Chef-owned bistro Folly: Serious whimsey
By Nicole Colson Peter Wallace, chef and co-owner of Folly, a 14-seat “modern neighborhood bistro” on Main Street in Wilmington, considers food a moving target. “I change the menu each week,” he says. At the same time, he brings his years of experience to the table. “I rely heavily on it,” he says, “so my food becomes more simple.” His bold flavors reflect his colorful life of travel and both working at and operating several...
Driven to delight: Southern Vermont’s top 10 food trucks
There’s something about ordering your menu selection from a sandwich board, watching the chef prepare your meal, and enjoying it picnic-style out in nature. Whether it comes from a truck, wagon, or stand, food that’s made to order in this fashion is the thing to sample on long summer days. There are many to try while traveling, shopping, and exploring in the region, and the following picks are a varied representation of both types of...
Pressed for success: Putney Mountain Winery pours Vermont by the glass
By Kate Dodge Rhubarb wine? A ginger liqueur? Blueberry wine? Blackcurrant cassis? These are just a few of the creative drinks we make at Putney Mountain Winery. From dry, premium dinner wines to spicy and sweet liqueurs, the flavor and feel of our wines reflect the varied, often subtle, beauty of the region and its distinctive character. Putney Mountain Winery is both solar powered and certified as a Vermont Green Business, and a...
Getting ready to fly: New England Center for Circus Arts moves into new headquarters
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the New England Center for Circus Arts moves into its new headquarters in Brattleboro this summer. The new trapezium building — an 8,600-square-foot building incorporating a gymnasium for circus arts training and performances — will be the nation’s newest custom-designed circus arts training and performance facility and will allow year-round, indoor flying trapeze training, as well as...
Seasoned talent: Chef Chris Bonnivier of the Hermitage Club
By Nicole Colson Chef Chris Bonnivier serves fried chicken on the menu at the White House Inn in Wilmington. Before you go thinking this is just any fried chicken, you should know the recipe takes three days before it’s ready to serve. First, the heirloom variety birds, purchased from Ephraim Mountain Farm in Springfield, are broken down. The legs and thighs sit in a pale ale brine for 24 hours before going into a blend of high-fat...
The piece and its soul: The art of Carolyn Enz Hack
By Meg Brazill Carolyn Enz Hack grew up on her family’s farm in New Jersey and first found inspiration in the natural world. Since 2001, she and her husband, Garrett Hack, have lived on a farm in Thetford Center (along with a Belgian horse, cows, chickens, and a cat.) Carolyn is a painter and sculptor, a thinker and a maker. Garrett is a furniture maker, teacher, designer, and writer. They each have a studio on their farm and talk...
You know what you want: Customers drive Windham Wines
By Marty Ramsburg We live in a great area—it’s natural and untamed yet sophisticated and cultivated; rural, yet with so many cultural benefits that we can never get to all the events that we would like; breathtakingly beautiful, with light that rivals Provence or in contrast, days of low clouds that shroud the Green Mountains. This place has attracted what Frank and I have observed over our 10 years as the most rewarding element of...
Limitless adaptations: How Unity Homes leads next-gen home building
See intro: When a region roars back: Green building builds Southern Vermont’s economy By Katherine P. Cox Unity Homes in Walpole has been in business for just four years, but it’s already leading the next generation of home building. That’s not surprising, considering it’s an offshoot of Bensonwood, a pioneer in reviving timber frame building more than 40 years ago. Unity Homes has put Bensonwood’s vast experience, knowledge, and...
Ironwood’s Eli Gould builds houses that become ‘something more”
See intro: When a region roars back: Green building builds Southern Vermont’s economy By Katherine P. Cox Eli Gould, a former Bensonwood associate, has become a local legend around Brattleboro. Gould is a child of the 1970s-era back-to-the-land movement. He was raised on a Vermont commune and built his first dwelling, a timber-frame cabin, when he was 19. He won a full scholarship to Yale University and excelled in Yale’s first dual...
Destined for romance: A Southern Vermont wedding rings true
Before the peal of the bells, there’s planning… Given the charm of our historic villages, the warmth and coziness of our country inns, and the breathtaking beauty of our area generally, couples travel from all over the world to celebrate their nuptials in Southern Vermont. The gentle, rolling hills of the Green Mountains; fields carpeted in wildflowers; babbling brooks; rustic old barns and covered bridges; and, of course, our...
Taste of place: The terroirs of Vermont maple syrup
So you think you know maple syrup? It’s possible you’ve just scratched the surface of what makes this state staple so deliciously unique. In a recent project backed by a $45,000 grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department, a team of researchers, sugarmakers, and sensory panelists worked to describe the terroir, or taste of place, of Vermont maple syrup. Just as the world of wine has long offered its aficionados readings in terroir, it...
Spotlight: NECCA Circus Spectacular
March 4-5 Latchis Theater, downtown Brattleboro http://www.necenterforcircusarts.org New England Center for Circus Arts’ 7th Annual Dazzling Fundraiser, held live, is an amazing evening of circus acts presented by guest performers from all over the world. All proceeds from this event support outreach programming by the New England Center for Circus Arts. NECCA offers free and discounted programming with many collaborators for at-risk...
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