Cooking class and Delta bliss.
The Alluvian Hotel, Spa and Viking Cooking School.
Story and photos by Lisa Player Other photos provided by the Alluvian Hotel
Several Septembers ago, my friends and I decided to find a fun couples’ getaway for the weekend. What could four couples do for a three-day weekend in September that we hadn’t already done?
My friend, Kim Kline, found something we’d never heard of. Greenwood, Mississippi, is home to the Viking Range company, and the Viking Cooking School is there. Across the street from the cooking school is the Alluvian Hotel, renovated by Viking from the historic Hotel Irving building, and Giardina’s restaurant and bar is within the hotel. Other draws on the same block are the Alluvian Spa and Studio A Yoga.
We all love taking turns hosting each other and cooking at our houses, so taking a class at the Viking Cooking School was a fun idea for everyone. The Klines (Kim and Eric), Ueberschaers (Wei and Tom), Werners (Michele and Mike) and Players (me and my husband, Shane) booked two nights at the hotel, a cooking class, dinner at Giardina’s and yoga and spa treatments for the weekend.
To get there, we split up. The men flew with pilot Eric Kline on his plane (Southeast Air Shuttle), and the women drove so we could lunch, shop and chat on the way. Greenwood is an easy 6-hour drive from Pensacola, with stops in Laurel or Jackson on the way if you’re interested. We drove up on a Friday and arrived in time to check in and relax before our cooking class Friday evening.
The Alluvian Hotel sits in the alluvial plain of the Mississippi Delta, and, with more time, I would have loved to explore the area more, especially the history to be found on the Mississippi Blues Trail and at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. The hotel itself was outstanding with friendly staff, and the designers did a good job of keeping a historic feel while offering modern rooms and amenities. Our room was large with a comfortable bed and a separate seating area.
The cooking class on Friday evening was a hoot! The instructors were fun and knowledgeable, and the other groups in the class were quite tolerant of our laughter as we tried the new techniques. We enjoyed bottles of wine throughout the cooking experience. Our menu was delectable:
Brie en Brioche, which we didn’t make ourselves but enjoyed before we began cooking, is a delectable brie encasing a mushroom, shallot and sun-dried tomato filling, wrapped in a homemade brioche.
Tournedos of Beef with Champagne Sauce, which we seared on the stove and finished in the oven.
Roasted Asparagus
Dauphinoise Potatoes, a classic potato gratin with paper-thin potatoes, parmesan and cream.
Tuile Cups (thin cookie cups with orange zest and finely ground almonds) served with ice cream and fruit. We made the cups ourselves, and we all had fun trying clumsily to form our hot, melty tuiles over the backsides of muffin cups. The ones that broke apart were still delicious!
Even those of us who pride ourselves on being expert cooks learned new things, and we all had a lot of fun in the process. After cooking, we sat down to enjoy our dishes. We each received an apron and a packet of our recipes to take home.
BOTTOM: The Viking Cooking School was the highlight of the trip.
Finally, we filtered out through the attached kitchen shop to peruse a wide range of gadgets, including some we had used in our class. We all bought the same garlic press (still amazing — I use it all the time) and our all-time favorite FinaMill salt/pepper grinder.
On Saturday, we explored downtown Greenwood before our scheduled spa and yoga sessions. Right on Howard Street near the hotel were fun boutiques and gift shops (with lots of Mississippi college gear if you’re so inclined), a great art gallery/shop, and a nice wine shop with free tastings (Cru Fine Wine & Spirits).
The Alluvian Spa was wonderful, and we all enjoyed different treatments, including a couple’s massage, facial and pedicures. My husband had his first-ever pedicure there, and he is now a convert. A few of us also did a yoga class at Studio A Yoga, which was top-notch.
After a day of meandering and pampering, we had reservations at Giardina’s restaurant in one of their private rooms. (They also have an open-seating section.) The service was outstanding, and the menu had something to please each of us: steaks, pastas and seafood dishes. Both the restaurant and bar were pleasantly lively and fun.
On Sunday, we all made our way back home, sufficiently stuffed and relaxed after a fun weekend away.
