Domestic
Chef Creates Comfort with a Twist story & photos by Pam Lettie Last fall, Desiree Garcia walked into Domestic as the new executive chef. Twenty-four hours later, the Shepherdstown bastion of modern home cooking had a complete menu makeover. The evolution continues as Garcia brings quality ingredients and contrasting flavors together to create 21st century comfort food. The friendly staff, ambiance and Web site suggest that Domestic is the place where you can relax and “come as you are.” The menu is a creative interpretation of childhood favorites, sourcing ingredients locally whenever possible. Yet, the Domestic experience is never simple mashed potatoes and gravy, or traditional fried chicken. Each dish has a surprise, a tension between old and new. While the choices showcase childhood favorites, reminiscent of mealtimes with family and friends, the addition of Cajun spices or new food combinations gives sophisticated diners a chance for exploration. The restaurant’s two rooms are a study in contrasts. Diners enter through the bar, where table seating is also available. A map on the wall describes wines; dim lighting makes it a place where regulars might feel at home. The far end serves as a stage for bands that liven up the atmosphere. A right turn brings diners into a slightly brighter dining room, with minimalist, modern décor, wood shelves against the back wall stacked with memorabilia. The chandelier of repurposed glass bottles casts interesting shadows across the ceiling, while a barn door acts as the canvas for an abstract painting. All of this evokes a feeling that Domestic is definitely not about the quick bite. It’s a place to slow down around the dinner table amidst good food and drink, recalling our collective memories about home and family where we linger and unwind. The menu item that best illustrates the blend of tradition with a modern flair may be the macaroni and cheese. Sharp white cheddar cheese sauce clings to cavatappi pasta, with the perfect balance of sauce. Full strips of applewood-smoked bacon garnish the side of the bowl, while slightly sweet and delicately browned caramelized onions accented by diced chives and the crunch of the breadcrumbs top the corkscrew pasta. The sweet-savory flavor combination is a theme that Garcia explored throughout the meal, often combined on the same entrée, a creative mix calculated to surprise and to please. Consider the Monte Cristo, a deep-fried sandwich of ham and cheese dusted with powder sugar and accompanied by jam. Garcia hasn’t decided if it will make the cut and become a regular menu item, so for now, diners wanting to give it a try will have to keep an eye on...
Nibblins – A Kitchenware Emporium
by Victoria Ryles photos by Lauri Bridgeforth Susan Dolinar’s kitchenware emporium, Nibblins, is a haven for all who love food and enjoy preparing it. This culinary treasure is nestled nearby in the Rutherford Shopping Center, north of Winchester. Susan and Blair Dolinar began Nibblins as a small mom and pop operation in the Apple Blossom Mall in a kiosk/byorder bakery they set up in 2003. It morphed into its current and larger enterprise when the Dolinars accepted the invitation to lease the present and more substantial location on Thanksgiving of 2011. Dolinar’s previous career role was a CPA, which surprises her customers, who associate her only with cooking. But baking and cooking are things both she and Blair are passionate about. Her fortieth birthday was a wake-up call for her to do something special with her interest in gourmet cooking and desire to share this knowledge. Susan is therefore pleased to offer her customers, epicures and amateurs alike, high quality kitchenware, along with unique and creative foods, many imported from Germany and other locations in Europe and the United States. Available are many varieties of specialty items including teas, coffees, oils, vinegars, red cabbage and sauerkraut, spices, baking mixes, and jams and jellies. The spacious and colorful interior is clearly organized in a user-friendly fashion, with sections for entertaining, gizmos and gadgets, baking needs, knives, electronics, microwave tools, bar accessories and gifts. Dolinar says, “One of our goals is to find those gadgets you can’t easily find elsewhere.” Nibblins is not a franchise, and thus has more options for acquiring specialty items most large box stores aren’t able to purchase. For example, the popular Breville coffee makers and food processors are not easily found locally. Most anything cooks need and might drive out to a larger city to purchase, say to a Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table, can easily be found at Nibblins, or special ordered. Dolinar says, “Just the right product can make a distinct difference to your recipe and make it taste better, like when you use a special baking dish for a ‘gratin’.” In addition, Dolinar says, “Being located in a smaller city allows us to get to know our patrons better and offer more personalized service. I react to my client’s needs a little more quickly than the large chain stores.” Many of her staff have culinary training which results in more helpful guidance.” Dolinar has taken classes with the American Institute of Baking in Kansas as well as high level courses at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md. Enthusiasm plus training help Dolinar meet her clients’ needs. “Nibblins customers usually come in with...
Through the Front Door
For a Love of Books by Lisa Bartell of Wisteria Manor Books take us to faraway places, places we never dreamed of. Through them, we gain knowledge and experience every emotion from sorrowful tears to rich belly laughs. They open up our minds and make us use our imaginations. From them we recite quotes, pass a test or prepare a recipe. As book lovers, we accumulate a lot of books and sooner or later we run out of room to store all of them. Although many people now download e-books to their computer gadgets, if you are like me, you enjoy a real book. Nothing beats the feel of a crisp paper at your fingertips or the “swish” of a turning page and the smell of a leather binding or vintage book. So we need storage space, such as a bookcase, but not just any bookcase. Something unusual, something creative and beautiful. My dream bookcase would actually be an entire library — the kind you see in magazines in an elaborate home. It would have bookcases reaching two stories high with ladder attached to a brass track that runs along the rich wood cases that slides along to access the books on the upper shelves. The room would be complete with a huge fireplace with a large oil painting above it. A secret passage, like those in the movies, would make the room especially magical. Of course this is never going to happen because: A. I only have a 1500 square foot home and B. I am not a rich heiress. However, I can have my secret passage by making a bookcase with hinges and attaching it to a door frame as a door. This would work great in place of a door to a closet, basement or in an old house where two bedrooms have an adjoining door. Wouldn’t that be super cool? Another idea would be to create a secret book nook in a closet or small room. This would consist of putting bookshelves around three quarters of the space and making a platform (such as you would a window seat) to hold a nice comfy cushion with fluffy pillows to relax on while reading by the light of a small chandelier above. Creative cases You can turn ordinary everyday objects into bookcases. For instance, a legless shell of a baby grand piano mounted to a wall with keyboard pointed down and the top off — the interior would have shelves running across to place your books on. This would work with a big old bass as well. Take off the front, place shelves on the interior...
Gingerbread, A Christmas Tradition
by Lisa Bartell of Wisteria Manor I’d like to invite you back to Christmas past – so close your eyes, relax, and think about the holidays when you were a child. There you are, right now, smiling in your footie pajamas. Now breathe in that wonderful aroma from the kitchen: the exotic scent of ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Doesn’t it make your mouth water and your taste buds dance, giving you the sensation that all is right with the world? I am talking about the heavenly goodness of gingerbread! Gingerbread came to America via Swiss monks who settled in Indiana. Since then, it has been a Christmas staple. We have not only made delicious cookies and cakes for the holidays, but we have also made decorations such as tree ornament cookies, garlands and beautiful gingerbread house centerpieces. We are so crazy about the stuff that we even have scented candles, room sprays and potpourri mimicking its scent. The world has known its deliciousness for centuries; a gingerbread recipe dating to the B.C. era was found in Greece. China started developing its recipes in the 10th century and by the late middle ages Europeans had their own version of the recipe. In fact, in early Europe gingerbread was so coveted it was not baked at home, but in baking guilds that were sanctioned by the government to perfect and bake the prized concoction. One noted guild in Nuremberg, Germany, was highly touted for decorating its gingerbread (Lebkuchen) with gold paint. It was such high quality that it was even used for currency for paying taxes. In the 16th century, Grimm’s fairytale story of “Hansel and Gretel” made gingerbread houses very popular since the main characters come upon a house made entirely of sweets in the forest. Gingerbread house building has become a highly prized competition around the world. At the White House every year, a phenomenal house is built by the president’s personal pastry chef depicting that year’s Christmas theme. Gingerbread men have been around for centuries, but Queen Elizabeth popularized them when she had them made and decorated in the likeness of some dignitaries she was having as dinner guests. What a unique gift! Some English maidens believed if they ate a gingerbread man, it would bring them good luck in finding a husband. In Yugoslavia, gingerbread people were inscribed with love sentiments and were exchanged as romantic tokens. They were also used on religious holidays, embossed with a particular Saint, and then dusted with powdered sugar to bring out the image in the cookie. George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington, served her recipe for gingerbread to the Marquis...
Go Ahead… Sparkle
by Wendy Kedzierski photos by Misty Higgins “That’s just not me,” Julie Gaver recalls thinking when her husband suggested she have professional “boudoir” photos taken. The 57-year-old corporate trainer and author from Frederick County, Md., envisioned those “cheesy” glamour shots that just didn’t match her professional persona and personal style. But when Gaver saw the photos that Winchester photographer Misty Higgins took of other women, she was intrigued. Some of these women fit the fashion industry’s profile of print-worthy, but many were clearly older and fuller figured than signature Victoria’s Secret. Yet all looked beautiful. Higgins’ photography business “Moments by Misty” happened to be offering a special “Glitter” Valentine’s package that lined up with the Gavers’ 35th anniversary year. And so Julie Gaver took the plunge – literally in neckline and figuratively in life. “I was very nervous,” says Gaver. “I hate getting my photo taken. But she (Misty Higgins) is such a pro. You relax; you laugh. I was so happy with the pictures. The gift was for my husband – and he was thrilled. But in the end, it was wonderful for me.” And what about critics who feel that these photos objectify women? “There is nothing wrong with feeling beautiful,” says Gaver. “When you acknowledge that, the feeling is actually empowering. I felt liberated by the experience.” “The guys love this,” says Higgins, adding that most men are visual beings. “But you definitely don’t need to have a significant other to do this – it’s absolutely ok to do this for yourself! I have had several single women who did this for the experience to give this gift to themselves. And some of the ladies I have done boudoir sessions with have been teachers, a policewoman, a lawyer, nurses, entrepreneurs, moms, women in their late 50s.” Higgins finds and highlights beauty in every type of woman. “I take pride in my photography for women and believe wholeheartedly that every woman is and deserves to feel beautiful.” The experience she creates for women includes an initial consult, hair and makeup styling, the photography session, and then the final editing and creation of products such as photos on canvas, books and prints. Higgins does not do any extreme Photoshop edits, but she will enhance and improve the images with basic adjustments. She won’t take pounds off or make women into something they are not. She simply doesn’t think it’s necessary. “I believe the most beautiful and sexy thing we can wear is our smile and our warmth and our love for life,” she says. “Beauty and sensuality do not come from the lingerie. Though it’s pretty to look...
Fabulous Tablescapes for the Holiday Season
by Brenda Miller Interior Designer, The Miller House photos by Lauri Bridgeforth This time of year brings plenty of reasons to celebrate. From Thanksgiving through the New Year, entertaining at home is in full swing. It’s fun to decorate for the holidays, especially when you’re creating a gorgeous tablescape. “Tablescape” is a relatively new term in interior decorating, and it’s just what it sounds like: a landscape for your table. I suggest taking advantage of wonderful items you have on hand, and then get creative and experiment with them. Hopefully my ideas will help you to think out of the box. Linens Pretty linens are a good starting place — their colors give you a framework. One of the most common ways to display napkins is a simple rectangular fold, set directly on the plate under the knife and fork. However, there are multiple ways to get creative with napkin folds. My secret to enhance any place setting is by using a unique napkin fold. If that sounds too stressful, try this: Take a square cloth napkin open it flat on a table. Take two fingers and grab it in the center and flip it over just as if you are holding an ice cream cone. Stuff into a glass goblet, tall drinking glass, or wineglass and let the napkin fall into place. Rearrange as need until you are pleased with your final product. Using two napkins together adds to the “wow” factor you want to create. A great idea for a New Year’s celebration is an interactive runner of butcher paper in white. It is a great way to involve the younger guests in the creative process. Supply pretty markers in gold, red, and silver metallic and let the youngsters write about or draw their own holiday inspirations and resolutions. For the older guests of the party, a unique presentation for each place setting is placing a round shaped clock (no more than 3” thick) on a gold charger. Place a large clear dinner plate over each clock- your theme is set! Enhance the place setting by incorporating gold and white napkins, confetti and party favors in the same color combination. Tableware Mix and match, layer plates and keep in mind the colors of the holiday. Mixing and matching different dinnerware is fine; just make sure the overall look is cohesive. Don’t over-layer or complicate the table with competing colors and patterns. For example, mix in solid white or red dinnerware with a set of patterned red & white dishes to make them stretch: use the patterned salad plates on solid white plates, and basic white salad plates...
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