A Culinary Retreat with The Effortless Kitchen
The Ultimate Foodie Experience
Toasting with that delicious Rose at Taplin.
In March, The Effortless Kitchen took a group of women on a full day culinary retreat in Napa, California. It was an endeavor that was previously a dream but became a reality last summer when I decided to create and launch it. Why not? Who wouldn’t love to eat and drink with me and be around culinary like minded people? Imagine eating the meal of a lifetime and being surrounded by people who enjoy it as much as you and are open minded foodies and love to talk about food and food experiences. That is my version of heaven.
I created the Napa Culinary Retreat as a way for people to experience the best of the best curated, special, exclusive food and wine the region has to offer and to relish in the farm to table dining and the local wines so that you can almost taste the dirt they were grown in. I set out to make it so special that you could not find it yourself, couldn’t just make a reservation, walk in or order the wines. I knew every single minute of the day’s plan and how it was going to go, the foods we would eat, the wines we would drink, the road we would travel and yet, it blew me away. The actual experience was better than I imagined, better than I planned for, better than I intended it to be. And it was not just me. Here is some of the feedback I received from the participants:
“I have been on many culinary trips and must say that Debbie Brosnan’s culinary retreat in Napa was one of the best. It included everything that one would want or expect- great food, spectacular wineries, small group escorted by a private van and a very well planned itinerary but flexible enough to make stops especially when the Bouchon Bakery came in to view. Debbie ran the day flawlessly from start to finish and I can’t wait to join her next trip. If you are a foodie and love to travel, you will be amazed how Debbie combines the two to give you nothing less than a 5 star experience.”
—Susan Basta
“Chef Debbie Brosnan planned & orchestrated an amazing culinary experience in Napa. Everything from locations, transportation, food & wine were incredible. The day went so smooth even with a Bouchon & Gary’s pit stop. I would highly recommend & look forward to future events!”
—Debbie Pulizzano
Let me walk you through the day to whet your appetite. We hired Wine Tour Pros to drive us and also help me plan the day. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in Napa and we started our day at Brix Restaurant at a beautiful table set especially for us out near the gardens overlooking the vineyards. I loved the crisp white tablecloth with 4 wineglasses set at each place contrasted with the greenery of the gardens and vineyards. Our host, Nicole, greeted us with a bottle of Chardonnay and immediately started talking about the history of the restaurant and the Kelleher Family Vineyard. I love wine education and I love a good story. We got plenty of both all day long. We started our culinary journey with Brix’s famous tempura green beans with a mustard dipping sauce. Going into the retreat, I was confused why this was part of the tasting menu but I kept seeing it everywhere on their website so I trusted that they would be good. And oh my goodness, they were amazing. Crisp and warm and slathered in tangy sauce, they were the perfect starter to the meal and the perfect compliment to the wine. Part of this culinary retreat was discussing each of the courses and voting on our favorites. Everyone at the table voted for those green beans and that sauce in particular. We loved it so much that Nicole shared the recipe with us! Up next was a mushroom risotto course followed by hangar steak over beans and swiss chard. Both were good but those tempura green beans were a tough act to follow. The wines were delicious and the meal was well rounded and a good portion for lunch so that we were not full and could enjoy our next tasting experience.
The beautiful backdrop for our lunch experience at Brix.
We piled into the van and chatted about the food, wine and gorgeous setting as our driver took us to our next spot, Taplin Winery. Now this place is by appointment only so you have to know someone to get in (thank you Wine Tour Pros). And they are so exclusive they do not allow social media tagging so there are no links here. We met Peter who was our gracious host and he took us out into the vineyard first with a bottle of Rose and a handful of glasses. Now I should have prefaced this with the fact that I am definitely more of a white and rose wine fan and this rose was incredible. It had a depth and full body that you don’t get in most rose wines. I loved it so much I ordered a few bottles delivered to my door. We learned the history of the vineyard and the family and how they came to be. Such an interesting place and if you want to go visit, I can connect you to Peter. Once inside the tasting room, we sat down to 4 glasses and a gorgeous plate with 4 light bites to compliment the wine. We started with two cheeses, progressed to speck ham and ended with jamon iberico potato chips imported from Spain. What?? We all loved those chips with the wine so much that we had to stop at the shop down the street to buy a bag each before heading to dinner. The wines were beautiful full bodied reds and were loved by the group. Fun note about those potato chips. They do not taste very good without red wine. I tried them at home and there is something about the red wine that makes them taste delicious but without the wine, they are barely palatable.
Before heading to dinner, we asked to stop at Bouchon Bakery to see if they had any chocolate eclairs left for us. No luck as it was after 4pm, BUT, we all bought some of their famous macarons and they live up to the hype. I am usually a chocolate fan and while it was great, the pistachio was my favorite.
I would go back just for the pistachio macarons!
Now onto the part of the day we were all anticipating. We drove to another private winery, Blue Oak, also exclusive and no social tagging so they remain unknown, for our dinner with a private chef I hired with the help of Jeremy from Wine Tour Pros. Jeremy was great to work with and knew exactly what I was looking for and also knew I didn’t want to break the bank for everyone. He went through a number of options but once he mentioned Chef Kelly MacDonald and the level of his food and where he has cooked before, I just knew Chef Kelly was the one for us. I am so glad I listened to my gut because when I tell you that he cooked an exquisite meal, it’s an understatement. Chef Kelly was easy to work with, accommodating dietary restrictions and preferences and allowed me some input into the menu. What I really love about the way Chef Kelly operates is he grows all of his own produce, makes all of his own bread and does as much as he can by hand. Our meal could not have been fresher than it was, with the veggies picked from his garden that morning.
We started on the deck of the property under a gigantic Blue Oak Tree overlooking their vineyard. The table was ready for us, champagne was poured and Chef Kelly brought out a huge board filled with three appetizers. We started with salmon on salt cured cucumbers (served on a himalayan sea salt block), freshly made veggie pizza with burrata and pulled pork on crispy wontons. All three bites were delicious, no they were beyond delicious. Most of us preferred the pork IF we had to choose, but no one was making us choose, we just enjoyed the discussion and voting.
The unforgettable deck at Blue Oak Vineyard
Once we were done relaxing and enjoying the view and the appetizers, we headed inside to the rustic barn table and started the plated portion of the meal. Chef Kelly started us with a smoked carrot soup with a focaccia crouton. We then moved to the salad course which was delicious fresh lettuce from his garden, cabernet roasted beets, watermelon radish and homemade bread with goat cheese and warm artichoke hearts. I love salads and would rarely say the salad was the best course of the meal, but this salad was special! Our main course was halibut over asparagus and a napoleon of tomato and potato. Superb! We finished the meal with a chocolate cake and bourbon caramel glaze which was rich and delicious and the perfect ending to an extravagant dinner. All the while, Michael, our host at Blue Oak was pouring red wine and educating us on the wine, the property, the family and making our experience even better. We were treated like queens and it could not have gone better if I planned it.
In addition to having all of the food and wine experiences, it was the group that really enhanced the day. Having a group of likeminded foodies together to discuss the meal and the wine and also to add their unique spin on the conversation made for robust chatter. One of our participants is a sommelier so she added a lot of value to the conversations in a different way from our hosts, never stepping on their toes. Another participant is a fan of culinary experiences around the globe and was able to share what she has done and learned. There were full table discussions, side discussions and friends were made during the day.
I was so inspired by the trip that I immediately planned another culinary retreat for the Fall. This time we are going to Italy! I cannot wait for the trip and apparently others were excited too. It sold out three weeks after launching. So what do I do when a trip sells out so quickly? I start planning my 2023 culinary travel which will be to Italy. If you are intrigued and would like to be the first to know about the 2023 dates and locations, please share your info with me HERE
See you in the kitchen or on a food adventure!
Debbie