Sommelier Robert McPherson of Lutsen Resort pops the cork on the nine-liter bottle of champagne that was opened at the kick-off event for the resort’s celebration of its 125th year. Nancy Burns of Lutsen Resort explained that the giant champagne bottle is a very special order item and is called a Salmanazar, named after an ancient king of Antiquity.
Lutsen Resort’s kickoff event was a lot of fun as three chefs from well-known Minneapolis restaurants (La Belle Vie, Sea Change
and The Barrio Tequila Bar)
joined Chef Rob Wells and Sous Chef Henry for a Friday night Tapas and wine tasting and a Saturday night sixcourse wine dinner. Robert McPherson popped the cork at the Saturday night event, which was the first in a series of events that will feature history, food, music and fun.
The staff invites local residents, former staff (and according to resort owner Nancy Burns, there are a lot of them) as well as guests to join any of them.
“We are really trying to figure out how to get the word out to former staff from the last 40 years who might want to know about this. There are so many who stop at the resort over the years or come as guests and talk about working here,” said Burns. “We currently have a young staff member whose parents met here.”
The planned events include a July beach barbecue; August fish boil on the beach, October 1 “Oktoberfest” and the gala birthday event in mid-October. All these events include live music by local musicians including a new group, Unnamed Stream, The
Splinters
and Michael Monroe.
The gala birthday party will be held the weekend of October 15-16, and will be the focal event of the year. “At that time we are going to pop the cork on an even bigger bottle of champagne—15 liters— which should pour at least 125 glasses of champagne—one for each year of our history,” Burns said.
The weekend event will also include a Friday night welcome in the lodge lobby, a fireside chat Saturday afternoon with George and Patty Nelson and an hors d’oeuvres social and traditional Lutsen Resort dinner in the lakeside dining room Saturday evening. There will also be other activities such as a cooking class by Chef Judi Barsness and a focus on history.
For an overview of events visit www.lutsenresort. com/125anniversary.htm.
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