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Clifton Inn, located just down the road
from Washington, DC in Charlottesville,
Virginia. Clifton is a member of the prestigious
Relais & Châteaux organization and boasts a
pedigree stretching back to the 1820s and
founding father, Thomas Jefferson’s family.
Tucked away on a quiet hill in Charlottesville,
Clifton’s stately white columns welcome guests
with southern charm and elegance permeating
throughout the main house as well as the
surrounding outbuildings. With the charms of a
historic estate and the superior service of a
luxury hotel, Clifton cultivates a distinctly
Virginian feel throughout the historic property
which also includes a croquet lawn, an infinity
pool, a clay tennis court, and views of
Monticello mountain. In the dining room,
Virginia born and reared, chef Dean Maupin’s
exquisite classic American cuisine highlights
the bounty of fresh local Virginia ingredients.
In honor of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, April
13, Clifton will be hosting An Evening with
Thomas Jefferson hosted by a renowned first
person historical interpreter as Thomas
Jefferson and featuring a four-course
Jefferson-inspired dinner.
Visit Clifton Inn -
www.cliftoninn.net
Corpus
Christi, Texas
Padre Island
National Seashore Greatest Treasure of All
For years, tales have been told of silver and
gold left behind by Spanish galleons lost at sea
and great sums of money and gems buried in the
sand along the Texas Coast, but the greatest
treasure of them all to be discovered is Padre
Island National Seashore. Her shores of white
sand and shell beaches stretch over 120 miles
with picturesque windswept dunes, wild
landscapes of grasslands and tidal flats teeming
with shore life and warm offshore waters. The
national seashore is the longest stretch of
primitive, undeveloped ocean beach in the world.
Not only can guests take in the special
encounters of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles during
their stay at Padre Island National Seashore,
they can also bring along their binoculars and
cameras to observe the many birds and wildlife
that call this beach their home.
At Padre Island National Seashore, visitors
wanting to seek thrills may do enjoying the ever
increasingly popular water sport of windsurfing
or kitesurfing. Bird Island Basin, located on
the Laguna Madre approximately four miles from
the visitor center inside Padre Island National
Seashore has a windsurfing rank by Windsurfing
Magazine as the best flat water sailing site in
the United States.
Explore, relax and experience one of the
greatest treasures of Texas- Padre Island
National Seashore.
Please visit
www.corpuschristicvb.com for more
information.
Santa
Fe, New Mexico
Luminaria’s Pastry
Chef Andrea Clover Takes First Place at the 18th
Annual Chocolate Fantasy Chocolatier Competition
& Fundraiser
History has never tasted as chocolaty sweet as
it did at the 18th Annual Chocolate Fantasy
Chocolatier Competition hosted at the Hyatt
Regency Albuquerque on March 6th. The event’s
theme – A Greek Odyssey – challenged 16 New
Mexico pastry chefs and culinary students to
create a chocolate rendition of a person, place
or event of significance in the Greek Odyssey. A
first year entrant with a passion for chocolate,
Andrea Clover molded 125 pounds of dark
chocolate to create a two and half foot tall
rendition of “The Deceptive Conqueror’ scene,
which depicted Greek warriors exiting the
infamous Trojan Horse and preparing for their
surprise attack on the City of Troy. Clover’s
chocolate masterpiece took first place in the
‘Best Taste-Most Artistic’ award in the
Restaurant, Caterers and Artists category.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History
Foundation invited a team of culinary experts
outside of the region to judge the competition.
Participants were judged on creativity, use of
theme, taste and composition. While the entries
themselves were for display only, guests were
able to indulge in the chocolate samplings that
were free flowing that evening.
“This entry took nearly 200 hours over a three
month period to create, but winning first place
made it all worth it,” said Clover.
Event proceeds help the New Mexico Museum of
Natural History Foundation financially support
the cultural, educational and scientific
programs and purposes of the New Mexico Museum
of Natural History & Science.
For chocolate aficionados who did not attend the
event, Clover serves a campfire chocolate peanut
butter smore fondue for two daily in Luminaria
that offers a sweet sampling of Clover’s
chocolate talents.
For more information about pastry delights
available in Luminaria,
please visit
www.innatloretto.com.
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