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French Cooking Classes
The Mercersburg Inn is proud to partner with the acclaimed L' Academie de Cuisine of Bethesda, MD to present a series of culinary weekends offering French cooking classes throughout the year.
The Class
The weekend includes two classes. You arrive Friday afternoon/evening and the first class starts directly after breakfast on Saturday morning. The second class starts after breakfast on Sunday. These are two intensive (hands-on) cooking classes and (of course) fabulous meals for you to enjoy are the results. Saturday night's Chef's Dinner, prepared by the Inn's Chef de Cuisine Dan Nowalk, is an elegant gala event.
This is not a class where you sit and someone teaches. This is a hands-on, fun weekend. Chef Francois will do a demonstration and then discuss the menu and recipes. Then the group splits into teams and each prepares one course of the lunch. This is for all skill levels. Got a question, want to know how to do something, Chef Francois is right there.
Your Instructor
Chef Francois Dionot is the founder and director of L'Academie de Cuisine and has over 30 years of experience in the food service industry. A native of Reims, France, Mr. Dionot was educated at L'Ecole Hoteliere de la Societe Suisse de Hoteliers in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he earned a diploma in hotel and restaurant service management and all phases of food preparation. Mr. Dionot worked at various highly acclaimed kitchens in Switzerland, France, Washington DC, and New York.
Mr. Dionot remains an integral part of L'Academie de Cuisine, handling day-to-day operations as School Director and Instructor for the theoretical portions of the school's professional programs. He also teaches vocational French cuisine classes, conducts master classes on specialized food subjects around the country, and acts as a food consultant for various professional groups. A founding member and past President of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), he also is a Chef Rotisseur member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and a member of the Vatel Club.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Arrive at the Inn
Saturday
8:00am-9:30pm - Breakfast
10:00am - Cooking class Starts
12:30pm - Lunch with wine
7:00pm - Cocktails in the Tile Room (not included in the the course fee)
8:00pm - 5 course French Chef's Dinner with wine (optional not included in the course fee)
Sunday
8:00am-9:30pm - Breakfast
10:00am - Cooking class Starts
12:30pm - Lunch with wine
Prices, Provisions & Policies
Classes: $185 per person
Chef's Dinner: $85 per person (includes wine, gratuity and taxes)
Call early (717) 328-5231 for your chance to cook in the country with Chef Dionot - these weekends fill up fast!
Requires a minimum 2-night stay - Friday and Saturday nights
Upcoming Dates
November 17th - 19th, 2017 - Friday arrival for 2 nights stay required
January 26th - 28th, 2018 - Friday arrival for 2 nights stay required
April 27th - 29th, 2018 - Friday arrival for 2 nights stay required
International Wines & Food Weekends
Join us for Wine Tasting Weekends in Pennsylvania with John Peters!
Your Host
John Peters joins to us with 27 years experience in the wine business. John’s long association with the wine industry has included owning and operating a wine shop and wine school in Washington, DC, working at the DeLoach vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, and managing several wine import companies. He has lectured on wine at the National Press Club, The Greenbriar Resort, The Homestead Resort, The French and Australian Embassies, The Decanter Club, Taste DC, and The Wine Tasting Association.
Event Schedules
There is a late afternoon wine tasting and educational session with John Peters. Then, he will join with our chef, Dan Nowalk, a charter member of the Pennsylvania Culinary Society, to delight us with a 5-course dinner with wine pairings.
Saturday
5:00 pm -Wine Tasting Session - featuring 6 wines.
8 pm – Five-course dinner with wine pairings selected by John, including a brief discussion of the wines chosen.
If you have been here for any of the above country/regional wine weekends -
the wines and dinner menu will not be the same.
Prices, Provisions & Policies
$130 per person plus room
Repeat Wine and Food Guests $120 plus room
Requires overnight stay.
This will be a popular weekend, so be sure to make your reservation now.
Call us at 717-328-5231 to make your reservation or click here to reserve online Wine and Food Weekend and scroll down to your selected event package
Upcoming Dates
November 11th, 2017
Wines and Foods of Spain and Portugal
Beer and Food Weekends
Join us for a beer tasting at Mercersburg Inn and discover that tastings and fine dining pairings are not for wine lovers only!
The Tasting and Dinner
This year we are partnering with Clevenger’s Beverage Connection in McConnellsburg.
They are the premiere wholesale beer distributor and have the largest and most extensive selection of domestic, craft and imported beer in South Central PA.
Clevengers is a family owned business dating back to 1958. Bill Clevenger, the third generation, is the current owner. They know beer!
Bill and his beer experts will be choosing various brews for the tasting and pairing dinner. These will be passed to Chef Dan who will have a good time tasting them and deciding on the best food choices for each beer.
The Clevenger Team will join us for the tasting and dinner and guide us through their choices and to answer your questions.
At 7 pm, we will start with a beer sampling social hour in our Tile Room bar. This will be followed at 8 pm by a group dinner with the beer pairing.
Regularly $40 per person - July 29 - $20 per person
Taxes and gratuity not included.
Requires an overnight stay
Call us at (717) 328-5231 to make your reservation or Book Online.
Upcoming Dates
To Be Announced
Quilting Weekends
If you are reading this then we both know you cannot get enough of it! Exercise your obsession with everything quilting at an unforgettable weekend getaway in a turn-of-the-century Georgian Mansion.
Your Instructor
Bring your enthusiasm and your supplies to a quilting retreat** and we will have for you a well-lit room, plenty of space, and a great instructor. Frankie resides in Adams County, Pennsylvania. She belongs to Everybody’s Quilt Guild in nearby Westminster, MD. She has had a lifelong love of quilting. Her expertise includes paper piecing, appliquéing by machine, machine quilting and hand dyeing her own fabric. She has been the quilting instructor at the Inn for over six years. If you have enjoyed any of Jennifer Chiaverini's novels and you are searching for your own Elm Creek Manor, you have found it.
Schedule
Friday
- 5 pm - Social hour and Show and Tell. Meet Frankie and the owners, Jim and Lisa McCoy. Enjoy a glass of wine, beverages, and snacks.
- 6:30 pm - Dinner in Byron's Dining Room. Chef Dan Nowalk will prepare special menu for the group. We have a full bar with a selection of wine, beer, and liquor.
Saturday
- 8 am - Our delicious breakfast is served.
- 9 am to 12 pm - Quilting Session. The Great Room of the Inn will be prepared for the classes. The room is bright, big, and beautiful. Beverages are served during all sessions.
- 12:30 pm - Lunch is Served.
- 2 pm to 5 pm - Quilting Session
- 6:30 pm - Dinner is Served.
- Optional - "work alone time" is available until 11:30 PM. If instead you decide to relax for the rest of the night, you may enjoy the game room with pool table, air-hockey, and other games and puzzles.
Sunday
- 8 am - Another delicious breakfast is served.
- 9 am to 12 pm - Quilting Session
- 12:30 pm - Lunch is Served.
- 2 pm to 3:30 pm - Last Quilting Session.
Guest Rooms
Let's talk comfort. Our beds are fantastic! Every room is unique like your quilts are - take your pick. The best linens you can imagine, down pillows and comforters to embrace you, the softest robe and towels to ever touch you! Every room has a queen or king bed with a private bathroom.
Prices, Provisions & Policies
The price for this weekend is $499 per person and worth every penny!
Add a 2nd quilter in room with meals - $395
Add a Non-quilter in room with meals - $295
For the non-quilters - discounted golf at Whitetail - Shopping at Prime Outlets, Swimming at Cowan's Gap and more!
Includes room for 2 nights single occupancy, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dInners, beverages, gratuities - single occupancy - excluding taxes, wines, beer, and spirits.
For this event only, all rooms will be sold at the same discounted price on a first-come first-pick basis.
**We provide tables, ironing boards, and irons. You bring the sewing machine and the rest of your tools. Frankie will email you a list of required materials.
There must be at least one person per room participating in the quilting class retreats. Full regular room rates will apply if there is not at least one person per room participating in the quilting class. The class and dining package are not available unless there is one participant per room.
***Shopping Bonus***
Several wonderful quilt shops in the area have offered us discounts! Shop Hop anyone?
Upcoming Dates
November 3-5, 2017
Pattern: Disappear With Me…
Learn this fast and easy method of construction using precut Layer Cakes (10” cuts). Quilting outside the box at its best!
Quilt Size: 72” X 83”
Skill Level: Confident beginner and Beyond
November 3rd-5th, 2017
Pattern: Mystery Quilt
By popular request, Mercersburg Inn's 1st Mystery Quilt weekend!
It's so much fun to see where the mystery takes you... Start with a list of fabric requirements and tools needed for your pieced quilt. During the weekend we will sew step by step until the big reveal.
Quilt Size: Generous Lap Quilt
Skill Level: Beginner and above
Genealogical Retreat – Midweek
Step Back into History – Find Your Family in Franklin County, PA. Experienced and Beginner Researchers Welcome!
Your Genealogist
Pam Anderson, founder and owner of AndersonCoGen will guide you through the research steps via lectures and a hands-on search through the Franklin County repositories Pam will provide individualized consultations by appointment during the retreat.
Schedule
Wednesday
1:00 pm - Check-in at the Inn
1:30 pm-4:30 pm Lectures:
- The History of Franklin County’s migrations
- Original Records in and around Franklin County
- Franklin County Repositories
6:00 pm – Dinner - $50 voucher for restaurant TBD
Thursday
8:00 am – Breakfast at the Inn
9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Research at the Franklin County Repositories
6:00 pm – Dinner at the Inn’s Byron’s Dining Room Restaurant
Friday
8:00 am – Breakfast at the Inn
11:00 am - Checkout
Guest Rooms
Let's talk comfort. Our beds are fantastic! Every room is unique - take your pick. The best linens you can imagine, down pillows and comforters to embrace you, the softest robe and towels to ever touch you! Every room has a queen or king bed with a private bathroom.
Full Package - 2 Night Stay, 2 Breakfasts and Dinners and Genealogy Sessions
The price for this retreat is:
$355 single occupancy
$475 double occupancy
It includes a two-night stay, two breakfasts and two dinners per person. Taxes and gratuities are not included.
These rates apply to retreat participants only.
You can add an additional night stay for $ 150 plus tax – double occupancy.
Genealogy Sessions and Dinners Package
Does not include overnight room - $175 per person
Cannot book sessions and dinner package on line - call us at 717-328-5231
Upcoming Dates
To Be Announced
Cheese Making
Cheese Making Weekends in Pennsylvania -- with Three Shepherd's Cheese
Your Instructors
Join Dr. Larry and Linda Faillace of Vermont's Three Shepherds Cheese at The Mercersburg Inn for a weekend of fun and informative cheesemaking!
Linda and Larry, along with their three children, Francis, Heather, and Jackie, began a family farm enterprise located in the heart of Vermont's beautiful Green Mountains in 1993. They are committed to sustainable practices and quality artisanal products with a focus on cheese.
Larry and Linda are passionate cheeseophiles and food enthusiasts. Over the past eighteen years they have taught the art and science of cheesemaking to nearly 3000 students from around the world. Three Shepherds' cheeses and cheesemaking classes have been featured in numerous publications and television shows including: "Food Finds” on the Food Network, Martha Stewart Television, "Gourmet," "Cooking Light," "Ski Magazine," "Elle," and "Travel and Leisure," to name a few. Linda and Larry’s cheesemaking adventures have taken them across the United States, and they were the first to teach traditional artisan cheesemaking techniques in Bermuda and Belize.
Schedule
Friday
Cheese students arrive for a weekend of fun and delicious activities. Included in the course is the "Three Shepherds Artisanal Cheesemaking Manual" complete with lots of fascinating cheese information and all the necessary recipes for the weekend. During the evening hours, Larry and Linda will lead a short introductory discussion followed by the starting of two cheeses. These cheeses require a full night of incubation and transformation into curds and whey.
Saturday
Class begins after breakfast and includes a full day of hands-on cheesemaking along with discussions of the history and discovery of cheesemaking, the principles of artisan cheesemaking, the types of milk needed for cheesemaking (as well as those to be avoided), and the tools and ingredients required for the foolproof creation of delicious cheeses at home. We will complete the soft-ripened cheese and Quark begun on Friday evening, make a batch of Feta, as well as some whole milk Ricotta.
The Faillaces will also work with the class to make their signature lunch, based on the morning’s activities.
The class will also provide cheese to the Inn’s chef, to be incorporated into the optional Saturday evening meal.
Saturday Night
Optional 4 course dinner with wine using some of the cheeses made during the Saturday Class. $50 -includes tax and gratuity.
Sunday
Another day of cheesemaking begins after Sunday breakfast. Students will complete the cheeses made on Saturday, including a discussion and demonstration of salting and brining. The class will also make the always popular fresh Mozzarella, as well as whey Ricotta. The highlight of Sunday is Linda’s cheese tasting and wine pairing lunch. Lunch is like a class of its own in cheese appreciation, pairing, and serving, and includes a wonderful array of select cheeses. Upon completion of the class, students will have the opportunity to take several cheeses home with them and the knowledge and skill to make them at home.
Prices, Provisions & Policies
$395 per person plus room - Requires 2 night stay.
Former Cooking Class guests - 10% discount on class fee.
This will be a popular weekend, so be sure to make your reservation now.
Call us at (717) 328-5231 or 1-866-628-7401 to make your reservation.
Upcoming Dates
To Be Announced
-
3-Day Art Retreat
Join us for a weekend of relaxation and creativity! Bring out your inner artist during this 3-day painting retreat.
Your Instructor & Art Projects
Susan Shaffer will lead you through three art projects over the weekend. The main project, Stargazing Lily, will be painted in acrylics on a 16 x 20 canvas. Shaffer will teach techniques that are easily grasped by the beginning artist and accomplished artists as well.
The second project, Butterfly Batik Watercolor on Rice paper, will introduce students to Batik techniques combined with rice paper, watercolors and hot wax.
Our last project is a small intuitive or expressive painting. What is intuitive painting? It is all about allowing the painting to lead you, there is no plan, just Susan’s direction and you must give up control. It is an incredibly freeing experience. Relax and allow Susan to lead you through therapeutic art exercises to complete the third painting of the weekend.
All supplies, paints and brushes will be provided, just pack your suitcase and come for a great weekend event!
Requires a Friday and Saturday night stay. Enjoy a 20% discount on your guest room when you book this retreat.
$180 per person – includes the Art Retreat, 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts.
Call us at (717) 328-5231 to make your reservation or Book Online.
| Date(s) | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| November 3-5, 2017 | Quilting Weekend : Mystery Quilt | By popular request, Mercersburg Inn's 1st Mystery Quilt weekend! |
| November 11, 2017 | International Wines & Food Weekend : Spain and Portugal | Join us for a guided tour of the wines and foods of Spain and Portugal with John Peters! |
| November 17-19, 2017 | French Cooking Classes | French Cooking Class with Chef Francois Dionot, founder and owner of L'Academie de Cuisine professional culinary school - Limited to 14 participants. |
| November 23, 2017 | Thanksgiving Special | Stay with us, let us do the cooking and enjoy Chef Dan Nowalk's traditional four-course Thanksgiving Dinner. |
| December 31, 2017 | New Years Eve 2017! | Plan to spend a New Year’s Eve getaway at The Mercersburg Inn. |
| April 1, 2018 | Easter Dinner | Join us for memorable Easter dinner in our fine dining restaurant. |
| April 6-8, 2018 | 3-Day Art Retreat | Join us for a weekend of art therapy with 3 painting projects and relaxation. Learn creative techniques and feel all your worries melt away on the canvas. |
| May 13, 2018 | Mother's Day | Celebrate mom with a memorable dinner at our highly acclaimed restaurant, Byron’s Dining Room. |
| November 22, 2018 | Thanksgiving Special | Stay with us, let us do the cooking and enjoy Chef Dan Nowalk's traditional four-course Thanksgiving Dinner. |