The other day I was a part of a really fun filled afternoon. A group of co-workers from Georgia EMC had called the Inn at Serenbe and wanted to plan a team building day in Serenbe.

Their day began with visiting Serenbe farms with farmer Paige Witherington. They participated in picking vegetables and learning about organic farming.

After spending an hour on the farm, off to Marie’s house for a fantastic cooking demo, family stories and of course a great meal in the end.

When the six co-workers first arrived, Marie began the day with a wonderful display on her kitchen island featuring different stations set up with ingredients for each course. The menu was Serenbe farms tomato salad, chicken stuffed with goat cheese, fried okra fritters and one of my personal favorite desserts, blueberry cobbler!

Along with great cooking tips from Marie, each guest participated in creating the meal. They learned the proper way to slice tomatoes for the salad, chop onions, fry okra, etc. Several of the guests said that they did not cook much yet were eager to learn some simple cooking techniques.

Between the stories, tips and the inevitable way Marie makes everyone feel so welcome, within just a few minutes everyone jumped right in and the prepping began.

Soon the okra was being fried, the chicken was stuffed, the cobbler was in the oven and the dressing was being whisked!

Before we knew it the meal was complete and I think everyone was really proud to say that they had participated and learned something about being a better cook.

The fun really began at the dining table when Marie shared stories from Mary Mac’s, the history of Serenbe and her passion for cooking. With both the wonderful company and the amazing meal, our guests from Georgia EMC had a great time. Between their satisfied appetites and the sparkle in their eyes, you could see they were very pleased with the choice of Serenbe for their team building day.

Now they were off to a tour of the Serenbe community with Steve Nygren to finish out their day.

I had the pleasure of seeing Marie doing what she loves and what she does best. Cooking for others, sharing her passion not only through her food but also sharing her family stories with others in her personal kitchen.

Check back shortly as Marie plans to post the recipes from the day so she can share with her readers!

As her friend and guest blogger, I must admit it was an amazing day. I would recommend this for everyone looking for a wonderful way to experience Serenbe. If you are interested in a day with Marie, please contact the Serenbe Inn.

~Dana Widmer