The Best Weekend in Macon (So Far)

UPDATE:

I went to the first day of Design, Wine and Dine and it was amazing. I got to hear Thomas Sully speak about his and his grandfather’s artwork. Turns out his hero is Robert Henri of the Ash Can Movement. AND there’s a Macon connection: one of Henri’s students was Emil Holthauzer, who later chaired the Art Department at Wesleyan College AND who also taught my grandmother!

Then I got to watch Sara Foster’s cooking demonstration and sampled some of the best pork tenderloin of my life, and after that was Mark Ballard’s caramel cake. Decadent isn’t even the word, y’all.

Tomorrow? It’s wine and BBQ and burgers and moonshine and a totally fabulous party!!! Hope to see all y’all there!!!

 

I’m worn out. No really, I am.

I went to the Macon Film Festival last year, but not like I did this year. This year as a blogger sponsor I decided I really needed to go to as much as possible, but due to having my sweet babies (part of the time) as well as school Saturday morning in Atlanta I just didn’t get to do as much as I wanted.

Oh and there was also Macon Pops Saturday night too. Ahhhhhhh. It’s all so good and Macon is getting to the point where we can’t but help to have overlapping events. (And of course, there was dinner at Dovetail beforehand. Yum.)

 

It really was the best weekend in Macon- so far at least.

But guess what? This weekend, there’s even more.

Picture this: culinary and decorative experts, in depth conversations and workshops with a Martha Stewart catering chef, a James Beard award semi-finalist, a portrait painter, entertaining expert, a baker and a candlestick maker…. well, maybe not a candlestick maker per se but definitely Mark Ballard can show us how to use them! Suffice it to say- this weekend will have it all. Even culminating in a fabulous soiree Saturday night at a luxurious local historic home. Who else but the team at Historic Macon could bring this to you?

This upcoming weekend we have the very first Historic Macon Design, Wine and Dine Festival: Celebrating the Artistry of Decor, Cuisine, Wine and Spirits.

 

You absolutely do NOT want to miss THIS event. Tickets can be purchased here (click this link), and you can either buy tickets for the whole event or for individual sessions.

From the Historic Macon press release:

” Local celebrity, Mark Ballard, will host the event, as well as demonstrate. Celebrity guests include Andy            Husbands, Hell’s Kitchen contestant and James Beard Semi-finalist; Sara Foster, cookbook author and Martha Stewart catering chef; Annette Joseph, entertaining expert; Susan Sully, decorative arts author; Thomas Sully, portrait and landscape painter; Jennifer Boles, blogger and author; Tim McNally, sommelier; Tommy Townsend, moonshine maker; and Elizabeth Dowling, architectural historian, author and organizer of Shutze Design Awards. Adding the to excitement the festival will conclude with a soirée on Saturday evening at a local historic home.”

I can hardly contain myself with excitement! No, really, I can’t.

Reading that we have a James Beard Semi-finalist sends me over the moon. These awards are “are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working in North America“. Chef Hugh Acheson is one example of a Georgia James Beard award winner.  Then, as the daughter of an art teacher, the name “Sully” of course stands out to me. Pretty much anyone who has ever studied American history will recognize this painting:

 

Ok so clearly we don’t have the actual painter coming in, but this is his descendant. I find that very, very cool.

I am personally very excited to meet Susan Sully, yes she is married to Thomas Sully but more importantly for me she is the blogger behind The Southern Cosmopolitan. She tells me that she “will present a lecture on Southern Style: Town & Country, comparing cosmopolitan urban houses from Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, and elsewhere with relaxed country retreats in favorite Southern destinations including the Florida coast and the Blue Ridge Mountains. This lecture is not only a delightful romp through time and place, but also a retrospective glance at my lifetime study (and enjoyment) of Southern architecture and interiors.” 

Sully adds: ” I will be showing images drawn from three of my 12 books written about Southern architecture and design: The Southern Cottage, The Southern Cosmopolitan, and Houses with Charm.”

Along with Susan Sully we have another blogger, Jennifer Boles, of The Peak of Chic. I’m always interested in meeting other female writers/bloggers, especially those of the Southern persuasion.

So, enough fawning from me. What exactly are the events you might ask?

Friday’s schedule is as follows:

10:00 am – 11:00 am, Elizabeth Dowling, Classical Interiors – (Who tells us: “I am looking forward to sharing images of many current Classical designers that many in the audience may not be very familiar with.”)

11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Thomas Sully, Romatic at Heart
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Sara Foster, Foster’s Market Cooking
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Mark Ballard, Southern Caramel Cake Baking
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Tim McNally, Really Tasting Wine

Then, on Saturday we have: 

9:00 am – 10:00 am, Susan Sully, Southern Style: Town and Country
10:00 am- 11:00 am, Mark Ballard, Tablescapes in a Snap
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Sara Foster, Grits and Slaw
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Jennifer Boles, The Peak of Chic
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Andy Husbands, Burgers, BBQ, and Bacon
2:00 pm- Annette Joseph book signing
3:00 pm- 4:00 pm, Tim McNally, Same Grape, Different Sensation
4:00 pm- 5:00 p, Tommy Townsend, Make Your Moon “Shine”

 

I had the chance to speak with Tim McNally over email, which I really appreciated since he’s based in New Orleans and well… unless you live under a rock you know it’s Mardi Gras over his way. So he’s a little busy to say the least.

“I will be discussing how to get the most out of a glass of wine, and why anyone would want to know those techniques. We will also be discussing wine’s place in history and society, and we will be sampling wines that prove those talking points,” said McNally. ” On Saturday, we will be demonstrating how the same grape taken from different places produces different sensations but built on the same platform. I have never been to Macon before so I am excited about coming and enjoying the people and the town. I know several Macon folks and if the rest of the community is as wonderful as they are, I am in for quite a treat.” And so are we!

Chef Andy Husbands also emailed me, saying “I am honored to come to an area steeped with Tradition and a love for high quality food.  As a Bostonian, a place not known for BBQ, I’m excited to show how my ribs won the world championships.  As well as the best butter cake you’ll ever have.” Well! Sounds like a challenge has been issued?

Then later Saturday night is when we have the soiree- so be sure to snatch up your tickets!! It’s going to be amazing and I can’t say which historic home it will be in just yet but trust me: you will not want to miss this. And I didn’t even talk about the food! Have I ever steered you wrong? (No. No I have not.) Hope to see you there!

 

Love to all y’all,

 

Molly