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Chef Craig Shelton's
philosophy is simple: the freshest ingredients produce the most
flavorful, vibrant food. This philosophy comes to life every day at The
Ryland Inn, with the help of an abundant, 3 acre organic garden right
outside the kitchen door.
Free
from pesticides, preservatives or any other inorganic material,
the garden (certified "organic" by NOFA,
the Northeast Organic Farming Association) includes 150 herbs, 95 kinds
of lettuce, 120 other vegetables (including 12 varieties of tomatoes),
and two dozen fruits. Produce is picked immediately before cooking,
forming the basis of every meal that emerges from The Ryland Inn
kitchen. In addition, the garden provides colorful blooms that decorate
tables and other areas of the Inn.
Chef
Shelton's connection to nature translates into his "seasonal menus"
which he compares to the "seasons of a man's life." Spring and summer
menus are fresh, exuberant and herb-oriented. The cuisine of fall and
winter are more "serious and restrained" and feature deeper flavors and
lots of game. As the menu changes with the seasons, so do the wines.
Spring and summer wines are exuberant, whereas the wines of fall and
winter are more profound, possessing what Shelton describes as "deep
wisdom." |
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