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Marzipan Workshop at Ventfort Hall10:31AM / Friday, October 30, 2009
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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