Expand Your Culinary Skills at Our Northern Virginia Inn

Learn something new during your next getaway by spending a weekend cooking with us. These getaways are held during our winter season. The cooking class weekends feature Chef Matt Finarelli. You will eat & learn how to prepare 4-course gourmet meals. Wines from local wineries will be served. See the menus below for the cooking class weekends.

Special classes for groups can be arranged – just ask!

Dates for our 2025 cooking class weekends:

January 17-19, 2025
February 21-23, 2025
March 14-16, 2025

What’s Included

2-night stay with full hot breakfast Saturday & Sunday mornings
Wine tasting with an expert from a local winery & hors d’oeuvres on Friday night
Cooking class (mostly demonstration) on Saturday night

What You’ll Do

Arrive on Friday afternoon or evening, when you’ll meet the chef and be treated to some delightful appetizers prepared for your enjoyment. We have arranged a wine tasting of Virginia wines at the inn featuring an expert from a local winery. These wines will be paired with the meal you help prepare on Saturday night.
Enjoy a full hot breakfast Saturday morning.
Explore the beautiful Middleburg area countryside on your own — we have lots of information on fun things to do in the area, such as visiting local wineries & craft breweries, horseback riding, hiking, scenic drives, shopping at the Leesburg outlets or the wonderful shops in the area, or visiting Civil War sites.
On Saturday evening we will gather in The Fox Den at Briar Patch (our event building) for the cooking class where the chef will demonstrate and guests will help prepare (and consume!) a 4-course meal. The chef will discuss the many aspects of preparing gourmet meals, including how to prep, how to pre-cook and hold, and how best to present the dishes. And, of course, recipes will be provided. Wines will also be served with the meal.
Enjoy another full hot breakfast Sunday morning.

These are sure to be fun weekends of good wine, fine food, and new friends.

Rates for Cooking Class Weekends

Lodging:

	Cottage for 2 nights		$295 plus tax per night
	Room with a private bath for 2 nights		$250 plus tax per night
	2-bedroom suite for 2 people for 2 nights		$275 plus tax per night
	2-bedroom suite for up to 4 people for 2 nights		$310 plus tax per night

Cooking Class:

Hors d’oeuvres & wine tasting on Friday night and a 4-course meal with wine on Saturday night – $175 plus tax per person

To make a reservation, email us at info@briarpatchbandb.com or call us at 703-327-5911.

Payment is due upon reservation. No refunds but you may find a substitute if needed.

Menus for Cooking Class Weekends

January 17-19, 2025 — Theme: Winter Comfort Foods

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres:

Baked Brie with Apples, Almonds, and Chardonnay
Arugula and Taleggio Pie
Meatballs with Tomato-Pecan Romesco

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu:

Cabbage, Bean, and Winter Vegetable Soup – This Parisian soup is a go-to warm-you-to-the-bone treat with white beans, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, and smoked turkey.
Beer-Braised Brisket – If you don’t have your own smoker, you can still make awesome brisket any time of year with a long, slow marinade, and slow braise on a bed of onions and beer. The tenderest, juiciest, and most flavorful brisket I know that hasn’t touched any smoke!
Root Vegetable Mash – Rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, celery root all cook together to become softened, and then mashed into a lovely puree that makes a lovely side, or a bed for a meat dish.
Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse – Flavoring your chocolate mousse helps take it to the next level, and it’s so simple! This mousse, flavored with earl grey tea is a favorite of mine.

February 21-23, 2025 – The Classics Never Go Out of Style

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres:

Deviled Eggs
Crab Cakes with Old Bay Aioli
Spanakopita Triangles

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu:

Oysters Rockefeller – The classic oyster dish from Antoinne’s in New Orleans dates back to the late 1800’s and is still an amazing dish that needs to be remembered and enjoyed for years to come! Roasted oysters, spinach, and a rich bechamel come together in one of the all-time great seafood dishes.
Beef Wellington (Puff Pastry-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin) – Once the height of culinary sophistication, this dish was relegated to “quaint” status for many years until Gordon Ramsey revived it. A tenderloin wrapped in puff pastry with mushrooms and mustard, this is a truly fabulous creation.
Duchess Potatoes – Mashed potatoes are great, but what if you piped them into little flowers, brushed them with butter, and made little roasted flowers out of them? Delicious and adorable, and a way to take your common side and make a little art out of it.
Bananas Foster – Another New Orleans classic, this dessert does have the lovely benefit of flambé showmanship. Learn how to amaze your friends with this all-time great dessert.

March 14-16, 2025 – Theme: Northern Italian Cooking

Friday Evening Hors D’Oeuvres:

Herb and Garlic Stuffed Mussels with Parmesan
Celery Root Fritters with Fresh Basil Aioli
Crostini with Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts

Saturday Evening Dinner Menu:

Polenta Unica (Polenta with Taleggio and Sage Brown Butter) – Polenta is great, and learning how to make it is a skill all its own. But did you know you can take a ramekin of it, stuff it with taleggio, and top it with browned garlic/sage butter? You can, and it’s amazing!
Osso Bucco (Braised Beef Shank) – The classic braised shank of beef that has no equal in my opinion among beef stews.
Risotto Milanese (Risotto with Saffron and Parmesan) – The classic accompaniment for osso bucco, this risotto is lovely, delicious, and a staple for all kitchens.
Panettone with Crema de Mascarpone (fluffy mascarpone cream on sweet Italian bread) – Making a light and fluffy mascarpone cream is a treat in itself. Pairing it with a good panettone is even better!

To make a reservation, email us at info@briarpatchbandb.com or call us at 703-327-5911.