Part of the Wellness Resort’s Organic Farm to Table Culinary Program

Old Edwards Inn and Spa is launching a new Spa Café menu to make use of the Chef’s Organic vegetable and herb garden at The Farm at Old Edwards. The seasonal menu features healthy juices, light bites, southern garden salads, healthy delights, raw foods and innovative desserts. Guests will enjoy healthy items like Black Eyed Pea Hummus with cold pressed sunflower oil and flat bread crisps; organic cous-cous-amaranth and corn salad with Goji berries and skinless chicken breast; Mango-Orange-Banana-Whey Proteins and Potassium Protein Power Blend juice; and vegan chocolate mousse with raspberries and micro mint.

Old Edwards executive Chef Johannes Klapdohr says, “The constant research of selecting the finest products in the region, as well as globally, has become my ultimate passion. To nurture, develop and create sustainable, healthy cuisine that is uncompromised and environmentally responsible continues to be the essence of my culinary philosophy.”

Also Old Edwards’s mixologists have created several new lines of signature cocktails specifically suited to each of its dining venues. The culinary cocktail experience gives guests a sense of adventure with farm-to-table ingredients, local and seasonal products and overall more nutritious drinks. The “Smokey Mountain” has turned into a local favorite, offering a smooth blend of Scuppernong Brandy, egg whites, moonshine and apple juice.

Klapdohr says, “We are trying to focus on flavor and nutrition with less alcohol. These cocktails along with the new Spa Café menu, allow you to enjoy the whole spa experience and leave you feeling happy and good. The strategy is to “pace” the beverage enjoyment and alcohol release so that guests can fully experience the beverage benefits without hitting “the wall” that is experienced with too much consumption in too short a time period with the harsher cocktail experiences to which they have become accustomed. ” Connoisseurs of culinary cocktails also tout their ability to leave them feeling better the next morning by preventing or limiting the hangover effect.

To view the new Spa Café menu go to www.oldedwardsinn.com/dining or for more information call 828-526-9887.

About Old Edwards Inn and Spa (www.oldedwardsinn.com)

• Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 Hotel Spa in North America for 2010 with the First Ever Perfect Score in the 20-Year History of the Reader’s Survey
• Condé Nast Traveler’s #3 Hotel Spa in the United States for 2011
• 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award (top ten in the US)
• 2011 TripAdvisor Reader's Choice Award for #4 Best Relaxation Spa Hotel in the U.S.
• 2011 TripAdvisor Reader's Choice Award for #2 Best Hotel for Romance in the U.S.
• 2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for Madison’s Restaurant
• Condé Nast Johansen’s Most Excellent Inn in the US and Canada 2008
• Forbes Four-Star Rated for both the Resort and The Spa
• AAA Four-Diamond Rated
• Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden has won the Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence” every year since 2005 and the “Best Of” award since 2008.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa cascades along several blocks in downtown Highlands—a cultural mountain village that offers award-winning dining, wine events, art galleries and some of the nation’s top golf resorts. The European style resort welcomes visitors to North Carolina’s high country with its unique blend of relaxed luxury recognized worldwide. A spectacular outdoor heated mineral pool, world class spa, award-winning dining, and golf at the private Old Edwards Club are signature experiences at this full-service mountain resort. Guests are surrounded by the warmth and character of Old-Europe architecture and authentic period antiques. Many rooms, cottages and suites offer private patios or terraces—some with captivating rooftop views of Main Street and downtown Highlands. All of the luxury accommodations include champagne arrival, twice-daily housekeeping, two 24-hour business centers and two 24-hour Butler’s pantries with Dove Bars, fresh fruit and soft beverages. European bedding, fine Italian linens, plush robes & slippers, rainfall showers, heated-tile bathroom floors, in-room safes and Wi-Fi enhance the in-room experience. Old Edwards Inn and Spa also boasts a state-of-the art fitness center with wellness classes that include guided hikes into the scenic surrounding mountains known as “waterfall country.”

Guests enjoy onsite shopping at the Spa Boutique, Acorns Boutique or Acorns on Church featuring fine antiques and home accessories. Dining venues include Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden serving innovative New South Cuisine, the Spa Café and the Poolside Bar and Bistro. Special events and weddings take place at The Farm—a lushly landscaped Old Edwards property located one mile from downtown Highlands featuring The Barn, the Farmhouse with luxury lodging, Bridal Pavilion, Bridal Bridge over a scenic pond and outdoor events pavilion. The Edwards Hall Conference Center provides a catered corporate retreat venue.

Also introduced in 2009 was Satulah, Old Edwards Private Residences, which includes 14 luxury mountain homes just two blocks off Main Street, Highlands. The Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond resort is located at 445 Main Street in Highlands, NC.