A Monthly Newsletter  
APRIL 2014
Issue 02  
In This Issue
Meet The Team
In The Garden
Real Wedding Feature
Willowdale Kitchens
Social Links

 

As we enter the spring season we can't help but feel the spirit of optimism for the year to come. In this issue we want to introduce some reoccurring content that will give readers a look behind the scenes at Willowdale Estate. Our "Meet The Team" section will be a platform to share some of the new faces at Willowdale, and help our readers get to know them better. "In The Garden" is our opportunity to share the ever-changing beauty and life happening in our flowering spaces. A "Real Wedding/Event Feature" will showcase some of our favorite celebration stories we are able to be a part of with our clients. "Willowdale Kitchens" is an area of our business that is growing in scope and in popularity!  Based on how much great feedback we've received about everything from our famous chocolate chip cookies, to our intimate chef tastings- we are getting the feeling that you like what you've tasted! Please let us know if you have other areas of interest by emailing Sarah@WillowdaleEstate.com with your questions, thoughts and feedback!

 

Sincerely,
Sarah Boucher, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager

MEET THE TEAM: Noah Quist 

 

With over seven years of culinary and catering experience and a keen appreciation for truly great food, Noah Quist joined the Willowdale Team in the fall of 2013 as our new Director of Business Development. With a primary focus on corporate and social events, Noah is passionately committed to expanding Willowdale's presence in the North Shore community and helping individuals and businesses to envision our one-of-a-kind, craftsman-style mansion as the backdrop for their next event or celebration.

 

When asked about his favorite part of his new role at Willowdale, Noah indicated that he "absolutely loves watching the "light bulb" go on the moment individuals or companies realize for the first time that a historic estate like Willowdale is practically in their backyard. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, 'Oh my gosh! I've lived in the North Shore for 20+ years and I had no idea!' That never ever gets old."

 

Noah has also been instrumental in brainstorming and developing our brand new series of Signature Events taking place at Willowdale Estate in 2014. Of all the new events we have coming up, Noah says that he cannot even begin to contain his excitement about our Bluegrass and BBQ event being held on Tuesday, July 29th. "This event has been a dream of mine for a long time, and combines three of my own personal obsessions.  I'm an avid and (some might say) slightly obsessed home brewer, I'm outspokenly passionate about North Carolina-style pulled pork, ribs and fixin's, and I went to college amid the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, so I love my Bluegrass.  Our executive chef and his team are poised to deliver some of the finest BBQ on the North Shore, my friends at Ipswich Brewing Company will be pouring some of their personally selected craft ales, and we are thrilled to be able to invite one of my all-time favorite Massachusetts-based bluegrass bands, "Chasing Blue", to light up the stage for us. It's going to be an amazing night for sure!"

 

If you're interested in setting the ground work for your next social or corporate event at Willowdale Estate, please contact Noah at noah@willowdaleestate.com. You can also register for our Bluegrass and BBQ event here! 

 

Feature contributed by Kaitlin Umbro, Sales Manager  
 IN THE GARDEN: Featuring Kim Smith - Garden Designer

Each spring, as the days get longer and warmer, thousands of tulips start pushing through the long-covered soil. Kim Smith, a longtime friend and garden designer at Willowdale Estate shared some thoughts with me about the source of her passion. "My love for creating gardens and for butterflies developed at a very young age while gardening alongside my grandmother at her seaside summer home on Cape Cod. I loved exploring nature and was particularly interested in the natural history of Cape Cod. And too, my mom had a passion for gorgeous gardens and took us often to explore public gardens all around the country, including the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California and Frederick Law Olmstead's Highland Park in Rochester, New York."

 

One of the areas of expertise that Kim Smith has become known for is her ability to attract butterflies and pollinators to her garden designs. She says, "My passion for creating butterfly and habitat gardens developed initially because I think butterflies and songbirds are exquisitely beautiful creatures and I wanted to draw these living beings to the gardens that I was designing. Butterflies and songbirds bring a garden to life with their grace in movement and fascinating life stories. The more that I learn, the greater the need becomes apparent for sharing information about the connection between native wildflowers and the web of life that they support."

    

Kim Smith will host a guided Garden Tour at Willowdale Estate on Tuesday,  May 13th starting at 6pm, "We'll stroll through the gardens and discuss the trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and annuals and their role in supporting butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds. More specifically, we'll discuss some of the parameters of designing for Willowdale and how the gardens relate to the Arts and Crafts period of the estate."

 

There will also be a screening of Kim Smith's latest film "Life Story of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly"

after the tour.

To learn more about Kim Smith's design firm and current film projects, please visit her websites at  Kim Smith Designs, Beauty on the Wing, and Life Story of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly.


Feature contributed by Senior Sales and Marketing Manager
REAL WEDDING FEATURE: Laura & Ben's Winter Wedding

   

As we enter the spring season it is easy to look forward to warm weather, flowers and sunshine. However, we would be remiss if we didn't say a proper farewell to the stunning winter season that we had this year. There were many moments when driving up to the estate after fresh snowfall that took my breath away!    

 

For that reason, we are going to share a beautiful example of winter wedding style with the celebration of Laura and Ben photographed by Zac Wolf Photography. The combination of soft neutral flowers, a flannel shawl over a wedding dress, and fresh snowfall make a lasting impression of warmth and beauty from this wedding day. Laura and Ben served a delicious seasonal menu that started off with plenty of savory appetizers and a passed cocktail called "The Lucille" (recipe below). 

 

"The Lucille"
2 lemon pieces
2 mint leaves
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz whiskey
1 oz water

Muddle lemon, mint, water and simple syrup. Add Bourbon shake and strain into Collins glass filled with ice.

If you or someone you know loves winter weddings in the holiday season- let them know about our current Wedding Special for remaining November and December dates in 2014! Willowdale Estate is well equipped to handle winter weather, and our clients enjoy knowing that we have our own snow plow and plenty of staff to make sure that guests arrive and leave our property safely with any amount of snow.  In addition to weddings, Willowdale Estate is becoming well known for our holiday parties, featuring our working fireplaces, holiday decor, and plenty of delicious food and holiday cheer. 

 

Feature contributed by Sarah Boucher, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager  

WILLOWDALE KITCHENS: A Chef Tasting

On a bitingly cold Sunday afternoon the Willowdale Estate Signature Events team successfully presented yet another delicious private Chef's Tasting lead by our very own Executive Chef Ben Lightbody.  Sinatra greeted our guests as they stepped into our recently renovated historical carriage house.  Upon the arrival of all of our registered guests, we all entered Willowdale Kitchen's new and state of the art test kitchen.  What a space!  It reminded me of a beautiful set on the food network but better as it is real and open for us all to enjoy.    

 

Ben and his team hit the mark with each dish.  To start, there was a sealed mason jar containing a warm Vichyssoise veiled in an opaque cloud of delicious smelling hickory smoke.  Reminiscent of a witch's cauldron as each guest opened the container, the smoke billowed out slowly to prepare their palette for the fresh burst of flavor from the soup.  This delicious and unique first course was followed by the entr�e plate that consisted of mint glazed rack of lamb, minted peas and grilled spring onions.  At this point all of us were enjoying the work of Willowdale Kitchens and were stunned by how beautiful the plate not only looked but smelled and tasted.  Everything was perfectly cooked and our guests were gushing.  This brings us to the dessert...  Ben humbly referred to it as "a play on strawberry rhubarb pie" (pictured left).  A play on strawberry rhubarb pie it was but kicked up about ten notches.  Before us was a gorgeous palette of red and white with some of the most pronounced flavors of strawberry and rhubarb that I have ever had.  The textures were all over the board along with the flavor profiles including but not limited to sweetness, acidity and earthy undertones.  We cannot wait for our next Willowdale Kitchens event on May 17th!  

 

Feature contributed by Noah Quist, Director of Business Development   

   UPCOMING 
EVENTS!  
Tuesday, April 22nd - HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR (registration & info)
Tuesday, May 13th - KIM SMITH GARDEN TOUR (registration & info)
Saturday, May 17th - BACK TO BASICS (tickets & info)
Tuesday, May 20th- WEDDING OPEN HOUSE (registration & info)
For more info about these events, or planning your own Willowdale Estate Event contact us: Info@WillowdaleEstate.com