On Sunday, May 2nd, The Copper Beech Inn in the Ivoryton section of Essex hosted the Fifth Annual Viña Música, a fundraiser for Community Music School located in nearby Centerbrook. And I was fortunate enough to be invited.
Well, consider this blog entry one long, slow striptease that tours you through the premises, the auction items, the musicians, various notables and the hors d’oeuvre, finally culminating in the money shots—the fantastic food served at the patrons’ special wine dinner. If you’re the sort who reads the last pages of novels first, who has your CD player programmed to single out your favorite tracks, who doesn’t actually read the articles in Playboy but heads straight for the centerfold, then you can skip ahead. Either way—enjoy!
The Copper Beech Inn is announced by this signage.
The namesake tree is a massive beauty that resides at the front of the property
near this lawn sculpture.
This unusual sight hinted of pleasures to come.
The Inn includes both the handsome main structure
as well as a couple of modern buildings tucked away out back that also house guests.
The attractive grounds encourage further wandering, as my wife demonstrated.
A wealth of flowers tempted the shutterbug in me.
We spied a sign for Brasserie Pip, the more casual alternative to the much vaunted Copper Beech Restaurant.
Even customer cars made interesting viewing, like this hot Camaro
or this Subaru Outback jerry-rigged for ham radio exchanges.
The front porch seemed to be a gathering place for the many committed individuals who helped put on this event, including organizer Cynthia Bulaong (standing).
On a hot and humid spring day, the breezy porch proved irresistible to my wife and me.
Once guests were inside, there were volunteers to ensure that they felt welcome.
The beauty of the Inn’s interior immediately became apparent.
This section of Essex was called Ivoryton for a reason.
Of course, support of Community Music School was the raison d’être behind this celebratory occasion. The schedule of events, including performers’ names, were posted on this flyer.
Guests were encouraged to take a free copy of student and faculty recordings, which I have been enjoying at home since.
So here are some shots of the music scene…
There were roaming raffle ticket sales
and numerous items for both silent and live auction.
Here are some before and during shots of the live auction.
When guests first arrived, they grabbed goblets in the entrance
and headed on to enjoy foods, some of which were cooked outside,
as well as wines and foods served on the porch
or inside.
At the very top of the gastronomic food chain is celebrity chef Jacques Pépin,
who was enjoying the event
when he wasn’t good-naturedly signing cookbooks.
Indeed, the Inn had never been so splashed with color.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time,
even honored four-legged guests.
But the luckiest folk were those who could attend the Copper Beech Restaurant dinner prepared by supremely talented chef Tyler Anderson and staff. A rising culinary star, Anderson recently won an episode of the Food Network show Chopped and he has also made a couple of James Beard Foundation appearances.
The dining crowd’s enthusiasm was evident.
Impressionistic paintings graced the dining room walls.
Some of the people involved in the event had a few words to say.
Bulaong plopped down at our table for a little while.
So here’s a copy of the menu for the special dinner.
Now let’s look at the food, beginning with niceties like bread (baked on the premises by Charles van Over, former owner of Restaurant du Village in Chester)
and butter.
Our pretty first course—hiramasa (Australian-farmed amberjack) with miso, mustard, pecan and kumquat—was as delicious as it was eye-catching.
Our even prettier second course showcased snow white halibut with spring-dug parsnip purée, pickled beet, apple and shiso.
Our impressive third course featured beef tenderloin with flavors of bourguignonne and smoked potato gratin.
And our fourth, and final, course was dessert, an exquisite chocolate mousse with hazelnut brittle, cherries and malt ice cream.
It was a great meal, every course matched with an appropriate wine. I end my blog piece the way the meal ended, with Anderson
and his chefs lining up for a well-deserved standing ovation from guests.
Copper Beech Inn, 46 Main Street, Ivoryton, 860-767-0330