Fall 2025 Lake Placid Culinary Getaway

November 15, 16 & 17, 2025 | The Foods of Emilia Romagna

The Carriage House Cooking School has once again teamed up with The Mirror Lake Inn to offer select getaway packages celebrating the bounty of the Adirondack Park’s vibrant farm to table landscape.

Getaway registrants will enjoy the comforts and luxury of the Mirror Lake Inn, which is the epitome of Adirondack hospitality, along with multiple demonstration style cooking classes, each designed so that participants can return home, confident to replicate and share their learning experiences.

Chef Curtiss, the former Dean of Culinary Arts at the prestigious New England Culinary Institute, has long considered the Mirror Lake Inn the perfect venue for cooking classes and a focused culinary weekend. 

He has been a guest chef and instructor with the Inn’s numerous Food & Wine Festivals and several special events and now serves as The View Restaurant’s Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director.

This weekend is all about celebrating the legendary foods of Italy's Emilia Romagna region.  Along the way we will be tasting the terroir of the Adirondacks and surrounding farmland.  Check out the schedule and class menu below.

THE ALLURE AND FLAVOR OF EMILIA-ROMAGNA

The cuisine of Emilia-Romagna is the soul of northern Italy, where centuries-old traditions and a profound respect for ingredients create dishes that are both rustic and refined. In this region, food is not merely nourishment—it is heritage, identity, and celebration. From handmade tagliatelle al ragù in Bologna to the silky folds of prosciutto di Parma and the complex depths of aged Parmigiano Reggiano, every bite tells a story of place and pride. As Pellegrino Artusi once wrote, “Science in the kitchen, and the art of eating well”—Emilia-Romagna embodies this perfectly.

To dine in Emilia-Romagna is to step into a living museum of culinary history. Whether at a farmhouse trattoria nestled in the Apennines or a sleek enoteca in Modena, the experience is grounded in simplicity and seasonality. Dishes are lovingly prepared with ingredients sourced from nearby hills, valleys, and rivers—think tortellini floating in golden broth or balsamic vinegar aged for decades in the attics of family homes. It is food that invites you to sit down, slow down, and savor.

The roots of the region’s cuisine run deep, born from both necessity and abundance. Farmers and artisans have long transformed raw ingredients into masterpieces: milk into cheese, grapes into vinegar, flour into pasta. The techniques may be passed down through generations, but they are far from static. Today, innovative chefs like Massimo Bottura reinterpret these foundations, proving that tradition is not a boundary but a wellspring of creativity.

What distinguishes Emilia-Romagna most is its spirit of generosity. Meals are shared affairs, often lasting hours and punctuated by laughter, storytelling, and course after course of handmade dishes. There’s a profound respect for the ingredients and the people who prepare them. Hospitality here is a cultural virtue—strangers become friends over plates of lasagna verdi or bowls of cappelletti in brodo.

As I reflect on the foods of Emilia-Romagna, I am reminded that they are more than regional specialties—they are expressions of love, patience, and continuity. They remind us that the best meals connect us not just to flavor, but to each other. Whether you’re stirring a pot of simmering ragù or sipping a glass of Lambrusco, Emilia-Romagna invites you to taste its heart. Buon appetito!

Join us for a weekend of comforting northern Italian cuisine, warm conversation, and the relaxed elegance of Mirror Lake Inn

Friday, november 15, 2025

Welcome Reception

5:30 to 6:30 PM

Gather for a meet and greet with Chef Curtiss of the Carriage House and the Mirror Lake Inn Culinary team. Hors d’oeuvres are provided and there will be a full cash bar available.

Saturday november 16, 2025

Cooking Demonstration | Exploring Emilia Romagna's Culinary Character

1 to 4 PM

In addition to the food itself, meals in Emilia-Romagna capture the very essence of the region—through layered flavors, warm hospitality, and deep-rooted tradition. Each dish reflects a devotion to craft and place, inviting you to linger in a timeless space where the past is ever present and every bite tells a story of land and legacy.

“The flavors of Emilia-Romagna are rooted in the heart: bold, honest, and impossible to forget—like a grandmother’s embrace at the dinner table.”

— Stanley Tucci, actor and host of Searching for Italy

Saturday’s demonstration-style class will transport you to the heart of Emilia-Romagna, celebrating the simplicity, tradition, and soul-satisfying flavors that define this rich culinary region. With a nod to both the rustic and the refined, Chef Curtiss will guide you through a selection of classic and contemporary dishes—each rooted in heritage but designed with the ease of everyday life in mind. Learn how to bring the warmth and confidence of an Italian kitchen into your own home, one unforgettable plate at a time.

Demonstrated Recipes

Misticanza Salad
Arugula, spinach, radicchio, herbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, prosciutto, pear, toasted walnuts, balsamic, extra virgin olive oil

Ragù alla Bolognese Bianco
pork, veal, beef, butter, sage, carrot, onion, fennel, celery, pinot grigio, broth, cream, Parmigiano Reggiano

Chocolate Hazelnut Torta
chocolate, butter, cream, hazelnuts, shortcrust, balsamic drizzle, sea salt

While the foods used in this class will be primarily sourced and inspired from the Adirondacks and its surrounding farmland, Chef Curtiss will be discussing how to source products local to you that will yield you the same results.

Registration for the class includes:

printed recipe packet
limited tasting of select recipes
bottled water

Sunday november 17, 2025

Cooking Demonstration | Brunch in Bologna

10 AM to 12:30 PM

At the heart of a Bolognese brunch lies a joyful balance of tradition and ease—where rich flavors meet a laid-back rhythm that invites you to linger. Imagine a late morning in a sunlit piazza or tucked into the warm corner of a trattoria, where the scent of slow-simmered ragù mingles with fresh espresso and golden, just-cracked eggs. In Bologna, brunch is not a trend—it’s a gentle continuation of the Italian table, where every dish carries a sense of place and purpose.

This menu celebrates the spirit of brunch in Bologna as more than a meal—it’s a sensory pause, a celebration of craft and comfort that reminds us to slow down, savor, and embrace the joy of simple pleasures shared around the table.

“To eat in Emilia-Romagna is to taste the generosity of a land that gives without restraint—its cheese, its cured meats, its soul.”

— Faith Willinger, food writer and author of Eating in Italy

Demonstrated Recipes

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Gorgonzola
squash, apple, garlic, onion, broth, polenta, cream, olive oil, butter, dolce Gorgonzola, cream,

Pissarei e Faso (bread gnocchi)
flour, breadcrumb, milk, beans, oil, herb, cheese, tomato passata, Parmigiano Reggiano

Porchetta
pan roasted pork, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, olive oil, lemon, Parmigiano Reggiano, breadcrumbs, aioli

While the foods used in this class will be primarily sourced and inspired from the Adirondacks and its surrounding farmland, Chef Curtiss will be discussing how to source products local to you that will yield you the same results.

Registration for the class includes:

printed recipe packet
limited tasting of select recipes
bottled water

For more information about booking please call one of the Mirror Lake Inn’s reservation specialists at (518)523-2544 or info@mirrorlakeinn.com.