The Mast Farm Inn School Of Cooking

At The Mast Farm Inn "School Of Cooking" we offer a number of "culinary class vacation travel packages" whose descriptions and schedules you will find by clicking here. If you can take a moment to read what is presented here you may see it as a good fit. Nothing beats old-fashioned reading versus billboard images and sound bites and unfortunately we may not know how to explain the whole thing in a snappy slogan but here goes our best effort: "Reflect On The Profound Significance, Complexity and Ultimate Simplicity Of The Egg; Without Turning It Into A Religion, Adopting A Bit Of The Slow Food Philosophy and Getting Back To Basics Can Make A Real Difference In Your Life, and In The Lives Of Those For Whom You Care, For The Rest Of Your & Their Lives." We offer a time and place where you can discover or remember some of those things, and get back to more simplicity, in many ways that can matter a great deal. Hopefully what we present here can make it worth your while.
"Beauty is all about us, but how many are blind! They look at the wonder of this earth and seem to see nothing. People move hectically but give little thought to where they are going. They seek excitement...as if they were lost and desperate." ~ Pablo Casals

The Best Dish in North Carolina 2010 Award

The Name of our Restaurant is "Simplicity at The Mast Farm Inn". Gourmet organic fine dining. "Slow Food In A Fast World". Simplicity at The Mast Farm Inn was selected from among hundreds of fine dining restaurants in North Carolina, and awarded 4th place in 2010, and 2nd Place in 2011, for "The Best Dish in North Carolina Award". Best Dish is North Carolinas Official State Restaurant Competition presented every year by The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and sponsored by Our State Magazine.

See the "reference information" tab above and to the right for complete reference information. Click Here to see a detailed page about the award, and our vendors & suppliers.

The Mast Farm Inn

The Mast Farm Inn has influenced us as a family and as entrepreneurs in very profound ways because its heritage and legacy is so present, real and authentic. It is in many ways what we believe in and what we sought quite actively for some time. It is way beyond the customary facade and bluff of many enterprises. It is not a plastic and vinyl interpretation of heritage and legacy such as one might find in an amusement park. It is the real thing, preserved, alive and inspiring. It presents itself to the world without pomposity or pretense, as it is. Like with our food, we seek to respect its simple and profound dignity. We attempt to collaborate with what it is, as it preceded us, and will continue long after us. In this section you will see more what we mean, how it has inspired us and how it may inspire you.
"With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy." ~ Lope de Vega

Simplicity

Simplicity is the name of our restaurant at The Mast Farm Inn because it resumes what we try to the very best of our abilities to do. In this section You will learn more about the why and how. Chef Owned & Managed By Mother-Daughter Chef Team Marie-Henriette Deschamps & Danielle Deschamps; also collectively known as "The Big Chief & The Little Chief"
"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Slow Food

You will be hearing a great deal more about the Slow Food Movement In The Years to come. It is food for thinking adults who understand something is not right and needs to change, and are willing to muster the self-discipline to do so. While we are not part of, or affiliated with, the slow food movement per-se, we do share and try to put into practice some of its underlying principles. Learn more about The Slow Food Philosophy and Movement In This Section. Slow Food is in many ways the "simplicity" beyond the ambient complexity that Chopin speaks of below. It is eminently appropriate "food for thought" for the times in which we live.
"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." ~ Frederic Chopin

Schedule & Register

In this section you will find an overview of the different classes, our schedule, pricing and an online form. You can request more information, check availability or reserve. We have tried to make this website a clear and self-explanatory as possible but nothing beats talking to real people so please feel free to call at anytime at (828) 963-5857 and ask to speak with Sandra or Danielle about The Mast Farm Inn School Of Cooking.
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." ~ Robert Brault

Reviews & Testimonials

Here you can browse our testimonials and reviews to help determine if our school of cooking is a good fit for you. The opinions of others obviously carry as much, or more, weight than our own. We know why we do this in this way, and it is rewarding to see how many people understand and support it.
"Neither the old or the new, by itself, is interesting; the absolute old is insipid; the absolute new makes no appeal at all. The old in the new is what claims attention." ~ William James

Reference Information

In this section you will find a lot more information which explores further some of the subjects briefly presented here. Where it all comes from and where it may be of service to you. It presents some key links to other websites which are relevant to gaining a deeper perspective on what this all means today and may mean tomorrow.
"Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat." ~ Scottish Proverb


The Mast Farm Inn
2543 Broadstone Road
Historic Valle Crucis
Banner Elk, North Carolina 28604
(828) 963-5857
stay@mastfarminnc.om
www.mastfarminn.com

Objectives

The objectives of The Mast Farm Inn School Of Cooking are Simple & Basic
~ To enable you to enhance your culinary skills by participating in culinary class vacation packages, and by learning hands-on more and more about The Slow Food Movement as compared to the way things now stand in Food Production, Distribution. Preparation & Consumption.
~ To help you learn how to re-introduce gourmet "Home Sweet Home" Cooking back into your daily life with ease, grace, elegance and significant beneficial results in the quality of your life, whether you live alone, with a significant other, small or large family
~ To combine serious hands-on learning and orientation with reflection, rest and relaxation in a place where we try to walk the talk and live the ideal to the best of our ability every day
~ To rediscover the notion that food is about more than eating, it is about living, and how we choose to live, and how doing it better in big and small ways can really help change lives for the better. It's about how to start or re-start on a healthier path.

That is why we talk about a Mast Farm Inn "school of cooking" versus a "cooking school". Because we have a reasoned philosophy based on organic slow food, have made those choices, and as such it is more than a culinary style. It is not about the "ignorance is bliss" type of simplicity, it is about the space for simplicity beyond the ambient complexity, It is about the art of food, the art of cooking, and therefore, to some degree the art of living.

"Before eating, always take a little time to thank the food." ~ American Indian Proverb