April Bloomfield and David Nathans
Renewing is the question and better to do it now than never. When if not? The hotels and hospitality are going through their most difficult moments and it will be these months when we will begin to see the inventiveness and effort behind projects that will question their own methods in order to align them with other more innovative ones and, what is more important, hand in hand with ingenious alliances . What better than shaking a friendly hand to get ahead.
In Connecticut, the Mayflower Inn & Spa hotel has just done it with Friends of The Mayflower, a series of chef residencies started by Victoria Blamey last summer and is now run by april bloomfield . The cook of English origin, is considered part of the royalty of the American restoration (hers is also The Breslin, in the Ace hotel, and the Coombeshead Farm accommodation, in Cornwall, United Kingdom) and has wisely decided to install her kitchen throughout 2021 in this exquisite 35 room hotel , surrounded by 23 hectares of woods and gardens in the idyllic town of Washington.
Hamachi Raw with Pickled and Roasted Autumn Vegetables
“There is nothing like being close to the product that you are going to serve at the table. Collecting something directly from the garden and using it immediately in the kitchen is most satisfying”, he explains of his way of cooking, always appealing to the most urban palates but seeking his reason for being in the local product and without skipping the seasons.
Chef April Bloomfield with his wife Amy and Biscuit
“We are also trying our best to work with farms in the area , as with the cheeses and dairy of Arethusa in nearby Bantam, and the micro plants and edible flowers of Stella Rose in Litchfield.” Everything to create a tasting menu –think roasted butternut squash with spiced seeds; smoked roasted beet salad with escarole or vinegar-roasted duck leg with crisp kale– not afraid to match the sophistication of its surroundings: a new era aesthetic for the Mayflower “inn” recently hit with a interior design signed by Celerie Kemble . In it, the old coexists with the new in country rooms where canopy beds are breath-taking, mixed with Turkish rugs, textiles by Schumacher, Sister Parish, and Penny Morrison; as well as handmade ceramics.
Pate, seasonal chutney and toast
The Garden Room it is upholstered with wallpaper full of flowers and plants. It was that lush and colorful setting that inspired me to create a menu that is light and elegant, but also comforting and refined,” he explains. In the house pub tap room Bloomfield is loved by guests for its seemingly simple salad with romaine lettuce and ranch dressing or her clam chowder. “In this room I let myself be carried away by my ** English roots ** and more forceful dishes, those typical of the bar of a lifetime. The décor here has more character, so I wanted dishes that go hand in hand with it.”
One of the hotel rooms
Another of the incentives to take the car from New York or Boston and, two hours later, enter the universe of rural hedonism is the newly opened The Well Spa (which opened in Manhattan in 2019 and is already a reference of the city's crème). His specialty is healing practices both from the East and the West taught by "masters" who can be seen in its 6,000 m² for a limited time.
Corner inside the Mayflower Inn & Spa
There is no doubt that here the hotel is the destination where plans are anything but stressful, with bike rides , routes of hiking through the surrounding hills, the contemplation of the local birds while the kids learn archery, then make your own cocktails with herbs from the garden at sunset or roast marshmallows over a campfire lit by nothing but the moon.
And the next day, the same... but starting with breakfast. “On rainy days I love to serve a porridge with almond milk Bloomfield says. "Or some french toast with bourbon , maple syrup, and bananas,” she adds. Speaking of bananas, when you get to your room there will be waiting for you the famous Bloomfield cake, his freshly baked cookies and an apple cider made, of course and like everything at Mayflower Inn & Spa, at home.
Pear tart with almonds and fresh cream
***This report was published in *number 144 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (Spring 2021) . Subscribe to the printed edition (€18.00, annual subscription, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The April issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device