Marzipan Workshop at Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. - World-renowned wedding-cake designer and author Cile Bellefleur-Burbidge will teach the art of making decorative marzipan at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Saturday, November 21. There will be three workshops held at 10:00am, 2:00pm and 6:00pm.

Bellefleur-Burbidge will demonstrate and assist participants in the process of mixing and decorating these traditional sweets, perfect for the holidays. Marzipan has been enjoyed in Europe since the Middle Ages. Although there is some controversy regarding it’s origins, one accounts holds that when the Crusaders opened up trade routes to the Near East, they brought the taste for this Arab confection back to Europe. Marzipan is now part of Mediterranean pastry and candy traditions, as well as the cuisine of Germany, Austria, the British Isles and Scandinavia among others. There is even a National Marzipan Day celebrated on January 12.

The work of Mrs. Bellefleur-Burbidge has been praised by numerous critics; for instance this quote from Vogue magazine:  “…Rarest is the incredibly elaborate, all-white Victorian cake decorated with flowers, urns, arches, vases and trellises of ‘glace Royal’… casting your eyes upon any of her cakes will take your breath away.” Bon Appétit named her as one of the top ten cake decorators and prices for her cakes have ranged from $10,000 to $20,000. They have been on view at the Smithsonian Institution, Tiffany’s, the Peabody Essex Museum, and for the occasional $4million dollar wedding. The author of two books on the “fine art” of cake decorating, she has made two cakes for Ventfort Hall which are both on display as exquisite examples of her artistry.

Mrs. Bellefleur-Burbidge also happens to be one-half of a very talented couple. Her husband is John R. Burbidge, the designer and creator of Les Petites Dames de Mode (“The Little Ladies of Fashion”), which have enjoyed much attention at the historic mansion from visitors the world over.

Tickets for each workshop are $25 per person for adults and $15 for children ages 10 to 17 and may be purchased by calling Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206. The ticket price includes marzipan and decorating materials as well as admission to the historic mansion located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

An Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum offers tours of the historic mansion, as well as lectures, concerts, teas, theater and other programs. This elegant Elizabethan-Revival Berkshire “cottage,” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open to the public year-around and is available for private rental. Built in 1893 for George and Sarah Morgan (sister of the financier, J. P. Morgan), Ventfort Hall has undergone substantial restoration, which continues.
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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