Blue Heron Celebrated By Bon Appetit Magazine

Sunderland, Massachusetts Restaurant Receives High Marks for High-Wire Balance

BLUE HERON RESTAURANT has long been recognized as one of the best restaurants in Western Massachusetts. And now, thanks to a feature in the September issue of Bon Appitit, the line to get into this popular two-story Sunderland restaurant is a bit longer - but still well worth the wait.

"Magazines like Bon Appitit don't usually cover small town restaurants like ours," said Executive Chef Deborah Snow. "We are truly amazed and feel very honored they chose to include BLUE HERON in their annual restaurant issue."

In the "Top Secrets" article, Bon Appitit staffers investigate the tips, techniques and ingredients behind what they label "some of the best dishes we've ever had." So, what "wowed" them on the menu at BLUE HERON? Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Lentils, Bacon, and Cider Reduction. And what did they identify as the "something special" ingredient in this dish? Balance.

"I am always looking for balance," explained Snow. "Balance is about making the many components work harmoniously together. It's also very much about our taste buds playing off one another....Our tongues and noses are the best tools we chefs have to use."

According to Snow - who learned to cook from her grandmother and other grandmothers she met over the years - balance can be taught and is found by paying attention, listening, watching and tasting. She trains her kitchen staff to look for balance and covers the topic in her cooking classes as well.

"When a dish is perfectly balanced, the diner can't imagine the dish without any one of the ingredients," said Snow. "It's that gestalt thing - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Speaking of parts, Snow shares this honor with co-owner and life partner, Barbara White. The pair -each of whom had a previous career outside the restaurant business - met in 1992 and opened BLUE HERON in 1997. While Deborah oversees the kitchen, Barbara serves as manager and coordinates much of their highly-successful catering business.

BLUE HERON - which received an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator earlier this year - is one of ten restaurants featured in the article.* A full-page photo shows Snow finishing a plate of Pan-Seared Scallops; and a close-up image of the scallops is included in the magazine's annual restaurant directory (which lists BLUE HERON as a suggested New England restaurant).

"The amount of coverage is astounding," said White, smiling from ear to ear. "It makes us very happy, and it also re-energizes us for the busy season ahead."

First opened in 1997 in Montague Center, BLUE HERON was immediately recognized as one of the best restaurants in the valley. The restaurant earned a number of awards, including: "Chef of the Year for Western Massachusetts" (2001), "Editor's Pick" by Yankee magazine (2002), "Top 100 Restaurants in New England" (2001-2003), and "Best of the Valley" by the Valley Advocate newspaper. After six successful years, Deborah and Barbara closed BLUE HERON and began looking for another location, which they eventually found in the small town of Sunderland.

Reopened in November of 2005 in the historic Old Town Hall, the 120-seat BLUE HERON is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and offers four separate dining areas, as well as both on- and off-site catering. Deborah incorporates local produce and organic meat into her seasonal menu as much as possible - purchasing everything from eggs, milk, and cheese to locally raised beef from the lush farmlands of Western Massachusetts. Along with their staff, Deborah and Barbara support several local organizations, such as the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and take part in nume