Throwback: A Seminar With Martha at Turkey Hill

In the mid-1980s, prior to the publication of her magazine or the launch of her television show, Martha would occasionally host seminars at her catering kitchen and office on Saugatuck Avenue in Westport, Connecticut, and her home on Turkey Hill Road. Those in attendance were usually readers of her bestselling cookbooks, neighbours and friends. Martha would teach cooking classes and share advice on entertaining with style. These seminars were not widely advertised but were promoted in her early newsletter, which went out to subscribers between 1988 and 1990.

I recently received a wonderful email from someone who attended one of those seminars! Kevin Miller was just 18 years old at the time and had been working in catering. He was deeply inspired by Martha's books and had written to her several times. Much to his surprise and delight, Martha wrote back and suggested he attend one of her three-day weekend seminars! Kevin, of course, wasted no time in saying yes. He traveled to Connecticut and stayed with his great aunt and uncle who lived a short distance from Westport. Below are Kevin's photos from the weekend and his description of what he calls "a dream come true" and one of his most cherished memories.

The first day of Martha's seminar was held at her Saugatuck catering kitchen for a cooking demonstration. We sat in her beautiful green chairs, observed and asked questions as Martha decorated a wedding cake and taught us how to make spun sugar with a clothes line. The class consisted of my 18 year old self , and 17 Connecticut housewives. I was the only male!

Martha's catering kitchen and office was housed in this building at number 10 Saugatuck Avenue in Westport, Connecticut. After working from home for several years, this is where Martha moved her workshop. Here, she prepared all of her catered meals for clients, tested recipes for her cookbooks and conducted her business. Below, Martha demonstrates how to prepare spun-sugar using an old drying rack to catch strands of melted sugar, which form into long, shimmering threads that can be used to decorate any dessert.

Notice Martha's burgeoning collection of Fiestaware in the foreground.

Martha had just published her first Weddings book (1989), which you can see on display in the cabinet. Her interest in collecting Fireking Jadeite was already evident.

The second day we all got to tour Turkey Hill, walk around the grounds, visit Le Palais des Poulets (chicken coop), walk through her apple orchard and gardens. We then went inside and had a seated lunch in her dining room. I sat at the table with six other women and dined on red pepper bisque, rack of lamb with mint pesto and chocolate mousse for dessert. One of the guests was the CEO of Kmart. 

I had a fairly lengthy conversation with Martha about catering; my catering career had just begun. She told me some catering stories about some of her top clients, including Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The next day it was back to the catering kitchen for another demo: bread baking. She made a delicious Rosemary Boule, grilled swordfish kebobs and a lovely salad from vegetables grown in her gardens.

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your photos and your memories of this day! I'm happy to have this posted on the blog. Below is an image of Kevin visiting the same studio in Westport 30 years after he attended the seminar.