Tea Party at Cranberry Meadow Farm, SECOND SEATING

5 Old Street Road,Peterborough NH 03458

15 April, 2023

Description

Enjoy two buffets of sweet and savory options alongside beverages, prepared with locally sourced ingredients. Event proceeds benefit local nonprofit organization, the Cornucopia Project, whose mission is to plant seeds for a lifetime of healthy eating through garden, kitchen and farm education. Limited tickets are available in two "seatings". This is not a sit-down event however, but is an opportunity to mingle and explore the exceptionally designed Cranberry Meadow Farm. Several Cornucopia Project representatives will be present. Host and Chef Carolyn Hough is a Cornucopia Project Board member and is the organization's Culinary Committee Chairperson. Parking is limited, please carpool. About the featured chefs: Fabrice Marcon, a native of La Rochelle, France, has been cooking since he was a 14-year-old apprentice in his hometown. He continued to hone his skills in 2- and 3-star Michelin restaurants throughout France and Switzerland. In 1992, Fabrice relocated to California with his American wife, Betty. Together they opened two successful restaurants in San Francisco. In 2016, he was inducted into the international organization of Master Chefs of France. Fabrice is excited to be living in New England and loves exploring local farms and dairies. Carolyn Hough, Chef and Proprietor of Cranberry Meadow Farm. Carolyn is a professionally trained chef who has worked in restaurants internationally and run successful catering businesses. She has also led food production shoots in New York City with a cooking app that attracted James Beard Awarded chefs to share their talents with aspiring home cooks. History of the Inn at Cranberry Meadow Farm Cranberry Meadow Farm was originally built as Wilson Tavern in 1797 and run until 1834 by William Wilson until he gave up the tavern business and turned it into a family home. He was the son of Robert Wilson who ran the previous Wilson Tavern on an adjacent property. There is a plaque on the west side of route 123 as you head south from the flashing yellow light, which marks where the former tavern stood. The local townspeople would meet in this large home of 21 rooms and 11 fireplaces. It was both the gathering place for the militia during the American Revolution and reportedly was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Drovers taking their cattle to Boston also stopped here, using the barns. The front hall is a central feature extending the full length of the house to a companion door. The original strap hinges and locks remain as they were when the tavern door would swing open at the stage drivers’ request. Hooks for fire-buckets remain in the hallway. From an article by Jane Eklund in 1997 in the Monadnock Ledger, she wrote: “The hall in the second story was the scene of most of the town dances. It was also the place at which the Peterborough Lyceum and the Peterborough Dramatic Club were organized and in which they held many of their meetings and exhibitions. The tavern enjoyed a good reputation among both local people and those who traveled to this area. William’s wife, Aunt Dotia, was well known for her fine cooking, and the accommodations were said to be excellent. Travelers were always glad to stop for board and bait at the Wilson Tavern, or for the glass of rum which was served for 3 cents or 1 cent extra if sugar was wanted, the history reports. All of them could afford the glass of rum, but very few could afford the extra charge for the bed, so, it is said, “most of the guests were content to roll up an overcoat or blanket, and lie on the floor or a table in the barroom” as their Monadnock accommodations for the night. A 1937 book by Stephen Meader, “Who Rides in the Dark?” – described as “a rollicking and romantic story of highwaymen and sudden death” – is set in the Wilson Tavern. The old sign in front of the building on Old Street Road read, “Wilson Tavern, Refreshment for Man and Beast.” ...The tavern was an important part of community life in Peterborough until 1834, when French’s Tavern was built on Main Street in the center of town, where Primary Bank (now People’s United Bank) is now located. ”