Inside Chittenden County

Winner:
Inn at Shelburne Farms

Outside Chittenden County

Winner:
Inn at the Round Barn Farm

The folks at Round Barn Farm attribute the unusual design of their namesake barn, built in 1910, to the Shakers. The religious sect reasoned that in a round structure, “the devil can’t catch you in the corners.” In the barn’s modern life as an events venue, the advantage is similar:

At a wedding reception, you’re less likely to get cornered by the groom’s

weird uncle. Plus, with its exposed beams and soaring ceiling, the place is simply gorgeous. Executive chef Charlie Menard has worked in the kitchen for 11 years, sourcing food entirely from local farms and the inn’s organic gardens — unless he gets a special request, such as the time a father of the bride caught a swordfish in Florida and shipped it to Vermont the day before the wedding.

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the key to giving a great wedding toast?

CHARLIE MENARD: I’m usually in the kitchen when that’s happening. I have given one. I really wasn’t prepared at all. That’s the key: rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. I didn’t, and I blew it. A lot of the folks we have at the Round Barn, I don’t know how they do it. They’re so well spoken and thoughtful. It’s a skill I just don’t have.

— Megan James