DeFluri’s Fine Chocolates
by Audrey Knapp photos by Josh Triggs Is all chocolate really the same? No, it isn’t! In fact, there’s an incredible difference when you compare big label chocolates to the lovingly-crafted products of ambitious, visionary and brave chocolatiers. These are small business owners who dare to open their shops in the face of global competition, economic woes, and a cultural attitude inclined toward paying as little as possible regardless of the level of quality of a product or service. Brenda Casabona of DeFluri’s Fine Chocolates is one of these brave spirits, maintaining a thriving business built on the desire to provide carefully crafted chocolates and candies to her favorite community. Passion and dedication really are by Audrey Knapp photos by Josh Triggs what sets Brenda apart from the crowd. By trade, she was an International Economist with an extensive education and a great career that took her to Europe. During a stint in London, the generous vacation time offered by her employer found her in need of a hobby. After having access to such an extensive variety of chocolates available in Europe, she decided to begin experimenting with it in her free time. That was a critical point in her life as a chocolatier – it gave her the opportunity to learn about chocolate, and how it reacts and pairs with different ingredients. It also instilled her with a passion for the innate complexity of chocolate and the delicious moments of joy that it can bring to people. Upon her return to the United States, she found herself in a job which she called “boring,” and decided she wanted a career change. Yet, she didn’t want just any career change – she wanted to do something that she could really enjoy, something that excited her, something she could be passionate about. After some in-depth market research and intense personal and professional preparation, Brenda opened her first business, as both a bakery and fine chocolate maker, in Vienna, Va. She hired a staff and began producing and selling her chocolates in 1985. Her very first employee was Charlie Casabona. While she had the indepth knowledge of chocolate, she really needed someone who had manufacturing experience. They were a complementary pair, and from their passion for chocolate and dedication to always doing their best, they grew a love between one another that led to marriage. Today they still work hand-inhand, each taking care and responsibility for different aspects of the business so that everything will work well together. They moved to the heart of downtown Martinsburg after tiring of the big city bustle that comes with the D.C. area. A small...
Savoring Fall
One of my first favorite things about Autumn is its cool temperature – a very pleasant change from a hot sultry summer. Now that fall has officially arrived it’s nice to don a cozy sweater or jacket and go on a brisk walk through the crisp fall air, admiring all the abundant colorful leaves in tones of vibrant orange, red and gold. Don’t you just love shuffling your feet through the falling leaves on the pavement and hearing them crunch with each step you take? Fall makes me feel like a kid again. What fun visiting the pumpkin patch and seeing fields strewn with pumpkins in their natural state with curly vines and long stems. Which to choose? Fat and round, oblong and thin, orange, white, green, bumpy or smooth? Since I want to make a pumpkin topiary for on my urn at the base of my porch, I will use three different shapes and sizes of pumpkins, stacking one on top of another and securing it with a dowel rod poked down through the middle to connect all three. I also need a few Indian corn stalks for the porch columns or lamp post. And don’t forget the mums – so many beautiful colors. The burgundy or purple hues always seem to be my favorite. Why not be neighborly and pick one up for a friend to enjoy and it will let them know you were thinking of them that day? Tastes of fall Fall has so many flavors and it’s no secret that pumpkin is my absolute favorite flavor. As a child I loved pumpkin pie so much that my dad would search during the nonseasonal months (that wasn’t an easy task that many years ago) for a pumpkin pie and surprise me with it; I was a lucky girl. I get a big smile on my face when I start to see the major food chains in the area start to display their pumpkin flavor treats on their signs. That’s when you definitely know fall has arrived. They have pumpkin lattes, donuts, shakes, waffles and much more to tempt your taste buds this season. Here’s an easy pumpkin recipe: There are more flavors to fall than just pumpkin. It’s also a season of comfort foods such as the savory flavors of hearty soups and stews. Turkey and stuffing, heaping mounds of mashed potatoes and gravy, baked mac and cheese, casseroles made with love and goodness. Delectable desserts include caramel apples, gingerbread, oatmeal cookies, apple and berry pies, homemade sweet breads, served right out of the oven to enjoy and share with our family and friends. I...
Fall into Season
by Brenda M. Miller Designer of Interior Spaces, The Miller House photos by Lauri Bridgeforth Now that summer is drawing to a close, it’s time to shift your design focus toward the images of autumn. Changing seasons outside are the perfect reason to change your decor inside. Decorating your home is easy when you use ideas from nature incorporating these into wreaths, table settings and more. Let’s “fall” into the season by transforming your home into a festive and fun place for family and friends. Bring out the throws and pillows If you folded up your throw blankets and fall pillows for storage when hot weather arrived, it’s time to bring them out! Gathering around the television for a football game, reading the newspaper on a lazy weekend, or even in the morning when you’ve got a cup of tea in hand, it’s twice as nice when you can watch leaves float down from the tree tops as you cuddle up with your favorite blanket or pillow. Fall pillows in a beautiful array of yellows, reds, oranges and browns will instantly change the feel and look of any room. Decorate the kitchen accordingly During the summer it’s a nice to place green, large-leafed plants around the home and outdoors. In the fall, making the transition to an earthier plant or vegetable display is something to consider. As “corny” as it may sound, placing a variety or gourds, nuts and pumpkins around your home sets a definite autumnal tone. Placing corn kernels in glass hurricanes with a candle is easy and inexpensive. Highlight the wood in your home If you have a wooden kitchen or dining room table try losing the tablecloth and simply going with fall-colored placemats. Polishing hardwood floors, wooden cabinets and wooden tables really brings a crisp, woodland feel, especially if the wood is of a dark tone. Accents of fall Adding autumnal accents throughout your home can be as easy as grabbing items from outdoors. Here are some fun & easy projects and techniques to help: Leaf pressings – To preserve the beauty of colorful fall foliage, press leaves between books. When fully dry, display leaves between two pieces of same-sized glass. Secure the pieces of glass together by wrapping the edges with colored, linen book cloth tape. Pumpkins with function – Little ornamental gourds can be a big help in keeping a festive tablecloth in place, especially when it’s used for an outdoor gathering. Add grommets to a tablecloth (use a grommet kit, available at crafts stores). Then attach string to the pumpkins and loop through the grommets for functional seasonal flair. A simple display...
Many Cups of Tea
story & photos by Pam Lettie Tales from magnificent venues throughout the Valley Tea is warmth. Studies may tout tea’s health benefits, but tea is about warmth. The teapot’s warmth is an ancient and tribal warmth – connecting friends and family, good conversation and the warm memories of cozy surroundings. Afternoon tea is taking a break, a pause in the day; calm minutes set aside to sip slowly, savoring the presentation of savory sandwiches, scones and pastries. In a go-go-go world, the peace and quiet can be a balm for the soul – even when we are on our own. Coach & Horses, Tea-Lover’s Paradise A tea lover driven by a desire to sip and sample has few places more appealing than the Coach & Horses Colonial Tea Room. Their focus? Tea. The menu lists more than 50 varieties of black, green, white tea, oolong, rooibos, fruit, herbal and yerba mate teas; all of the tea is loose leaf. The staff is a font of information about tea service, tea place settings and teas in general. The historic building has a down-to-earth feel with visible log cabin beams upstairs. The upstairs is worth a trip, even if you are seated downstairs. The log and plaster layers add even more charm to the rooms. Shelves display jar after jar of tea blends, all labeled with the Coach & Horses brand. It is one of the few teas we have found offering a “bottomless” pot of tea – meaning a fresh pot of tea with fresh tea leaves, at your request. Experimentation is encouraged. Every diner is welcome to try different teas. Each pot is big enough for about three delicate china cups full of tea or perhaps one more cup if you add cream and sugar. The waitress or waiter steeps the tea upstairs, only serving the tea after it’s steeped to perfection for between three and seven minutes. They are willing to steep longer or shorter to meet your tastes. After steeping, the leaves are removed, so the taste is always right on target – never weak or bitter. The staff-intensive process works to the advantage of the diner. Our waitress carries as many as six teapots at once, admitting that coming downstairs with full teapots is harder than going up with empties. Still, she said her coworker could carry eight. She glowingly described the most popular teas. We tried two – the decaffeinated Darjeeling and the Pomegranate Pear – along with two others, the Chocolate Delight and the Yunnan, a black tea. We traded cups to sample more varieties. The Pomegranate Pear looked red and fruity in the...
Nancy Harbert Ellsworth
life of music and a philosophy to live by by Bonnie Williamson photos by Tony Cooper Nancy Harbert Ellsworth has lived and continues to live an extraordinary life. She was a child prodigy on the violin, beginning to play as a toddler, and subsequently dedicating her life to music. She decided in her golden years – 85 – to write a book about her experiences and her music. It also includes advice for ways to lead a more fulfilling life for everyone, not just musicians. Still, all of this is just the tip of the iceberg. “I’ve had music in my life from an early age,” Nancy says. Born and raised in Stockton, Ca., Nancy’s mother Wilhelmina Harbert was a singer and pianist. One day, her mother’s friend Anne Eichorn, a classical violinist, came for a visit. Nancy listened intently to her playing. She happened to have a small violin with her and said as a joke, “Let’s see what the baby can do,” handing Nancy the violin. “I was fascinated. I held on to it and imitated her. Eichorn then said to my mother, ‘Give this child proper lessons.’ And she did,” Nancy says. She took violin lessons at the College of the Pacific, giving her first solo recital at the age of 4. She continued to study music and perform while attending the Stockton public school system. She played with the college orchestra at age 11. Nancy’s says her most influential teachers in her earliest years include Lucie Bruch, Horace Brown, Naoum Blinder and Darius Milhaud. When she was a freshman at Mills College in Oakland, World War II started. “I’ve always believed in the randomness of life,” she says. “So many plans and lives were ruined by the war. That’s why I believe in the necessity of imagination in life. It keeps you going.” When she graduated, she had the opportunity to play for one of the world’s most prominent concert violinists, Efram Zimbalist. Zimbalist invited her to come to Philadelphia and study at The Curtis Institute, known for being one of the finest music conservatories in the world. Nancy went on to play for the Denver Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony. While with the Pittsburgh Symphony, she met her husband Mark Ellsworth. Her husband was the youngest violinist to ever play with the symphony, joining when he was only 17. Mark became the concert master at the National Gallery Orchestra and opened the first Ellsworth Music Studio in Bethesda, Md. When the Kennedy Center opened in 1971, Nancy became the first concert master of the Opera House Orchestra. She played for many great leaders of opera,...
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