Tradition and Innovation of Tuscan Cooking School Comes to Maine's Hartstone Inn

    COLUMBUS, OH, February 16, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A week of great food and great times awaits visitors to Hartstone Inn & Hideaway, June 4-8. The inn has partnered with Chef Benedetta Vitali, who comes all the way from Florence, Italy to share her Tuscan cooking heritage with inn guests during an intensive five-day immersion cooking school. Chef Vitali will share original family recipes, grown out of her Tuscan roots.

Each day, Vitali will provide hands-on instruction, where guests will cook 3-4 recipes for lunch and then sit down to eat and discuss the meal they've prepared. In addition to her cooking expertise, Vitali will demonstrate the importance of selecting quality ingredients. She'll teach guests to use their sense of smell, touch and sight in order to pick the perfect ingredients for each of these time-honored dishes.

This one-of-a-kind cooking experience is only available to Hartstone Inn guests. The full five-day cooking school, including accommodations and most meals, starts at just $1250 for a Traditional Room (Superior Rooms are $1500; Suites, $1650). The value-laden package includes:
- Five nights of deluxe accommodations (Sunday - Thursday)
- Private Sunday welcome Maine lobster bake dinner on the beach at the home of Hartstone Inn Owner/Chef Michael Salmon and Wife/Innkeeper Mary Jo Brink
- Hartstone Inn Apron and welcome gift
- Breakfast for two each morning
- Lunch each day
- Six cooking courses and two tastings
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Making class at the nearby State of Maine Cheese Company
- Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar tasting at Fiore Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars
- Chef-led tour of Camden Farmers Market
- Wine tasting and private tour of the Cellardoor Winery
- *Priced based on one class participant. Additional guest (double occupancy room), offered for $525 supplement. This exclusive package is limited to just 14 participants.

A native of Florence, Chef Benedetta Vitali has taught cooking classes around the world and is an experienced restauranteur, award-winning chef and author of "Soffritto: Tradition & Innovation in Tuscan Cooking," a James Beard Award finalist.

Owned by husband-wife team Chef Michael Salmon and Mary Jo Brink, Hartstone Inn & Hideaway is situated in mid-coast Maine in the historic and charming town of Camden. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Salmon has served as Chef at many four- and five-star hotels and resorts, including Hyatt, Caesar's and Sonesta Resort Hotels. Lavish comfort welcome guests with luxe furnishings, fine amenities and a culinary experience unlike any other on this scenic slice of the East Coast. A Select Registry property, Harstone Inn is just steps from the picturesque harbor, with historic Windjammers, lighthouses, marine wildlife. Secluded islands, hiking, skiing, fishing and area attractions make Hartstone Inn the ultimate getaway for couples, girlfriends getaways or groups of friends. Complete information is found at www.hartstoneinn.com or (800) 788-4823.

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