment, and dancing to the music of the acclaimed Vermont band The Hitmen.

1

2

5 1 Parker Nolan and Kit Gurin “spread the news” about the silent auction!

3

2 Barre Opera House board member Jan Tobias and box office manager Cindy Campos “moll it up.”

3 George and Linda Milne grace the dance floor with their inimitable style!

4 Left to right standing: John Steinman and Lynn Addiego Steinman, Shannon Blais and John Mayfield. Left to right seated: Steve and Ann Gurin, Jennifer and Jeff Ciochetto.

5 Left to right standing: Steve Pappas, Dan Casey and Donna Barlow Casey, Ashley Couture. Left to right seated: Kristen Fletcher, Tony (Scar Face) Campos and Cindy Campos, Ken Couture.

We’d love to hear about your event.

Please send photos to editor@bestofcentralvt.com

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

4

out and about

by c assie horner

gmc

winter hiking festival A celebration of winter, regardless of how much or how little snow falls, can be found at the Green Mountain Club’s Winter Hiking Festival. The festival takes place at GMC’s headquarters in Waterbury Center on February 6. Strap on your snowshoes and head out with others to climb a mountain or walk through the woods. No snow? No problem: clip the micro spikes onto your boots and hit the trails with experienced guides.

This year is the first year of the name change of this event, once known as the Green Mountain Club Snowshoe Festival. GMC executive director Will Wiquist explains that the unpredictability of snow cover in recent years motivated the change.

“We don’t want people to think if there’s no snow, there’s no fun,” says Wiquist. For avid outdoors people, the lack of snow has simply inspired them to adapt with the use of other equipment that makes hiking footwear suitable for winter trails.

The range of hikes, beginning in the morning, includes a variety of levels, from Pinnacle to Mount Hunger and other spots in the Stowe/Waterbury area. For an easy, short hike, there’s the three-quarter-mile trail at GMC’s headquarters. For the other hikes off site, people can car pool or drive on their own to the trailhead. The group sizes are limited to about 10 people.

The day also offers activities for children.

The kids’ area features face painting, snowflake making, and other fun things to do.

Also at the event are dogsledding demos and gear store vendors with wares to demo. Some snowshoes will be available on loan from these vendors for the hikes.

Return to GMC for the late afternoon bonfire party with live music and snacks, while sharing the company of friends and strangers. Some people who are unable to hike come just for the bonfire, enjoy24

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Kids get to meet sled dogs at GMC’s Winter Hiking Festival. Opposite, from top: A representive from Vermont Institute of Natural Science gives a presentation about owls. Snowshoers tackle Pinnacle’s steep and well-packed trail. Face painting is one of the indoor activities at GMC’s Winter Hiking Festival. Photos courtesy Green Mountain Club.

ing the camaraderie of the wintry outdoors around the fire.

The Green Mountain Club Winter Hiking Festival takes place at the club’s headquarters, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road in Waterbury Center. The event is free to members,

including those who join that day. There is a fee for nonmembers. The bonfire party at the end of the day is free to everyone.

For more information about GMC and the festival, visit www.greenmountainclub.org or call (802) 244-7037.

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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out and about

ice on fire The wonderfully evocative name, Ice on Fire, describes a winter festival in Montpelier that started almost 20 years ago. This year, on Sunday, January 26 from 2 to 5pm at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier, hundreds of people will gather to explore the wide variety of activities in the four “villages” set up in a big circle in the field.

Each village has a specialty: the East Village offers arts/theatre; the North Village has winter games; the South Village is the scene of hospitality and food; and the West Village focuses on storytelling. Some of the highlights include a three-legged snowshoe romp; a warming hut site for crown making, face painting, and hot chocolate; a blanket toss; igloo making; and the traditional reading of the poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Food offerings include Cold Hollow Cider Mill hot cider, cookies and muffins donated by the New England Culinary Institute, and gallons of chili donated by Cabot Cheese. The day begins with a parade, and the closing activity is a big bonfire featuring marshmallows to toast.

Ice on Fire was created by Tarin Chaplin. “She envisioned it, she ran it,” 26

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Clockwise from upper left: Teammates in a two-snowshoe running race.

Snow geese in flight and bear masks are part of Ice on Fire’s animal theme.

Roasting marshmallows on an open fire. The traditional reading of the poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Photos courtesy Kim Smith.

says Nancy Chickering, coordinator of the event. “It is a midVermont celebration of the warmth of community in the depth of winter.” The event relies on volunteers to make it happen. “It is painless to get 100 volunteers to do their parts. It all falls into place, like breathing, and is a wonderful way to get outdoors in the winter.”

For more information call the North Branch Nature Center, (802) 229-6206, or visit their website, www.northbranch naturecenter.org.

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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out and about

Co-ed

winter softball tournament and fundraiser From Friday February 28 through Sunday March 2, there is an event in Barre so amazing that it has been recognized by Guinness World Records. Over 70 teams from all over New England, and as far as Florida, gather for three days of intense softball play in winter conditions. Not only do they and the spectators have fun at games that go into the wee hours of the morning, but the event, known as Freezing Fun for Families, is an important fundraiser for families with a child who has cancer or another life-threatening disease. Last year, the tournament raised $28,000.

“The event started in 1999 raising money for the co-ed softball league,” recalls coordinator Corey Touchette. “There were eight teams and they raised $800. The next

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

year there were 10 teams and $1,000, so after that, people said, why not raise money for a cause?”

The result was what has become a big winter event filled with the spirit of helping others. Cass Bresse organized the event originally, and Touchette took it over from him.

On the tournament’s 10th anniversary, the funds went to create a comfort room at the cancer ward at Central Vermont Medical Hospital in Berlin. In 2010, funds paid for a four-bedroom house with a filtration system for a little girl who needed a bone marrow transplant.

The event takes place on six Barre town recreation fields behind the school.

The action begins at 6pm on Friday and concludes midday on Sunday. In 2012, for example, teams played 145 games in the three days. Each game is played tightly in about 45 minutes.

The event, with its 501(c)(3) status, is run entirely by volunteers, so 100 percent of the money raised goes to helping people in need. For Touchette, the tournament fundraiser means a lot because of his memory of his sister who died of leukemia when she was nine. “I wish something like this had been there when she was sick,” he says. “When a child dies it opens your eyes to why we do it.” The money gives families support at a time when they desperately need it.

To register a team, visit www.freezingfun forfamilies.com. The number of teams will be capped at 80.

Clockwise: The 2012 winning team. It’s a lot easier sliding into “home plate” when you’re sliding on snow. Safe! Photos courtesy Mark Ouimet. www.bestofcentralvt.com

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from the kitchens of neci

by Sus an S alter Re ynolds

Student Andrew Hecht and Chef Jean-Louis Gerin demonstrate the preparation of Mother Sauces to high school students.

The Mother Sauces Learning the Basics at New England Culinary Institute In the beginning, there was sauce . . .

Holiday cooking—when the cornucopia can become a cacophony—is a good time to go back to the basics. At New England Culinary Institute, students begin their education with the five “Mother Sauces.”

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

O

n a brilliant fall day on the NECI campus, Chef Lyndon Virkler Jr., NECI’s department chair of culinary arts, and Chef Jean-Louis Gerin, vice president of culinary operations and executive chef, explain the importance of the Mother Sauces.

“At NECI,” Chef Lyndon says, “We teach the classics, from classic French cuisine. And the classics begin with the Mother Sauces.

This is where students learn the most basic cooking techniques: how to control heat, how to make a reduction and an emulsion, browning, sautéing, how to prevent a sauce from breaking, and how the basic ingredients in a sauce behave together.”

“They’ll learn the shortcuts soon enough,” Chef Jean-Louis laughs, “but first they must follow the traditional, time-tested steps.”

“The way these sauces are taught,” says Chef Lyndon, “sets the tone for the rest of a student’s education at NECI. They learn the fundamentals, and then they learn what they can do with those fundamentals.”

The Five Mothers Chef Lyndon describes the basics of each sauce, beginning with hollandaise. “The challenge of this sauce lies in getting the eggs

NECI Restaurants Chef’s Table 118 Main Street Montpelier, VT (802) 223-3188 La Brioche Bakery and Café 89 Main Street Montpelier, VT (802) 229-0443 NECI on Main 118 Main Street Montpelier, VT (802) 223-3188 www.NECI.edu

to accept the butter,” he says, as if he were talking about human beings or courtiers at a dance rather than ingredients. “Hollandaise is an emulsion—if the ingredients are too cold, the sauce will solidify and break.”

What if it breaks?

“Well,” says Chef Lyndon, “you can reemulsify by whisking the broken sauce in a few drops of water, or start the emulsion again by cooking a fresh egg yolk and whisking the sauce into it.” Both chefs remember their first experiences preparing a hollandaise.

Chef Jean-Louis recalls learning how to stir 20 to 30 eggs in a figure-eight motion in a copper pot. “I never broke a hollandaise in school,” Chef Lyndon reports. “And then, sure enough, I was on the job preparing a banquet, and my hollandaise broke.”

Next, the béchamel. Students learn how to make a pale roux using equal parts fat and flour. “The trick here,” says Chef Lyndon, “lies in not scorching the roux and in the smooth gelatinization of the starch.”

“It doesn’t matter,” says Chef Jean-Louis, “if you are 18, 25, or 60. Your first béchamel is your first béchamel.” Both chefs nod in agreement. Chef Lyndon notes, “For my first béchamel, I didn’t realize that the roux wouldn’t thicken the milk until the sauce reached a certain temperature. I kept adding more and more roux, and when it finally did thicken, I had a thick paste that needed to be thinned with more milk. Before I knew it, I had five gallons of béchamel. I didn’t have the benefit of an NECI education!” www.bestofcentralvt.com

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Students Zachary Forgues (left) and Evan Martin. Photos courtesy NECI.

For the espagnole, or brown sauce, the secret lies in the stock—the challenge lies in the thickening of the stock to reduce it by half. A delicious version can be prepared “à la minute,” by deglazing a pan with Madeira after the meat has been removed and finishing with the brown sauce.

Velouté is a white, stock-based sauce thickened with a roux. “The velouté highlights the importance of rich, flavorful stock,” Chef Lyndon says. “As the roux heats with the stock, the ratio of roux to stock is extremely important. Students also learn how to écumer, or skim the sauce to remove impurities.”

Students learning to make a tomato sauce appreciate the importance of mastering methods to reduce acid—perhaps by adding a bit of basil or other sweet aromatics.

You Can Do It! “It all starts with a positive attitude,” Chef Lyndon says, acknowledging that the amount of information can be overwhelming for students just beginning to cook. Both chefs came at their careers from very different backgrounds.

“I was a picky eater,” Chef Lyndon admits, “and no one was more surprised than my parents when I decided to choose cooking as a career. A summer job at a restaurant during college got me hooked on both cooking and the camaraderie of the kitchen.”

“My mother was a good cook, and she did most of the work,” Chef Jean-Louis says, remembering his childhood in the French

want the recipes for the five mother sauces?

Go to our website, www.bestofcentralvt.com. You’ll find NECI’s recipes as well as photos.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Alps, “but when my father and grandfather cooked, there was a party!”

“You are never finished learning how to cook,” Chef Jean-Louis says. “There is no magic in it. You never get to the point

where you can do it with your eyes closed.

There are too many variables! Everything is a challenge. The day you think you’ve succeeded is the day you start looking for another profession.”

bright ideas

by david co gger

Ph otos by Jeb Wa l l ace- B ro d eur Furni t ure ph otos co ur t e s y d b d e si gn

Woodworking at its finest

Don Blanchette built his first piece of furniture when he was eight years old—a wooden plant stand for his mother turned on a lathe. In junior high school he built lamps and a trestle table in wood shop, where he worked so quickly and accurately that he wound up helping teach the rest of the class.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Clockwise from left: A drawer case made of walnut, curly maple, and zebra wood. Jeff DeMartino (left) and Justin Stacey work on a stainless steel desk frame at db design’s shop in East Montpelier. A custom queen-sized bed in mahogany, quilted maple, and rosewood. Don Blanchette and Justin Stacey build a custom door frame at the Blanchard Block restoration in Barre.

“It just came easy to me,” says Blanchette of db design inc., a custom furniture and cabinet business in East Montpelier that he co-owns with Jeff DeMartino. In addition to building furniture, Blanchette began designing when he was only 10, inspired by a fascination with the spinning wheels at Old Sturbridge Village. Using photographs, he made a working drawing of a spinning wheel, and then built one with his dad’s help. His early interests eventually blossomed into a career.

Variety Lends Spice and Experience Blanchette started out working as a framer and finish carpenter on residential properties for several different contractors, then opened his own business in 1979. He followed the housing boom to Arizona in 1981, where he built houses, designed and built high-end office fixtures, and eventually took on large commercial projects, including high schools, law firms, offices for financial advisors, and a commercial project for Gannett Broadcasting in Phoenix.

There, Blanchette says, he honed his talent for working with veneers and high-polished lacquers on big, labor-intensive projects.

Blanchette returned home to Vermont in 1994. “I bought 70 acres of land sight unseen in Berlin, built a sawmill, and took pine and hemlock to begin building my house and the majority of the furniture,” he says.

Blanchette says his many experiences have helped him develop the ability to work with a variety of people, situations, and materials.

“Things other shops can’t or do not want to do, we’ll do it. If we haven’t done it before, we’ll figure out how to do it.”

DeMartino is a woodworker who was born and raised in East Montpelier. He became enamored with the trade because www.bestofcentralvt.com

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Clockwise from top: The db design workshop in East Montpelier. A custom vanity made of sapele (a type of replenishable mahogany) and ribbon-striped sapele veneer. Custom oak flooring and a black iron and stainless steel cable railing with oak rails. A dresser/armoire of walnut and zebrawood veneer, with walnut burl pulls.

he loves the tactile aspect of it and the mysteries of wood. “You never know what’s in any piece of wood, and you get to create something with your own hands,” he explains. He and Blanchette met through a common interest in dogs and dog training (Blanchette owns Almost Home Dog Rescue and Rehab), and when DeMartino needed help on a project, he called Blanchette. That’s when they discovered they shared a love of woodworking. They became business partners and have been working together for eight years. DeMartino primarily does field operations and site renovations, and is the company’s project coordinator. Blanchette focuses on designing as well as building fixtures and furnishings. Both work in the field and in the shop and share many responsibilities.

Up until 2009 most of their local work centered on high-end properties around Stowe. “One of our most challenging projects was The Treehouse in Stowe Hollow,” says DeMartino. “It was an enormous house. We did the interior work, and it was difficult because we were blending fixtures into trees, a granite fireplace, and stone walls,” he says.

Eventually the effects of the recession forced them to branch out to commercial projects, which have included furnishings for the Randolph High School Library, office buildings for the State of Vermont, and the bar, tables, and furnishings for Cornerstone Pub and Kitchen in Barre.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

The Details Make the Design Blanchette and DeMartino are currently doing a painstaking historic preservation project of the Blanchard Block in Barre. “We’re salvaging all the existing trim on the old windows and matching profiles on trim that cannot be salvaged,” DeMartino says. Since the project is being funded by grants and tax credits, historic accuracy is a requirement.

“We are very meticulous about what we do, and we do not cut corners,” adds DeMartino.

Blanchette and DeMartino found a former steeplejack shop in East Montpelier that was ideal for their workspace. It’s large enough to allow them to control every aspect of their jobs. The barn-like structure consists of a design studio/office; a dust-free, specially ventilated spray room for applying wood finishes; and a shop equipped with table saws, surface planers, joiners, and shapers. There is also a machine for applying veneers made from maple, cherry, and other more-exotic species such as mahogany and rosewood, which are stacked in the rafters waiting for the right use.

So far, the business has relied primarily on word of mouth for their marketing efforts.

“People just started asking for custom cabinets and other custom furniture,” Blanchette www.bestofcentralvt.com

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Cutting boards db design made as a fundraiser for Almost Home Dog Rescue and Rehab, a rescue/ sanctuary Blanchette owns.

says. He taught himself computer-assisted design (CAD), which he believes is far more precise than working on a drawing board.

“If I didn’t do this work for a living, I would probably teach it,” he adds.

Listening to them describe the qualities of grain and the workability of various woods and veneers, it becomes clear that Blanchette and DeMartino have a passion for fine woodworking. But they are members of a profession whose numbers are getting smaller.

“Woodworking is seen as a hobby for retirees these days. Carpenters used to be revered. It takes more general knowledge to do this work than it does for many other trades. But the money is not there in the way it is for other trades. You gotta love doing it, because you’re not going to get rich.”

db design, Inc 1804 Vermont Route 14 South East Montpelier, VT (802) 225-6097 www.dbdesignvt.com

want to see more?

For an intriguing photo gallery of db design furniture, please visit our website, www.bestofcentralvt.com.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

by tim reynolds Photos courtesy Vermont Association of Snow Travelers

A

VAST Nation

Snowmobiling Over the River and Through the Woods

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Traveling over snowy roads and trails gives a unique view of Vermont that cannot be duplicated in any other way.

J

im Morrill has been snowmobiling since he was old enough to do it.

Forty years ago, on his twelfth birthday, Jim got his license in Barre and joined his father in the Barre Sno-Bees, one of two local clubs in the area (the other is the Barre Town Thunder Chickens, a name you’ve gotta love) as members of the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, or simply VAST. “When I was a teenager I skied too, but for me, snowmobiling was just more fun, more adventure. It was something you could do outside in winter; you could jump on the sled and go to Calais or Island Pond, and it was an adventure every time,” says Morrill, now in his third year as the VAST Washington County Director and one of 14 board members that govern the not-for-profit organization.

From the seat of his sled over those 40 winters, Jim has seen a lot of changes in the organization, the sport, and the cold weather that makes it all happen.

“When I was younger, I remember my father used to have huge ride-ins, where 2,500 to 4,500 people, maybe more, would all ride from Barre to St. Johnsbury on a snowy Saturday,” Jim remembers. “That kind of thing doesn’t happen anymore because it’s not such a big deal to ride from here to there.”

Now, with over 4,500 miles of trails crisscrossing the state, combined with the improved efficiency and comfort of the machines, a typical Saturday ride can take you almost anywhere in Vermont. www.bestofcentralvt.com

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VAST trails allow snowmobilers access to the entire state. And all it takes to snowmobile is a simple trail pass, a valid state or provincial registration, and insurance. The incredible variety of trails creates an unforgettable experience, taking riders on a Currier & Ives tour from the wildest corners of our Green Mountains to the cozy centers of our communities.

A Changing and Flexible Network of Trails The trail network may be statewide, but it’s the 129 local clubs that are the heart of the VAST system. The distinct clubs are responsible for their local trails, including regular maintenance, renewing landowner permissions annually, and the frequent rerouting necessitated by constant changes in property ownership. While most of the VAST trails wind through state lands, roughly three-quarters of the network is on private property.

Jim Morrill’s club, the Sno-Bees, is responsible for 52 miles of trails in the Barre area. Jim takes care of six of those miles himself.

“Last season we lost a landowner by the club house, and we had to reroute the trail through five people’s properties instead of just one. This sort of thing happens all the time,” Jim explains.

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Landowners typically sign a one-year permission form that permits a snowmobile trail to be maintained on their property. All VAST land-use agreements are covered by a million-dollar liability policy, and landowners are also protected by state statute, says VAST Trails Administrator Matt Tetreault.

“It’s the individual members that go around knocking on doors to get next year’s signature, or to renew an agreement when they meet their neighbor at the store,” says Tetreault. “It’s a community organization like that.”

There are approximately 8,500 individual property owners that allow the VAST trails to cross their lands each year. These trails are open to snowmobiling during the winter months, but a trail pass, club membership, and liability insurance are required to legally ride a snowmobile on the VAST network. Skiers, snowshoers, and walkers are allowed on most VAST trails that cross public lands, and on VAST trails that cross private land by permission only.

While Tetreault admits they occasionally lose a section of trail because the landowner doesn’t want it there any longer, it’s the turnover of property ownership that mandates a constantly changing and flexible trail network.

In the Northeast Kingdom, where tracts are larger and property owners fewer, a trail reroute can be fairly straightforward. But in Chittenden County, where just a short mile of trail might bisect 20 or 30 properties, keeping track of all those agreements can be a nightmare. That’s why it’s up to the local clubs to keep the trails in their own backyards functioning.

“There’s no real pattern to who will let us use their property. Second-home owners, silent sports enthusiasts, native Vermonters—you just never really know until you ask them for permission. It’s the generosity of all these folks that makes VAST a reality,” says Tetreault.

Challenges Ahead That, and a strong operating budget to keep up with all the changes. Excavation and bridges are the primary expenses involved with rerouting trails. Most of the general maintenance and signage is maintained at the club level through volunteer work, but

new trails cost money. While these additions are generally sited along old logging and sugaring roads whenever possible, sometimes those features don’t exist, and excavation for more major site work is required.

The VAST operating budget is derived from membership dues ($85 for the earlywww.bestofcentralvt.com

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Snowmobile Trail Passes Anyone who rides a snowmobile on signed and groomed VAST trails must purchase a TMA (Trails Maintenance Assessment).

TMAs can only be purchased from a local club. There are 129 clubs throughout the state of Vermont. A list is available online at www.vtvast.org/VAST/About-VAST/ Clubs/Clubs-Central-VT-Region.html. Pick an area where you will do most of your riding and give them a call!

bird season pass, required for trail use), snowmobile registration fees through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and some gas tax dollars appropriated through the state. In addition, VAST receives grant funds from the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.

Local clubs petition VAST for annual trail renovations, and the funds are divvied out to projects on a per-project basis. With an increasing frequency of poor winters, waterhazard crossings and bridges have become commonplace, and they are expensive improvements.

There is no doubt that snowmobiling and the VAST network that supports the sport play a critical role in the Vermont economy— the last impact study reported $511 million annually—but Tetreault admits the organization faces some real challenges in the future.

“We’re seeing membership today at just over half of our historical peak numbers.

Our goal as an organization, since we can’t control the weather, is to figure out how to retain our current membership and bring more folks into the sport,” he says. VAST is working on interactive tools, including GPS on their groomers and an interactive trail map, to help do just that.

And while the organization, like the trail system itself, is in a state of constant adaptation, some things have remained 44

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Trails are maintained and groomed by local clubs. In a single day a rider can cover many miles and cross through the territory of many clubs. The Barre Town Thunder Chickens have a wide variety of trails, and their volunteers do a great job maintaining them.

constant over the past 40 winters, says Jim Morrill.

“There’s a comfort in jumping on my sled and taking the trail I help maintain up over Butterfield Mountain to Groton. There’s snow and ice on the trees, even if it’s not so snowy down in Barre, and the view over Groton State Forest is just beautiful. It’s always beautiful up there, just like you’d expect.”

Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, Inc. 26 Vast Lane Barre, VT (802) 229-0005 www.vtvast.org www.bestofcentralvt.com

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inn touch

by Nanc y Humphre y C a se

50 Years and Counting

Stoweflake

Mountain Resort & Spa

The Stowe area is peppered with luxury accommodations. So what makes the Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa stand out from the rest?

For one thing, it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this November, with many 50-themed specials throughout the season—and for another, the size and scope of the establishment. Opened by the Baraw family in 1963 as a 20-room inn for skiing enthusiasts, the resort has grown to encompass a main building of 120 rooms, 60 townhouses, a 22,000-square-foot conference center, and a 50,000square-foot sports center and spa, collectively staffed by 200 employees on a campus of 60 acres.

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Right: The Spa at Stoweflake offers over 150 beyond-thetraditional treatments. Services range from Ayurvedic lifestyle consultations to sound therapy options.

Lower right: Dine at Charlie B’s, a Stowe tradition with a festive atmosphere, Vermont fresh cuisine, and an award-winning wine list. Ten beers are on tap as well.

Lower left: Sushi at Charlie B’s.

A Family Affair Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa’s unique identity is not quantifiable. Its character can be attributed to the owners, the Baraw family. The first owner, Stuart Baraw, grew up on a farm in hilly Chelsea, Vermont, strapping barrel staves onto his feet and skiing straight down the hills around the farm, as the story told to his grandchildren goes. As an adult living in Connecticut, Stuart and his wife Beatrice enjoyed coming back to Vermont to ski on weekends.

When the little ski house they built in Stowe in 1949 overflowed with family and friends, they opened the 20-room Stoweflake Inn and Motel next door. In 1970 they bought the neighboring Nordic Motor Inn and annexed it. At that point, their son, Chuck, got highly involved in the business, and he is still very actively involved, although he has turned over much of the day-to-day operation to his daughter, Sheri Baraw Smith, general manager and vice president, and his nephew, Scot Baraw, vice president of sales.

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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Clockwise: The lobby’s fireplace invites visitors to relax and unwind. Cozy spacious rooms have fireplaces and luxurious bedding. The Spa at Stoweflake’s signature feature, the Bingham Hydrotherapy Waterfall, a 12-foot rock formation cascading waterfall inspired by the area’s famous Bingham Falls, and the Hungarian Mineral Soaking Pool are unique and wonderful ways to escape the outside world and wash away any lingering stress.

Not mere owners of the resort, the Baraws direct, manage, and oversee the day-to-day operations of the extensive business, never forgetting their roots. “I grew up as a resort brat,” jokes Sheri. “We kids were under everyone’s feet, including at staff meals,” she recalls. “We helped our grandmother in the gardens, picking off spent petunia blossoms. It was truly family inn keeping. That family feel is still important to us and to our customers.”

Marketing Coordinator Brooke Lindsley notes that the Baraws still live on-site and are a visible presence, even walking their rounds at night, checking on things.

Educated at UVM like her father, Sheri worked in Boston for a while and didn’t come 48

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back to the family business until she was ready to put her whole heart and soul into it.

“I wouldn’t work this hard—60- to 70-hour weeks and through economic downturns— but for family,” she says. “I also have an incredible staff and can’t imagine not working with them.”

Sheri’s 14-year-old daughter, Rachel, is carrying on the family tradition of serious skiing. Having grown up in Stowe’s junior racing program, last year she not only qualified for Can-Ams but also made it to the podium, as well placing at Easterns. Sheri’s 12-year-old son, Chesley, shows signs of having an aptitude for the resort business. “He enjoys welcoming guests and helping with hot air balloon tethers. Legally he can’t work until he’s 14, but we let him schmooze with guests,” Sheri says. “He definitely has a talent for customer engagement.”

A wealth of activities Hot air balloon rides, piloted sometimes by Chuck Baraw himself, are just one of the activities guests can enjoy at this multifaceted www.bestofcentralvt.com

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resort. The Stoweflake’s location midway between Stowe’s village and ski areas makes accessible a wide range of experiences for its guests—from biking the Stowe Rec Path or exploring shops in the village to hiking, downhill and cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in the nearby meadows and mountains.

Stoweflake’s discovery programs guide kids and sometimes their parents on outdoor adventures. On-site are a nine-hole golf course, two pools (the larger, outdoor pool is open even in winter), and an outdoor Jacuzzi. The resort also includes a huge sports center, with a racquetball court as well as weight room and workout studios, including one just for women, and saunas—all open to public memberships.

But the crowning glory of the expanded version of what started out as lodging for skiers is Stoweflake’s extensive spa, opened in 2003. With separate sanctuaries for men and women, the spa is designed as a calming retreat, set apart in a quiet corner of the resort. It boasts 30 treatment/massage rooms and 150 treatment options. Spa guests don’t even need to leave for lunch. A special spa café provides light lunches and drinks to guests in their terry robes. The highlight of the spa is the co-ed Aqua Solarium—a sunflooded space housing both a mineral-rich soaking pool and a mini replica of Stowe’s Bingham Falls, where guests can sit under cascading water for the ultimate massage.

What’s Next?

“We’re really happy to have been in the business these last 50 years, and we look forward to the next 50 years,” says Sheri Baraw. She notes she’ll be retired by then but hopes one of the four kids of the fourth generation will have the skills and the desire to continue this family business, rich in history and opportunity.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa 1746 Mountain Road Stowe, VT (800) 253-2232 www.stoweflake.com 50

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Holiday Cocktails

Vermont Style Bring some creative spirits to your holiday party with these cocktails presented by Central Vermont’s local distilleries.

Merry Smuggler from Smugglers’ Notch Distillery 2 oz Smugglers’ Notch Vodka 2 oz cranberry juice 1 oz seltzer ½ oz Limoncello liqueur Garnish: fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add ingredients, and shake vigorously.

Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with cranberries and rosemary.

Apple Pie on Ice

Rumors & Lies

from Caledonia Spirits

Created for Green Mountain Organics by Kevin Baker of Vermont Ale House 1-c/d oz Green Mountain Organic Gin

2 oz Barr Hill Gin (or equivalent)

3 oz Champlain Orchards fresh-pressed apple cider

1 oz Falernum #3 a/c oz fresh lemon juice

1 dash Urban Moonshine Maple bitters

1 egg white

Fever Tree ginger ale (or equivalent)

Orange peel for flaming glass

Lemon wedge

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Cinnamon swizzle stick Combine Barr Hill Gin, cider, and bitters in an iced tall glass.

Add ginger ale, squeeze a lemon wedge inside, and serve.

(Optional: add a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon on top.)

Combine Green Mountain Organic Gin, Falernum #3, lemon juice, and egg white in mixing glass. Flame orange peel into empty coupe glass. Shake the mixing glass vigorously for 12 seconds and strain into coupe glass. Garnish with 1 dash Angostura Bitters drawn across the cocktail. Enjoy.

for more recipes from our favorite Vermont distilleries go to www.bestofcentralvt.com www.bestofcentralvt.com

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by Phyl Newbeck Photos by Lauren Stagnitti

Nordic Ski

Ladies

Expo

“I’m the Snowplow Queen,” proclaimed the woman in the red jacket, looking warily at the slight downhill ahead of her and urging others to go ahead. One of the two instructors assured class members that if they didn’t want to attempt the downhill, they could turn back and take a flatter route.

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SetFree

Your Inner

Nordic

Anita Davie practices her telemark turn on Trapp Family Lodge’s meticulously groomed slopes during the Catamount Trail Association’s Ladies Nordic Ski Expo.

Skier

T

he woman in the red jacket took a deep breath and headed down the slope. Sure, her legs were farther apart than some of her classmates, but she survived the twisting trail. When the class regrouped and the instructors asked if folks wanted to try again, she was more than game. Her legs were slightly closer together the second time, and the look of terror was gone from her eyes. At the end of the loop, she convinced her skiing buddy to go back for a third try as the rest of the class headed back to the lodge.

The self-proclaimed Snowplow Queen was one of 100 women who gathered on January 12, 2013 at Trapp Family Lodge for the Catamount Trail Association’s 5th Annual Ladies Nordic Ski Expo.

Women received instruction in skate, classic, and backcountry skiing from 14 volunteer instructors. The brainchild of JoAnn Hanowski of Underhill, Vermont, the expo has been filled every year it’s been offered since its inception in 2009.

Hanowski, a former Nordic ski racer, says she had always envisioned an event where women learned from other women and were able to bond over a nice lunch and perhaps some wine and chocolate. After moving to Vermont and marrying Jim Fredericks, former executive di-

rector of the Catamount Trail Association, she suggested such an event as a fundraiser. “Women are more comfortable with other women,” she says. “I think women feel a little more comfortable trying something different in this kind of supportive and nurturing environment.”

Come One, Come All Traditionally, 80 percent of the expo attendees are women who don’t ski with any degree of frequency. “Even if you’ve been skiing for 20 years, if you don’t do it more than once a year, you won’t get much better,” Hanowski says. “Hopefully at the expo women can form some connections, so in addition to learning new skills, they’ll have someone to ski with.” The event is capped at 120 people, including instructors, in part because of the size of the dining room at Trapp Family Lodge, but Hanowski believes a larger crowd might interfere with the one-on-one interaction.

A survey of many of the attendees shows Hanowski knew her audience. Several women said they had been skiing for 10 or 20 years but with limited frequency and no formal training. Polly Connell of Underhill, Vermont, said she was thrilled to discover that some of what she had been doing was correct, after all. www.bestofcentralvt.com

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After a full morning of instruction, participants fill the dining room for a sumptuous lunch with new and old friends.

Each lesson group (skate, classic, backcountry) is divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced, with at least one instructor for each ability level. Attendees range in age from their mid 20s to their 70s and include many who have attended the expo year after year. Twenty percent come from out of state, including visitors from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Illinois as well as neighboring states, and 40 percent of them rent equipment for one or both of their lessons.

The Snowplow Queen wasn’t the only one hoping to conquer her fear. “Going crosscountry downhill makes me nervous,” says Linda Goldeski of Lowell, Vermont. Goldeski admitted that an ulterior motive for taking part in the expo was the hope of meeting women from her area who might become ski partners.

The fact that the event was all women was not the prime motivator for her attendance, but she did consider it a nice feature.

Amy Knox of South Duxbury, Vermont, felt the same way. “I’m a serious newbie,” says Knox, noting that she had just purchased new backcountry equipment and was hoping to learn how to use it.

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A contrast to Goldeski and Knox was Connie Youngstrom of Shrewsbury, who was attending her fourth Ladies Nordic Ski Expo.

A quick look at Youngstrom’s expert tele turns left many wondering why she thought she needed a lesson, but Youngstrom said she always comes away with useful tips. “It’s very affirming to know there are other women who love to do this sort of thing,” she

says. “It’s really nice when we all sit down at lunch and discuss common interests.”

Even during the lessons you could see friendships building. One backcountry group took time out to compare equipment and discuss some of the essentials needed for the woods, such as headlamps, matches, duct tape, food, and extra clothes. Conversations veered toward less germane matters as

Volunteer Instructor Dagny St. John (kneeling) discusses proper ski weighting with her beginner classic students.

Below: Amy Kelsey, CTA executive director (and backcountry instructor), calls the loquacious group to order for a lunch-time welcome.

three skiers from the same town, previously unknown to one another, began to discuss bicycle routes, while others inquired where they could find the bread baked commercially by one of their classmates.

Cindy Sprague has been helping out at the Expo for several years. The professional ski instructor says she enjoys providing her expertise for a good cause—the Catamount Trail Association. Sprague thinks the all-female atmosphere is helpful.

“A lot of women feel less intimidated without men here,” she says. “The sport has been dominated by men, and women like to have the opportunity to ski with each other.” Sprague worked her morning backcountry group hard, teaching alpine turns, tele turns, mono turns, and hop turns, and ended the lesson by leading her charges down some untracked snow.

While morning workshops were fairly structured, many of the afternoon groups were less intense, with one classic skiing group simply taking a 5K loop around the property.

Everyone Learns Cooie DeFrancesco of Williston, Vermont, was one of the last women to sign up for the Expo. “I wanted to find an outdoor winter sport to enjoy without a big investment,” she says. Although DeFrancesco learned to ski as a teenager at Stowe, the closest she came to the sport for the next 40 years was occasionally looking at the used Nordic equipment in her garage. That doesn’t mean DeFrancesco wasn’t exercising. In her 30s she started running, in her 40s she began visiting the gym, and in her 50s she took up road cycling. Outdoor winter activity, with the exception of the occasional hike with snowshoes or micro spikes, continued to elude her.

“This year,” DeFrancesco says, “I wanted to take instruction in a winter activity, so this was a perfect opportunity at a reasonable price. It’s a great value and a beautiful setting.”

DeFrancesco was thrilled with her progress over the course of the day, particularly www.bestofcentralvt.com

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More Info The Ladies Nordic Expo is the secondbiggest fundraising event put on by the Catamount Trail Association, the nonprofit that oversees the Catamount Trail, a 300mile ski trail that runs the length of the state from north to south.

This winter’s Ladies Nordic Ski Expo is Saturday, January 11, at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. Registration takes place in a heated yurt; all clinics are held outdoors on ski trails. Lunch is a different story entirely; students and instructors indulge in fresh, nutritious food served on china plates in the lodge’s dining area. An après-ski social features wine and cheese with local chocolate and bread.

To learn more or register for the expo, go to www.catamounttrail.org.

during her afternoon skate ski class. “At 61, I was the oldest and least able,” she says, “but I went from ‘no skill’ to ‘I’ve got a lot to practice and I need to be more fit,’” which she deemed a happy result.

DeFrancesco had been worried that the all-women orientation of the event would provide more morale building than critical instruction, but she found that not to be the case. Now that she has discovered the expo, DeFrancesco has already decided to return this year. “I’ll go every year,” she says. “I’d even go multiple times a year if they had it.

There’s unlimited opportunity to improve your skills from wherever you’re starting.

I’ve already recommended it to friends.”

want more info?

Read about the Catamount Trail Association and all their backcountry ski tours at www.bestofcentralvt.com.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Holiday Wonders

Shopping & fun things to do in Central Vermont!

Vermont Furniture Designs

Cornerstone If you haven’t checked out Cornerstone Pub and Kitchen, then you are missing the best-kept secret in Central Vermont.

Located in downtown Barre, Cornerstone offers a cuisine that is fun, delicious, and unexpected, from their burgers to their signature Lobster Mac and Cheese to their dozens of brews, including local favorites. As they say… Rebuilding Barre “One Pint at a Time.” Gift certificates available for stocking stuffers.

47 North Main Street Barre, VT (802) 476-2121 www.cornerstonepk.com

VFD is a small, high-quality furniture manufacturer using age-old techniques.

We have supplied national chains with their highest quality solid hardwood furniture for over 40 years. We have a large showroom and factory store at the shop in Winooski, and we can ship our furniture right to your home.

4 Tigan Street Winooski, VT (802) 655-6568 www.vermontfurnituredesigns.com

Morse Farm Whether you’re sharing the taste of Vermont with friends and family across the country or across the street, Morse Farms has a selection of the finest Vermont products in gift combinations for any budget. Stop by or shop online. Sure, there’s the finest Vermont maple syrup you’ll ever taste, but there’s so much more to choose from. If you’re lucky enough to be in the area, stop by with the whole family for sugarhouse tours, the woodshed theater, maple trail, and more.

1168 County Road Montpelier, VT (800) 242-2740 www.morsefarm.com

Mason Brothers Offering a wide selection of reclaimed and antique building materials, Mason Brothers’ Architectural salvage warehouse’s 13,000-square-foot space is filled with fireplace mantels, stained and beveled-glass windows, lighting, hardware, columns and pillars, marble and pedestal sinks, claw-foot tubs, windows, furniture, and unique artifacts.

11 Maple Street Essex Junction, VT (802) 879-4221 www.greatsalvage.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Copy World Copy World can help you personalize your holidays! Canvas prints, photo calendars, and custom photo holiday cards make the perfect unique gifts for your loved ones. Copy World has great gift ideas for every budget.

59 North Main Street Barre, VT (802) 476-3615 www.CopyWorldVT.com Open 7 days.

Sam’s Wood Furniture If you’re looking for real-wood heirloomquality furniture, the team at Sam’s Wood Furniture invites you to visit our Burlington store. For a boutique experience and access to endless furniture possibilities, Sam’s is sure to have what you need. We offer quality American-made furniture in many wood species and infinite finishing options. Let Sam’s give you exactly what you want—your style and your color.

372 North Winooski Avenue Burlington, VT (802) 862-6013 www.samswoodfurniture.com

Northstar FireWorks Are you planning a wedding, birthday party, or backyard celebration? Want to make it spectacular? Then come to Northstar Fireworks! We have a wide variety of retail fireworks, and with our winter “buy-one-get-one-free sale,” now is the perfect time to buy! Visit us at our East Montpelier store for all of your retail fireworks needs! Stop in and stock up for your New Year’s Eve party!

2205 Vt. Route 14S East Montpelier, VT (802) 229-9659 www.northstarfireworks.com

Salaam Clothing Company A savvy boutique on State Street, Montpelier, featuring our own locally made Salaam Line, as well as a fantastic selection of clothing, jewelry, and accessories for women by your favorite brands, such as Citizens of Humanity, Free People, and Lucky Brand.

40 State Street Montpelier, VT (802) 223-430090 www.salaamclothing.com

Green Envy Come in and enjoy luxurious cashmere, fabulous leather, beautiful boots, and lovely gifts for the season. We are a full-service boutique and can dress you from head to toe with top lines like Theory, AG, Hudson, UGG, Longchamp, Joie, Vince, and Free People. We also specialize in contemporary jewelry from many local artists and we carry the leading organic skin care line Tata Harper.

We look forward to your visit during this magical time of year. At Green Envy we take pride in our exceptional customer service and an expansive selection of beautiful contemporary clothing and accessories for all ages and body types.

1800 Mountain Road Stowe, VT (802) 253-2661 www.facebook.com/GreenEnvyVt Mon–Sun 10am–6pm

T-ja’s Studio You’ve got to come see what’s new at T-ja’s Studio in Barre. Color, highlights, a great cut to make you look and feel terrific! Tanning? Got you covered, with our state-of-the-art sunless spray tanning booth from VersaPro. Fullservice hair care, including highlights and the latest in styles, and we now have a full line of TIGI Cosmetics.

Guys—stop in and get your special someone the gift of beauty with a gift certificate. Great stocking stuffer! Gift Certificates available for everything.

77 South Main Street Barre, VT (802) 479-2819 www.tjasstudio.com www.facebook.com/Tjas.Studio

Clearwater Sports We are Mad River Valley’s four-season outdoor store! Since 1975 we have been offering guided snowshoeing and sledding tours, and telemark, AT, and backcountry ski rentals, demos, and tuning.

We carry the best selection of outdoor clothing, footwear, telemark and AT skis, and boots, snowshoes, and winter gear from Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Merrell, G3, Voile, Garmont, Giro, MSR, Fischer, Madshus, and Thule. Sales, rentals, and local knowledge. We put people and the outdoors together!

4147 Main Street Waitsfield, VT (802) 496-2708 www.clearwatersports.com

Tiny Acorn There’s always something magical at the Tiny Acorn in Waterbury. Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart you’re going to find wonders of the season everywhere you turn. Stocking stuffers for the kids, challenging and fun games to grow the mind, and whimsical surprises for that special someone.

You just have to come in and make your own discoveries and experience the magic at the Tiny Acorn.

70 South Main Street Waterbury, VT (802) 244-6663 www.facebook.com/thetinyacorn Mon–Fri 10am–6pm Sat 10am–5pm Sundays open through the holidays.

by Mark Aiken

K

eeping Good Company was a furniture store in Williston’s Maple Tree Place from 2006 to 2010. At the store, you would find owner Pam Carter, an interior designer and licensed nurse. You’d find Pam’s daughter Chelsea Andy, who graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in criminology, but who—instead of attending law school—decided to move home to raise a family and work in her parents’ business. You’d find Chelsea’s infant daughter Isabella, playing among books of fabric swatches and leather samples. Throughout the store were corners and nooks— vignettes of rooms—representing what was possible.

Keeping Good Company, says Pam, filled a void. “The traditional furniture stores were there,” Pam says. “But in our region we were missing the higher-end, more unique collections of furnishings and home décor—places where people could come in and envision what their spaces would be like and also get guidance.” In the back of the store, therefore, was a design corner. Here Pam would sit with customers and help them roll up their sleeves and really make choices. “It was a place where people could come and be inspired,” she says.

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One Door Closes, Another Opens With the economy hitting rock bottom and the overhead costs of maintaining a store not getting any smaller, Pam and her husband Jeff decided to close the store’s doors in 2010. Talking to them now, it is obvious that they miss it. “We had a passion for Christmas,” says Chelsea. During the holidays, each vignette would feature a live Christmas tree.

Even as they were packing up the store, however, it became apparent that this was not the end for Keeping Good Company.

“Our design business was always growing,” Pam says. “It was always about going to clients’ homes.” And as the store’s closing date neared, requests for design support intensified. There was never a question that the design business of Keeping Good Company was just gathering steam.

“I have always felt that I could walk into a place and envision a final outcome,” Pam says. During the store period, customers would hire Pam and Chelsea for design jobs. As word traveled, they began working more and more with owners of second homes. Although they have worked and continue to work on every size and shape project from a bedroom in a condo to

All in the Family Keeping Good Company’s Mother-Daughter Team

A master suite at Marble Works Residences in Middlebury, Vermont, has a California King four-poster bed in a vintage molasses finish and an array of custom and ready-made bedding. Keeping Good Company selected an area rug from Vermont Custom Rug Company.

Inset: Owners Pam Carter and her daughter Chelsea Andy.

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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entire homes on Burlington’s Spear Street, Pam describes their niche business as turnkey homes—that is, second homes that, by the time Pam and Chelsea are finished, are ready for families to move in and start living.

Second-Home Niche Not every designer would want to take on some of the second-home projects that have become Keeping Good Company’s core business. “Simply, it’s a lot of work,” says Pam. Where others may not want the responsibility of managing a renovation or redesign when the customer lives far away, Pam and Chelsea feel empowered by the trust their customers place in them.

For example, Ivy and Ron Space, dairy farmers from Dryden, New York, purchased a second home in Stowe that they and their grown children could use for skiing and recreation in Vermont. “We had to tend our farm while we were working on the house,” Ivy explains. So the Spaces hired Pam and Chelsea. “Pam stayed in contact throughout and made me feel very comfortable that things were progressing. She just kept getting things done.”

The Spaces’ home had many details to address: painting inside and out, purchasing and moving furniture, connecting Internet and cable, installing a security system, replacing light fixtures, installing window coverings—the list goes on. “Pam was there when the painters came,” says Ivy—painters, she points out, that Pam knew, hired, and arranged. “She called to find out if I also wanted the front door painted,” Ivy says.

They emailed to look at colors, and by the end of the day, the door was done too. “She wanted to handle everything for us, and I didn’t argue,” Ivy says.

Pam sees second homes as opportunities to get creative and even take risks. “They’re fun jobs,” she says. Of course, she checks in regularly (and sometimes daily) with customers to bounce ideas off them, to get their opinions on fabric swatches, wood samples, and color palettes. And she pays attention to details, from knocking down walls and installing floors to making sure there are QTips in a bathroom jar when a client’s family arrives for the first time.

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Top left: The tiled entry to Ivy and Ronald Space’s ski house in Stowe has an antique pitchfork found at the Brimfield Antique Market in Brimfield, Mass. Painted house numbers were attached to the stair risers just for fun, giving an ordinary set of stairs some added interest.

Top right: This dining room in Bridport was created where a pool table and home office had previously been located. KGC’s clients were ready for an updated look in their farmhouse, without sacrificing the home’s charm. Custom hand-planed Turnbuckle dining table and Windsor chairs by Smugglers’ Notch Antiques; chandelier by Keeping Good Company.

Bottom left: A smooth leather chair is accented with an angora pillow and the ottoman is KGC’s version of a Vermont milking stool. An arrangement of hydrangeas from Pam’s garden welcomes clients to their new home.

Bottom right: This charming living room in Shelburne demonstrates that geometric shapes can be paired with floral and leather, yet still maintain the client’s desire to remain neutral. Upholstery fabrics and botanical drapes by Keeping Good Company; area rugs by Vermont Custom Rug Company; coffee table

by Smugglers’ Notch Antiques.

A Family Business You might wonder what it is like for a mother and daughter to work so closely together.

“We are a team,” Pam says, noting that they bring unique and different skills to the table.

While Pam is educated and skilled in design,

Chelsea handles the administrative end of the business, keeping the books and helping to manage customers’ budgets. “We respect each other,” Pam says. “When you’re in a family, it can be hard to draw that line, but we value that we both bring different perspectives.” www.bestofcentralvt.com

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Above: A living room in Montpelier has a sofa, swivel chairs, and leather ottoman by Keeping Good Company. The mirrored TV over the mantel is from Hidden Television.

Opposite: One of KGC’s favorite finds, a Vino Rosso table lamp.

Meanwhile, Pam and Chelsea appreciate the opportunity that working as mother and daughter is. “This works for me,” says Chelsea, who has been able to bring not one but both of her infant children to work. “We have the best time together.”

When the store closed, Keeping Good Company operated out of spare rooms in Chelsea’s farmhouse in Addison before moving to its current location in Vergennes. “I have been able to get to know my grandchildren here,” Pam says. “It’s really unique, a gift.”

One advantage to their informal and familial work setting is that customers feel at ease with them. “We don’t feel corporate,” Pam says. Make no mistake, however; Keeping Good Company is a professional outfit from beginning to end. They attend seminars to stay current, and they maintain relationships with local artisans and furniture makers, contractors, builders, carpenters, and so forth.

Often, Keeping Good Company serves as the middle-person for thousands of dollars’ worth of work. “In the long run, we can save customers time, effort, and money,” says Pam. While Pam and Chelsea are in the trenches, Pam’s husband Jeff, an extension specialist at 66

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

One advantage to their informal and familial work setting is that customers feel at ease with them.

UVM, keeps a watchful eye from a distance.

He supports the business the way a good husband does because, says Pam, “He loves us.” Meanwhile, the family is passionate about succeeding. “We share the same vision,” she says. “And it is so special to come to work every day with my daughter.” That, she says, is what a family business is all about.

Keeping Good Company 29 Old Stonehouse Road North Addison, VT (802) 759-3040 www.kgcvt.com www.bestofcentralvt.com

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w h at ’ s co o k in g

by susan nye

It’s a Winter

Wonderland

Make the most of the season with good friends and good food When I was little, the school bell signaled a mad dash. With the light fading by four and the streetlights on by five, all the kids in the neighborhood raced home to grab sleds or skates for some after-school fun. Fresh snow heralded an afternoon on the hill behind the Dosdalls’ house.

Otherwise, it was down to Longfellow Pond at the end of the street.

The After Party Warm up with good friends, tall tales, and delicious comfort food!

e Mulled Wine & Rosemary Cashews e White Bean Chili with Chicken and Butternut Squash

e Gingerbread Cupcakes

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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e Rosemary Cashews S e r v e s 12 1½ lb raw cashews

There is no need to relegate the sledding hill or skating pond to the category of distant memories. If you’re lucky, there’s a great hill for sledding or a duck pond in your backyard. If you’re very lucky, you have both. If not, conspire with friends and neighbors to find a hill or pond close by.

Whatever fun you’ve planned, invite the crowd for midday so there’s plenty of time to play before the sun goes down.

Give the fashion police the day off—think lots of layers and dress warmly from head to toe. Don’t forget to bring along a thermos of hot chocolate or cider to chase away the cold. For additional atmosphere and warmth, you might want to set up a fire pit to warm cold toes between runs or pirouettes.

Once everyone is happily exhausted and chilled to the bone, head home for bowls of spicy chili. While dinner bubbles on the stove, gather around the fireplace with reviving mugs of mulled wine or cider. No need to rush; relax and marvel at the day’s daring exploits. It’s okay if a wobbly game of hockey is recast with miraculous slap shots. A bit of embellishment is not only allowed but also expected. Enjoy the winter wonderland!

2–3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves ½ tsp smoked paprika Sea salt

2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

1

Preheat the oven to 375°. Put the nuts in a large ovenproof skillet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until nicely browned, stirring once or twice.

2 3

While the nuts roast, put the rosemary, paprika, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Remove the skillet from the oven, add the butter, sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and paprika, and toss to combine. Sprinkle the nuts with additional salt to taste and toss again. Giving the nuts a few more tosses, cool to room temperature. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

e Mulled Wine Serv e s 12

2 oranges

¾ cup sugar

6 whole cloves

6 peppercorns

1 stick cinnamon

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp nutmeg 3 bottles cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or chianti

1 cup cognac or brandy

2 star anise

1

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to cut large strips of peel from the oranges. Juice the oranges.

2

Put the sugar and orange juice in a large saucepan, add the peel, spices, and bay leaf, and stir in just enough wine to cover the sugar and spices.

3

Simmer the wine over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Boil the wine and sugar until it becomes syrupy, about 5 minutes.

This recipe can be made ahead to this point. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. When you are ready to imbibe, bring the syrup to a simmer and then continue with the recipe.

4

Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining wine, star anise, and cognac, and gently warm the wine, about 5 minutes. Ladle into mugs and serve immediately.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

e White Bean Chili with Chicken and Butternut Squash Serve s 12 1½ lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp (or to taste) finely chopped jalapeno pepper

Olive oil

6 cups cooked small white beans, rinsed and drained

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp (or to taste) chili powder

1 Tbsp (or to taste) chipotle chilies in adobo, mashed to a paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups crushed tomatoes

2–3 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

About 1 lb baby spinach About 3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts Garnish: fresh chopped cilantro, and toasted pumpkin seeds

1 2

Preheat the oven to 350°. Working in batches, sauté the vegetables in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned.

Transfer the vegetables to a large casserole and add the beans, spices, and herbs.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and wine. Bring the chili to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover and cook in a 350° oven for 20 minutes.

3 4

Add the spinach to the chili and stir to wilt the spinach and combine. Cool to room temperature.

While the chili cools, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and, working in batches, sauté the chicken until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

5

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the chili. Cover the casserole and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

To serve: Adding more chicken stock if necessary, bring the chili to a simmer over medium heat on the stovetop. Ladle the chili into shallow bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and pumpkin seeds.

www.bestofcentralvt.com

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e Ginger Cupcakes Ma kes a bout 2 0 cupca kes 2½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp cloves ¼ tsp nutmeg Grated zest of 1 orange 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature cup brown sugar

½ cup molasses 2 large eggs 1 cup sour cream ½ cup chopped crystallized ginger Garnish: candy or tiny cookies

1 2

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Put the flour, baking soda and powder, and spices in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the orange zest and set aside.

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best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

3

Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter until light. Add the brown sugar and molasses and mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and sour cream.

4 5

Set the mixer on low and add the dry ingredients in 2 to 3 batches. Fold in the chopped ginger.

Fill the paper liners about two-thirds full with batter.

Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool a few minutes, transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely.

6

Frost the cupcakes with Orange-Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting and decorate with a sliver of crystallized ginger.

Orange-Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature 3–4 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger Grated zest of 1 orange Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, ginger, and orange zest and beat until fluffy and smooth.

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2013- 2014 best of

Central vermont

Dining Guide

J. Morgan’s Steakhouse Serving steaks, seafood, and Sunday brunch since 1994. Our recent renovation opens a new chapter in this award-winning restaurant. Known for exceedingly generous portions, we feature over 20 aged in-house steaks, daily seafood, designer pasta dishes, and mountainous salads and desserts. Located on Montpelier’s historic State Street. $$ Vermont’s Cutting Edge Steakhouse 100 State Street, Montpelier, VT (802) 223-5222 www.jmorganssteakhouse.com

Key to Symbols $ most entrées under $10 $$ most entrées $10 to $25 $$$ most entrées over $25

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dining guide for central vermont

Beyond the Menu

Prohibition Pig Located in Waterbury, the food and beverage crossroads, we feature New England’s largest and best curated selection of craft beer, proper cocktails and eclectic wines, and a full menu featuring barbecue, vegetarian, and cozy American fare. $-$$ 23 South Main Street Waterbury, VT (802) 244-4120 prohibitionpig.com

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill

El Cortijo

Guild and Company

Dedicated to showcasing local farms and food producers, our menu features award-winning burgers, comfort entrées, artisan cheeses, vegetarian options, and nightly innovations. The Tap Room delivers highly prized and rare beers.

“Special Happenins” Wed. nights. $$

A vibrant atmosphere featuring tacos, soups, salads, and entrées prepared with local ingredients and expressed as traditional Mexican fare. Freshsqueezed margaritas and handcrafted cocktails. Late-night menu until 1am, Fridays & Saturdays. $-$$

Farm-to-table steakhouse featuring dryaged, locally sourced beef grilled over Vermont hardwood. Classic steakhouse entrées, seafood and vegetarian options, an innovative cocktail program, and lighter fare, such as burgers & sandwiches for a more casual dining experience. $$$

160 Bank Street Burlington, VT (802) 859-0888 farmhousetg.com

189 Bank Street Burlington, VT (802) 497-1668 CortijoVT.com

1633 Williston Road South Burlington, VT (802) 497-1207 guildandcompany.com

Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen

Red Hen Bakery and Café

A modern American pub where friends, families, tradesmen, and business people gather to enjoy great food and craft beers. From burgers and wings to fresh scallops and filet mignon, there’s something for everyone! Come help us revitalize Barre “One Pint at a Time.” $$

Famous hearth-baked breads, plus an excellent selection of freshly baked pastries­­—croissants, scones, cookies, mapleglazed sticky buns, and more. Soups and sandwiches made in house, featuring local ingredients. Fine wines, beer, cheese, and specialty grocery items. $-$$

Burlington’s neighborhood butcher shop and deli. Chef Tom Deckman and Master Butcher Frank Pace transform fine Vermont meats into sausages, deli meats, marinated steaks, trussed chickens, seasoned chops, burgers, and more. Housemade sandwiches, party platters, and baked seasonal treats. $$

47 Main Street Barre, VT (802) 476-2121 cornerstonepk.com

961B US Rt. 2 Middlesex, VT (802) 223-5200 redhenbaking.com

111 St. Paul Street Burlington, VT (802) 497-1645 guildfinemeats.com

Guild Meats & Delicatessen

winter calendar

2013/2014

Ar t s & Enter tainment

Central Vermont

First and Third Saturdays, December through April Capital City Farmers’ Market

Through November 24

Puente: An Exhibition of Cuban Artists Exhibition: I Am Always Your Context The Helen Day Art Center, Stowe Info: (802) 253-8358, www.helenday.com

Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun November 27 through December 22 Candy Cane Making Demonstrations Laughing Moon Chocolates, Stowe 11am, Saturdays 11am and 2pm Info: (802) 253-9591, www.laughingmoonchocolates.com

Vermont College Gym in Montpelier, 9am–1pm More info: (802) 685-4360, www.montpelierfarmersmarket.com

November 13–December 28

Studio Place Arts Annual Members Show Studio Place Arts, Barre Info: (802) 479-7069, www.studioplacearts.com

December 4

Kingdom County Productions Presents Natalie MacMaster Barre Opera House, 7pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

December 6

Film: Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (German with English subtitles) Spruce Peak Performing Arts, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 6

Montpelier Art Walk Downtown Montpelier, 4–6pm Info: (802) 223-9604, www.montpelieralive.org/artwalk

December 6 & 8

Vermont Philharmonic: Handel’s Messiah, Lisa Jablow, Conductor Dec 6, St. Augustine Church, Montpelier, 7:30pm Dec 8, Barre Opera House, 2pm Info: www.vermontphilharmonic.org

December 6 through January 5

Festival of Trees & Light and Members Art Show and Sale Opening Reception Dec 6, 5pm The Helen Day Art Center, Stowe Info: (802) 253-8358, www.helenday.com

December 7

Film: Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations Spruce Peak Performing Arts, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 7 Candy Cane Making Demonstrations Laughing Moon Chocolates

Mini Felted Stockings Class Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, 12:30–3pm Info: (802) 253-8358, www.helenday.com

December 9

Christmas with the Annie Moses Band Barre Opera House, 7pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

December 13 Arts & Entertainment is sponsored by

Vermont Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops

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Barre Opera House, 7:30pm Info: (800) 876-9293 x 10, www.vso.org

December 14

An Irish Christmas In America Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 14 & 15

Holiday Concert Mad River Chorale Sat: Waitsfield United Church, 7:30pm Sun: Warren United Church, 4pm Info: www.madriverchorale.org best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Central Vermont

Ar t s & Enter ta inment

winter calendar

2013/2014

December 4

Natalie MacMaster Barre Opera House

December 19

Vermont Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet and Counterpoint Warren United Church, 7:30pm Info: (800) 876-9293 x 10, www.vso.org

December 20

Film: Live from the Red Square featuring Anna Netrebko & Dmitri Hvorostovsky Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 21

Longest Night, Merry and Bright – Blue Gardenias Songs from the American Songbook Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 27

Scrag Mountain Music: Clockwise Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 27–28

Warren Miller’s Ticket to Ride (2013) Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum, Stowe Info: www.vtssm.com

December 28

RUCKUS, A Cirque Spectacular Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 29, January 3 & 10 Film: Warren Miller’s Ticket To Ride (2013) Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 31

The Logger’s New Year’s Eve Variety Show Special, featuring Rusty DeWees and Troupe Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

December 31

The Capitol Steps – Celebration Series Barre Opera House, 7:30pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

December 31 First Night Montpelier New Year’s Eve downtown festivals Info: (802) 223-9604, www.montpelieralive.org/first_night_montpelier www.bestofcentralvt.com

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winter calendar

2013/2014

Ar t s & Enter tainment

Central Vermont January 22

Farmers’ Night: Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Jaime Laredo, conductor

February 1

The Sleeping Beauty – Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre of Russia

State House, Montpelier, 7:30pm Info: www.vso.org

January 23

Well-Strung, The Singing String Quartet Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

January 24

Jake Blauvelt’s Naturally Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum, Stowe Info: www.vtssm.com

January 26

Ice on Fire Winter Festival North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 2–5pm Info: (802) 229-6206, www.northbranchnaturecenter.org

January 31

The Capitol Steps Barre Opera House, 7:30pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

February 1

Le Vent du Nord – Celebration Series Barre Opera House, 7:30pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

January 11

Dinner with French Master Chef Guy Reuge

December 31

New Year’s Eve Dinner Celebration Chef’s Table at NECI on Main, Montpelier, 6pm Info: (802) 223-3188

January 4

Young Tradition Vermont Alumni Concert Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

January 11

Dinner with French Master Chef Guy Reuge Chef’s Table at NECI on Main, Montpelier, 6pm Info: (802) 223-3188, marketing@neci.edu

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best of central Vermont | Winter Sprng 2013 2013/2014

January 11 & 12

Ladies’ Nordic Ski Expo Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, 9am–5pm Info: (802) 864-5794, www.catamounttrail.org

January 12

Capital City Concerts: Rural Refrain Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 3:30pm Info: www.capitalcityconcerts.org

January 17

Burlington Ensemble: Named Angels – A Mohammed Fairouz Musical Portrait Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7:30pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

Central Vermont February 1

The Sleeping Beauty – Rudolf Nureyev State Ballet Theatre of Russia Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

February 1 & 2

Vermont Philharmonic Winter Concert Featuring the Winner of the Borowicz Memorial Scholarship Sat: Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael’s College, 7:30pm Sun: Barre Opera House, Barre, 2pm Info: (802) 476-8188, www.barreoperahouse.com

Ar t s & Enter ta inment

February 15

Joshua Kane’s Borders of the Mind, the Psychic Show for the Whole Family Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

February 16–21

winter calendar

2013/2014

February 22

Chicago City Limits Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 8pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

February 26

Stowe Mountain Film Festival Week Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm every night Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

Farmers’ Night: The Music and Poetry of World War I Vermont State House, Montpelier, 7:30pm Info: (802) 828-2180

February 8

Some Girls: Rolling Stones Live in Texas, 1978 (2012) Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7pm Info: (802) 760-4638, www.sprucepeakarts.org

February 10–14

Chocolate Week & Valentine’s Dinner NECI on Main, Montpelier Info: (802)223-3188, marketing@neci.edu

January 31

The Capitol Steps Rural Refrain

www.bestofcentralvt.com

79

centr al vermont chat

with sue minter

BY stephen morris

What’s a good example of this?

Waterbury, where I live. Not only has the issue of the state hospital been addressed, but the downtown area is now a vibrant place with great shops and places for eating and drinking. Interestingly, we’re probably best known now as a great place to drink beer! The storm released a flood of creativity, innovation, and energy that can be felt and seen on Main Street.

What brought you to Vermont?

Skiing. My husband David and I were living in the Boston area and coming to Vermont every weekend. Eventually, we tired of being road warriors and decided to try to live the dream.

You served four terms as a state representative in a district hat includes tiny Buel’s Gore. Fess up . . . have you ever been to Buel’s Gore?

Absolutely! I assure you I have been to every home, not only in Buel’s Gore, but my entire district.

Sue Minter is Deputy Secretary at the Vermont Agency of Transportation and a former Vermont State Representative. She also served as head of Vermont’s Tropical Storm Irene recovery office.

Minter, a Harvard graduate, has a master’s degree in urban and community planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has long been a champion of the importance of transportation in downtown development.

This past fall Minter went to Colorado, where she was part of a team of Vermont officials who assisted with the recovery efforts in the wake of that state’s devastating floods in the Boulder area. She lives in Waterbury Center with her husband David and son Jasper. Their daughter Ariel is studying at Oberlin College in Ohio.

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How was Colorado’s situation similar to that of post-Irene Vermont?

Both states are mountainous, so the damage was caused largely by torrential rain and small streams and rivers that ran out of control, causing extensive damage to infrastructure such as bridges and roadways. Also, both disasters happened at approximately the same time of year, so there’s the same race against time with the onset of winter. That means decisions must be made quickly.

How were the situations different?

In Vermont nearly every community in the state was affected by Irene, so there was no sense of business as usual. We immediately formed an incident command system, and it was all hands on deck. In Colorado, however, only a tiny fraction of the state, percentagewise, was affected by the floods. The total damage was the same, but the overall impact on the state was less.

What did the Vermont contingent do for Colorado?

We demonstrated that we have kinship and commonality with every other state. It’s now two years since Irene, and we’ve proven that towns can recover—and recover stronger.

best of central Vermont | Winter 2013/2014

Will you run for elective office again?

I love my present job, but I’ve learned not to close any doors on the future.

What are the near-term and longer-term challenges in Vermont’s transportation future?

We have an immediate revenue problem. Vermonters have reduced their vehicle travel miles, which is good in that it reduces our carbon footprint, but it also results in less income from the taxes on gasoline. This, in turn, translates to fewer resources to maintain our infrastructure of roads and bridges, which need a lot of attention.

Longer term, we need to build more resiliency and sustainability into our transportation systems so that we are prepared for future weather-related events like Irene, because they are going to happen.

What might people find surprising about you?

Perhaps that I once competed in the National Ultimate Frisbee championship. Of my favorite athletic pursuits—telemark skiing, figure skating, running—Ultimate Frisbee demands the most athleticism, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Not only is it the most physically challenging but also there is no referee, so players have to call their own fouls.

You earned praise in your role as head of the Irene Recovery effort for your ability to achieve consensus. Did that come from calling your own fouls in Ultimate?

Now that would be a stretch! What did influence me was that I attended a Quaker high school that was in the very early stages of co-educating. In fact, I was the first female president of the school’s student council. Quaker values included decision making, and I learned that you have to listen to all points of view if you’re ever going to achieve consensus, and that’s a lesson that translates to politics!

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