Champagne, laughter, and a wedding!

Hello Foodies,

This past weekend the forks were invited to a special occasion -- the wedding of Tour de Forks alum, Jackie Chasey to Dan Griffin - both in photo to the right. They generously hosted a wedding party consisting of a special mix of family members and friends in a place near and dear to their hearts -- Cumberland Island, Georgia.

This island is a Designated Seashore, and therefore protected from development. It is the same size as Manhattan but only 40 people live there. Stunningly beautiful with Live Oaks covered in Spanish moss and 17 miles of hard-packed, empty white beaches. Wild horses rule the island. There are also armadillos and 300 species of birds. We joined a guided tour with a naturalist and saw an alligator! The only accommodation on the island is a National Trust Historic Hotel called Greyfield Inn. It was originally the home of one of the Carnegies, and now the descendants run it as an exclusive hotel. It is furnished as it was at the turn of the 19th century, but with modern amenities. To give you a feel for the place, here is a quote from Gourmet Magazine: "Evenings at Greyfield present man at his civilized best. Everyone dresses for dinner, and when the chime sounds, guests descend to the formal dining room, aglow with candlelight and bouquets of flowers." Chef Whitney Otawka's food is extraordinary.


Jackie and Dan both love food and we arrived to an outdoor feast of roasted local oysters. They were amazing. Removed by shovel from an open fire and dumped on a big wooden table - everyone learns to shuck quickly. Afterwards, we dressed for dinner, and behaved our civilized best. Jackie and Dan brought in their own wines for the weekend.





On Saturday night, after an elegant wedding ceremony we sat down to a dinner of Greyfield She-crab soup with brioche "blini", creme fraiche and American sturgeon caviar followed by roasted Ellensburg (Oregon) rack of lamb with buttermilk mashed potatoes, lemon asparagus, bordelaise and sorrel oil. For dessert, Guinness stout chocolate cake with vanilla butter cream. This amazing dinner was matched with a Domaine Philippe Tessier Cour-Cheverny "La Porte Doree" 2006 and a Domaine de Trevallon Vin De Pays Des Bouches Du Rhone, 2001.

Breakfasts are to die for. One morning we had scrambled eggs, apple smoked bacon and saw mill biscuits with gravy. The next morning brought buttermilk pancakes, more bacon, and scrambled eggs.

We wish Jackie and Dan a marriage as special and delicious as their wedding weekend. We cherished every minute of it!

Put Greyfield Inn, Cumberland Island at the top of your travel list.

Enjoy,

Lisa & Melissa