PIEDMONT Epicurean Arts Center begins offering classes
Leesburg, Va, April 2, 2012: The Piedmont Epicurean Arts Center (PEAC), a school dedicated to the collaborative education of our stewards for a sustainable rural economy, has begun offering classes in Leesburg, VA.
The Piedmont Epicurean Arts Center is a venture organized by Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars, Lucinda Smith of A Perfect Pour and James F. Koennicke of Fabbioli Cellars. The PEAC offers classes for both industry professionals as well as enthusiasts of the epicurean arts including wine, food, agriculture and the businesses associated with them. Located in the Mason Enterprise Center in historic downtown Leesburg VA, the PEAC will begin offering courses immediately.
Identifying the need of vocational training for rural agricultural businesses as well as a responding to the demand for more in depth knowledge by the public on the epicurean arts, Doug Fabbioli enlisted the aid of Ms. Smith and Mr. Koennicke to develop the curriculum, provide leadership and form the core of the instructors at the Center. The goal is to provide education on all aspects of the epicurean arts from the planting and nurturing of crops to the finished dish or beverage on the table.
Initially focusing on the wine industry but soon to be expanding to other specialties, the PEAC is currently offering courses on Vineyard Management for those in the grape growing industry and several enthusiast courses for those who wish to learn more about wine. Most classes are $55 per person per class.
The current course offerings for the Vineyard Management track are:
- Vineyard Layout and planting preparation
- Planting the vineyard
- Shoot thinning, suckering and herbicide
- Tucking, canopy management
- Pesticides and summer maintenance
- Fruit thinning, green harvest
- Prep for harvest and ripeness evaluation
- Picking, picking, picking
For the Wine Enthusiast the offerings are:
- Breakin' Down the Wine – How to evaluate wine like a professional
- It's a White, White, White, White World! – An exploration of not so familiar white wines
- The Power of Pink – A look at rosé wines from around the world
- Wines Fit for a BBQ – How to pair wines with grilled foods and finding ones which won’t break the bank
In addition to these classes, the wine enthusiast track has a list of classes exploring grapes, wines and wine regions from around the world and for all budgets. The full list of classes to be offered in 2012 will be posted on the website, www.epicureancenter.com, by the first of May.
Doug Fabbioli has over 35 years of experience in the wine industry. He started his career at Buena Vista Winery in the Carneros district of California. Over the ten years of his employment, Doug had a chance to work with many fine winemakers including the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff of Beaulieu Vineyards. Returning to the East Coast he served as winemaker at both Tarara Winery and Doukenie (then Windham) winery in Northern Virginia before opening Fabbioli Cellars in 2001. Doug has been an instrumental consultant to Northern Virginia's wine industry since 2000. This emphasis on helping young agricultural based businesses along with his efforts as chairman of Loudoun County Rural Economic Development Council has greatly influenced the development of the PEAC. "Not all startup businesses can afford an expensive consultant to teach them how to build their farm business right. I wanted to build a program that gives agricultural and epicurean specialists a venue to teach classes to fellow business people and aficionados alike. The Piedmont Epicurean Arts Center will help both businesses and customers for that business in a productive, sustainable and entertaining way."
Lucinda Smith CSW, CSS, IC, WLS is currently the owner of A Perfect Pour, a company which consults to restaurants for assembling and managing wine lists as well as training staff and also conducts private wine tastings and sommelier services for corporations and individuals. A self-confessed, lifelong "restaurant rat", Lucinda has worked in many Washington, D.C., area restaurants including Off the Record at the Hay-Adams Hotel, Sequoia Restaurant, Santa Fe East, Elysium at The Morrison House and The Tower Club. Currently, she works as Maitre d' at The Ashby Inn & Restaurant in Paris, Virginia and lends her services to A Thyme and a Place Food Consultants of Delray whose clients include many on Capitol Hill and in Old Town Alexandria. For the last ten years, she managed and owned The Wine Seller and later The Vineyard Table in Herndon, VA and has also worked in the wholesale part of the wine & spirits trade. Her numerous accomplishments and certifications include recognition by the Society of Wine Educators as a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and a Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS), by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) holding the Intermediate Certificate with Distinction (IC), by the Court of Master Sommeliers having passed their Introductory Course and by the Center for Wine Origins as a Wine Location Specialist (WSL). Lucinda is a member of both the Society of Wine Educators and the Guild of Sommeliers.
James F. Koennicke, AC is currently employed as a Wine Educator at Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. After a 20 year love affair with wine, James has now turned his hobby into a career. Using the skills he honed as a performing musician and as a certified trainer of various software products, he has taken what he learned in his travels and developed a unique and highly regarded tasting experience for winery visitors. He is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and certified by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) holding their Advanced Certificate with Distinction (AC). He is also the owner and lead author of At Least I’m Enjoying the Ride, a blog dedicated to food, wine and fun since 2008.