Spring Pea and Sunchoke Vichyssoise with Mint and Crème Fraîche
This delicious soup adds color to any meal. Use fresh peas if available or substitute with frozen ones.
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The Hermitage Inn: From Insurance to Innkeepers
“Guests come in who were engaged here 40 years ago, or one of their children was married here. And it’s been fun to watch guests’ reactions when they walk in and see the changes we’ve made. Any changes we made pay respect to the building’s history and the integrity of the natural surroundings.” —Mary Lou Ricci
Nestled in the foothills below Haystack Mountain in southern Vermont lies a graceful luxury resort with an enchanting history. Its very name, The Hermitage Inn, evokes a welcoming country lodge where one can escape the mundane cares of the world and settle in to a weekend or evening guaranteed to provide restorative peace.
The Hermitage Inn, built in 1842, was a working farm until the early 1960s when the West Dover property was transformed into a lodge and restaurant. Jim McGovern, who owned the inn from 1971 to 2004, developed a world-class wine program that drew attention from oenophiles. That commitment to fine wine and haute cuisine now thrives under the loving care of Mary Lou Ricci and Tim Hall, who bought the inn in April 2021 and infused new life into this captivating haven.
Mary Lou and Tim are no strangers to The Hermitage Inn or West Dover. The couple has a small farmstead a few miles away where they raised some goats and ran a small sugaring operation (“back when we had time before running the inn!” Mary Lou laughs) and now grow Christmas trees. They were also among the original members of The Hermitage Club when it opened in 2011. Even more touching, the couple got engaged while they were snowshoeing on Haystack Mountain and enjoyed their celebratory engagement dinner at the resort later that evening. Together, they ran a family-owned insurance company based in Boston. And then, the pandemic hit. But sometimes when the world turns upside down, unforeseen opportunities arise.
The couple closed their insurance office on March 17, 2020 and came up to Vermont for what they assumed might be a week or two at most. Like everyone else, they transitioned to remote work. However, a variety of factors led them to sell their business at the end of December 2020. Several weeks later, in mid-January 2021, Mary Lou and Tim made some inquiries about the beloved Hermitage Inn that had sat vacant since 2018 and thus commenced the process of becoming innkeepers.
“We closed the deal on April 1, started renovations, opened the Tavern in September and the Birches dining room in mid-December,” Mary Lou recalls. “It’s been a crazy, wonderful whirlwind!”
Insurance people are in the business of taking calculated risks, and Mary Lou and Tim have embraced their new challenges. “I have a strong sense of aesthetics and a clear vision of how I wanted the inn to look and feel,” Mary Lou explains. “And I love taking care of people. So this career and lifestyle change have everything I love: hospitality, fine dining, and wine!”
Mary Lou says that one of the best aspects is being able to share in everyone’s memories of the inn. “Guests come in who were engaged here 40 years ago, or one of their children was married here. And it’s been fun to watch guests’ reactions when they walk in and see the changes we’ve made. Any changes we made pay respect to the building’s history and the integrity of the natural surroundings. For example, when you’re sitting in the dining room, you almost feel like you’re outside thanks to the open space and many windows. People have so many beautiful memories linked here and we feel honored to be the stewards of this place. Our responsibility is to carry that spirit forward for future generations.”
Mary Lou and Tim particularly love to hear stories about the wine cellar when Jim McGovern owned the inn, and the special meals that took place down in the private dining room. “We give tours of the wine cellar almost nightly; visitors love seeing the array of framed Wine Spectator Grand Awards still hanging down there. The Hermitage has a long history of exceptional wines, and we want to maintain that heritage,” says Mary Lou. That commitment garnered the inn the esteemed 2022 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence within six months of their opening, no small feat. The wine cellar currently holds 375 varieties and more than 5,100 bottles including different vintages of the same wine. For Mary Lou, a professed wine lover, trying all the selected wines is definitely a perk of the job.
Mary Lou describes the inn’s relaxed dining atmosphere as “mountain elegance.”
“The Hermitage has a long history of exceptional wines, and we want to maintain that heritage.” —Mary Lou Ricci
And as for the cuisine, Mary Lou describes the dining atmosphere as “mountain elegance.” “Guests can come in their flannels and jeans, or dressed to the nines, and enjoy an amazing Vermont meal with attentive service that rivals anything they could experience in New York or Boston.” James Beard award–winning Chef Michael Schlow serves as chef-in-residence and consults with the inn’s executive chef Macgregor Mann. “In a serendipitous turn, Michael had been a guest chef here 25 years ago in the Jim McGovern days,” Mary Lou notes. Chef
Mac Mann focuses on foraging and using as many products as he can source from local growers and vendors.
Representative of Chef Mac’s seasonal approach include dishes such as spring-dug parsnip risotto with garlic scapes, baby beets, wild mushrooms, and local asparagus; lemon and thyme roasted chicken with toasted farro, green garbanzo beans, charred baby leeks, and rhubarb broth; herb-crusted pork tenderloin with grilled local asparagus, herb-potato puree, and spicy tomato marmalade; and semolina cakes with a rich cheese fonduta and wild mushrooms.
Mary Lou finds parallels between running an insurance company and overseeing an inn. “Both are focused on taking care of people and educating staff,” she explains. “We are huge proponents of staff training. Everyone tastes each dish and discusses the ingredients so they can share that information with the guests. They receive mini-sessions on wines and learn about proper service etiquette. I’m a firm believer that great service should be subtle, not intrusive. All these edification steps help the staff to take real pride and ownership in this place.”
Of equal pride are the carefully tended gardens boasting roses, lilacs, and lavender; the orchard; stocked trout pond; and hiking trails that meander through the foothills. These gorgeous natural surroundings coupled with world-class wine and fine dining capture the best of both worlds however a fortunate guest chooses to explore and enjoy them, during a welcome respite at The Hermitage Inn.
(left)Al fresco dining near one of the inn‘s beautiful gardens; (right)There’s room for all at the welcoming and sun-filled Tavern.
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