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A High-Flyer Grounds Herself With a Vineyard http://www.equusrunvineyards.com/

After traveling the world for IBM, Cynthia Bohn transforms her Kentucky vineyard into a tourist destination.
By: Janet Holloway | 11/30/2007

IBM marketing executive Cynthia Bohn was presenting a case study on the Robert Mondavi Winery to the Harvard Club when she experienced what she calls her “retirement” epiphany.

Having worked with IBM for several years, traveling the world, she knew at that moment in 1995 that she wanted to own a vineyard in her home state of Kentucky some day. On the plane back to Kentucky, she started sketching out the business plan. By the end of 1996, at age 39, Bohn had found a partner in banker and friend Cindy Hall, bought a 38-acre farm outside of Lexington and begun her first planting. “What started as an idea became a passion,” says Bohn, “and the passion became a business.”

Raised on a tobacco farm, Bohn knew the work involved in running a farm. “There’s such romance associated with vineyards,” Bohn says. “But the truth is, it’s hard work. During August and September, it’s painfully hot in the fields. We start very early, often before the sun is up, to avoid the bees and wasps that come out later in the day.” In 2002, her partner left to pursue another career, and Bohn became full owner of Equus Run Vineyards.

Aware that Kentucky and other Southern states were transitioning from a tobacco-based agricultural system to alternative crops and agri-tourism, Bohn began expanding the business, improving the property and renovating the barn for wine tasting and a gift shop. Still juggling her IBM accounts, frequent travels and her management of Equus Run Vineyards, Bohn has turned the farm into a lively tourist destination surrounded by the thoroughbred horse farms and bourbon distilleries of central Kentucky. In addition, the grounds also host music concerts, picnics, weddings, corporate events, and boccie and croquet courts.

Also, this past summer, Bohn partnered with the Actor’s Guild of Lexington to offer Shakespeare in the vineyard. “The core of our business is the experience people have; we just happen to have wine to go with it,” Bohn says.

The original plan for Equus Run was to grow the business by 17 percent each year, but it surpassed that goal within the first two years and now brings in a gross income of more than $1 million annually, Bohn says with pride. The winery employs four full-time and 18 part-time employees, with 30 or more volunteers who help harvest the vines in the summer. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the winery produces more than 9,100 cases each year, and its award-winning wines have been selected as the Commemorative Wines of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs since 2005.

Bohn, who says both of her parents were jacks-of-all-trades kind of people, is involved in all phases of the operation, from repairing specialized winery equipment and overseeing production to introducing a music group from the stage of the newly expanded wood and stone amphitheater. “My father could take apart and rebuild just about anything,” Bohn says. “He made sure every one of us could take apart a motor and put it back together.”

Having a master’s degree in industrial technology and a Ph.D. in educational technology has never stopped Bohn from digging her hands into the soil. “Equus Run is the perfect place for me,” Bohn says. “I have hands-on contact with all phases of winemaking, beginning in the vineyard and ending at the cellar. One day I drive a tractor in jeans and the next, I’m in a business suit, getting on a plane. It’s great. I just want to enjoy what I do and keep the dreams alive.”

Janet Holloway is president of J. Holloway & Associates and co-founder of Women Leading Kentucky, a non-profit foundation committed to creating opportunities for women to lead and learn.

http://www.equusrunvineyards.com/

http://womenentrepreneur.com/article/2180.html

Kentucky’s Youngest Winemaker Cultivates Her Career

Danville’s Dominique Brousseau, 28, is the youngest female winemaker in the state. She creates award-winning wines at her family’s winery near downtown Danville.

You might say that the art of winemaking runs in Dominique Brousseau’s family.

Her great-great-great-great-grandmother started a winery in France in the 1600s (it’s still operating under different ownership), and Brousseau is the head winemaker at her family’s Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery at Danville’s Old Crow Inn.

“Originally at our winery, my brother André was the winemaker, and I worked with him,” Brousseau says. “When he left, I took over. I’ve taken winemaking classes in California, and I’ve also learned a lot from the oldest winemaker in Kentucky at Broad Run Vineyard and Winery in Louisville. It was the women in my family who did the winemaking in France, so I’m carrying on the torch.”

Brousseau’s wines have won a number of awards. Her blackberry wine won Best Fruit Wine in Kentucky at the Kentucky Derby Festival in 2006.

“We have eight different wines for sale right now, and six to eight more that are aging and will soon be ready for sale,” Brousseau says. “Two of our most popular wines are Vidal Blanc and Concord, and our Rio Samba blend is also very popular. All three have won awards.”

In college, Brousseau studied computer science, chemistry and art – a combination of subjects she feels suits her profession.

“Wine is a combination of science and art,” she explains. “Unlike hard liquor, wine is like a food product because it can spoil. A lot of my job is cleaning and sterilization. The art comes into play with blending flavors.”

Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery offers complimentary wine tastings Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tours of the winery are also available with advance request.

The Bourbon Trail – Young Educated Professionals are turning their sights from wine to Bourbon and it is growing this area into the next Napa Valley. It is fact that the younger generation is moving from wine into the complexities of Bourbon. Watch this video for a fascinating look at a new Tourism, The Bourbon Trail.

Bill Samuels Jr., president of Maker’s Mark, discusses his family’s history in the world of bourbon making, which dates back to 1780, and the innovative marketing techniques with which he promotes the distillery’s contemporary products. A 2007 KET production hosted by Bill Goodman.

Click here to watch the 28 minute Video

If you make these for your guests this Holiday Season, you’ll love me – again. If you can’t make them, come for a site visit to view our properties - Cindy and I will treat you to them here at the Ranch with some fine KY Wines or one of KY’s finest Bourbons.

Here is a super, duper appetizer you must try – and will become a favorite. This is a single recipe – you will want to double it if you have more than 3 people.

Wash and pull stems from 1 lb of good-sized white mushrooms. Put the stems in a Cuisinart. Put the caps tops up on a greased sheet pan. In the Cuisinart (or obviously another brand of food processor) add:

1 clove garlic, 1/2 stick melted butter, 1/2 to 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I love to use Italian or smoked swiss).

Pulse Cuisinart to a fairly smooth consistency, spoon mixture into caps, Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Oh yeah!

This one will knock your socks off – I guarantee. And super-easy. Perfect Holiday cake – totally unexpected and your guests will RAVE! This will be a new Holiday tradition – serious. If you don’t make this cake, come to our house – we make several each Holiday season.  Tremendous gift.

A couple of years ago I made one of these at 9pm and it didn’t last until 9am the next morning. No, we are not proud of that, but shazam – that is serious good cookin’. Here goes:

1 cup of chopped pecans – get the pieces and chop or break them coarsely

1 (18 oz) box of Super Moist yellow cake mix

1 (3 3/4 oz) package of vanilla INSTANT pudding mix

1/2 cup of Rum

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

4 eggs

Grease and flour (I use the professional grease/flour spray) a bundt pan. Pour pecans in the bottom of pan. Mix cake mix and pudding in a large bowl. Add rum, water, oil, eggs. Mix 2 minutes in the KitchenAid mixer. Bake 45 min at 350.

While that’s baking, prepare the glaze oooowww.

In a good sauce pan (important) like an All Clad – I use Martha Stewart look-alikes – boil the glaze:

1 cup Sugar

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup Rum

1/4 cup of water

Boil above ingredients for 3 minutes and pour over hot cake.

Remove cake from oven and poke the top with a fork all over – to allow the glaze to soak deep in. Slowly pour on the Glaze. Cool in the bundt pan 30 minutes. Cover with a plate – flip upside down and serve – OMG!

I want comments on this… Enjoy! Brad

This is the last recipe I will give you till after Thanksgiving. I’ll give you some goodies before Christmas. Enjoy all my recipes with Health, Love and Prosperity.

This totally rocks as Mashed Potatoes. Try this and you will be AMAZED. I don’t “cheat” when it comes to cooking – you will love these – and especially when you know how much better these are for you than regular potatoes.

1 head cauliflower
1 tablespoon softened cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon straight chicken bullion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives, for garnish
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well – do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower dry

In a KitchenAid mixer, or in a food processor, mix or puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, chicken base, and pepper until almost smooth. Add Rosemary or Roasted Garlic for extra flavor.

This will be the best, moistest (is that a word?) bird recipe you ever ate. My Mom use to roast turkeys for 8-12 hours – that will just dry them out, do this and you will be a Convert! To see what we have “cooking” with our houses – click here.

1 young turkey (about 15 pounds)

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of chopped or diced Garlic from the jar
1 gallon chicken stock (optional)
1 gallon ice water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage

Olive oil

Combine some of the water and all brine ingredients, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and throw in a cooler just big enough to hold the turkey, this brine, water to cover and some ice.

Early on the night before cooking, combine the brine and ice water in the cooler. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover with water and ice and cover the cooler and let it sit in cool area (like a basement) overnight. If you do this, you will still have ice in the morning, so you are cold enough. Not many refrigerators are big enough to hold the brine and Turkey and pot, whew!

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine. Discard brine.

Place bird breast side down on bare roaster pan – no rack – and pat dry with paper towels. Add aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Slide your hand under the skin and loosen without tearing. Put a stick of butter cut in pats under the skin. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with vegetable or corn oil. (olive oil won’t brown as well).

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer to 161 degrees. Baste every 30 minutes with baster and use the drippings.

A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

This will be the best, moistest (is that a word) bird you ever ate. My Mom use to roast turkeys for 8-12 hours – that will just dry them out, do this and you will be a Convert! To see what we have “cooking” with our houses – click here.

This stuffing will not make you feel so stuffed – and it is lo/no carb! Treat your guests to this – they will flip!

Brad’s lo-carb, incredible, Sausage Stuffing

2 pounds of Country Sausage – I love the Sage kind

click on the “Rest of the Story link here” for the Recipe!

also, tell a friend about our properties at StarHomeUSA.com

2 pounds of Country Sausage – I love the Sage kind
1/2 cup celery chopped
1 cup red onion chopped
4 eggs
4 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower (about a head)
1 cup diced yellow squash
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (buy it and grate it – don’t use the sawdust in a can version)
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 or 3 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Spray olive oil in a baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown sausage over medium heat.
Saute the “Trinity” – celery, onion and garlic in Olive Oil and stir, until brown.

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Using a spoon, mix in the sausage mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Pour the stuffing into the baking dish and bake until hot and browned, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

A Southern Thanksgiving tradition is Sweet Potato Casserole. This is one of the best, I promise. This recipe is so perfect, I never mess with it. It comes from a great restaurant in Atlanta called the Watershed. Scott Peacock has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, he’s been on the Today Show, Martha Stewart, Good Morning America and I could go on and on. Click on those links to see his articles – very cool.

Thanksgiving is coming right up – I will be posting more Turkey Day specialties, so check back often and for some great deals on property – click here to go right to our Property List.

Picture of Watershed on the left

Sweet Potato Casserole
The filling:
5 pounds small sweet potatoes (about 10 potatoes)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups milk, heated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

The topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons homemade baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup chopped pecans

To make:
Wash the sweet potatoes and put them on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350* F. oven for 1 – 1 1/2 hours until they are very tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly before peeling. Put the peeled sweet potatoes into the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or a whip attachment. Mix the hot sweet potatoes on low speed to begin mashing them. Add the butter and mix until it is absorbed . Add the salt, nutmeg, honey, and both sugars and mix until they are thoroughly blended. Add the lightly beaten eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add in the heated milk. When the milk is incorporated, taste carefully for seasoning and add more salt, nutmeg, or sugar as needed. Thoroughly butter a 9x13x2 baking dish with the softened butter and pour the sweet potato mixture into it.

The topping:
Put the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a mixing bowl and mix well. Use your fingers to work the chilled butter into the mixture until it resembles oatmeal with some large pea size pieces of butter in it. Stir in the pecan pieces and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes and bake in a preheated 375* F. oven for 30 to 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crisp and the sweet potatoes are set but still slightly loose in the center. Serve hot.

makes enough to serve 12 very hungry people