Article Title: At Ariel's, A Daquoise for Valentine's Day

Edition: February 2001
Category: Dining Out
Author:
Article:

Patrons return over and over from all over the country to this renowned restaurant on the pond in idyllic Brookfield to visit Ariel's Restaurant and the home of Richard and Lee Duberman.

So how did Lee Duberman, dancer, singer and actress, leap from the stage to become one of the most respected chefs in Vermont? How did the theatre propel her into cuisine? As an actress, she worked in restaurants and discovered that she loved to cook. She attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Then, after graduation in 1984, she worked in Los Angeles and New York.

Next, she responded to a New England Culinary Institute ad, she accepted a job teaching second year catering. Later, she was the chef at The White House in Calais.

Richard Duberman is the other half of the Ariel's team. Originally from Providence, RI, Richard was also an actor and a classical guitarist. Some time after his father bought some property in Woodbury, Richard was hired by the New England Culinary Institute as a bartender/bartender instructor. He later became their main waiter at the now-closed Tubb's.

Getting Together at The White House
From there, Richard went to work at The White House in Calais, where Lee was the chef. The rest is, well, you guessed it, history.

Richard developed a tremendous respect for Lee's cooking and two years later he suggested they start a business together. In 1989, they opened The About Time Café on State Street in Montpelier. They were the first in town to sell fine coffees, cappuccino espresso, homemade breads and fresh sandwiches. The Culinary Institute had not, as yet, opened La Brioche, nor had Capitol Grounds opened.

They married in 1991 and ran the café until 1994. The six-day week of their demanding business prompted their decision to sell and devote more time to parenting after their first son, Simon Ariel, was born in 1993.

"We're both the kind of people who are not afraid of making leaps," says Lee.

After selling the café, the Dubermans eventually found a house in the heart of Brookfield village where they could develop a new restaurant.

Richard and Lee have an extraordinary restaurant that reflects the unique proprietors.

The couple wanted to develop a place where people could hang out, "without spending a week's wages," says Richard.

"I often say I do the cuisine of the sun," says Lee, "because I like doing foods from warm places; mostly Mediterranean, North African, Northern Italian, Southern French. I like Thai food. Almost any kind of food with strong flavor" she says. "My training is in French technique, so I apply that. I love playing around with sauces. I take all of those elements and refine them. I like Middle Eastern as well as Asian food and I use lots of herbs and spices that are found in that particular cuisine."

Pastry A Passion
Lee's training is across the gamut, but her special love is pastry. "I do all of my own desserts. I won't let anybody else touch that.

"For Valentine's Day," she says, "I'm doing a Daquoise. A Daquoise is layers of a toasted almond meringue interspersed with layers of expresso-flavored French butter cream. I generally make it in a round and cut wedges, but for Valentine's Day I make them in little heart shapes. I serve this in a pool of coffee-flavored crème Anglaise sauce with a little espresso caramel sauce going through it.

"I'll also do a Chocolate Truffle Torte for Valentine's Day. This is five layers of a very, very thin flourless chocolate cake, interspersed with four layers of truffle. Two of the truffle layers are dark chocolate with Cointreau (orange liqueur); two of the layers are white chocolate with rum. This is covered with a bittersweet chocolate cognac glaze and served in a pool of vanilla crème Anglaise with a little raspberry coulis (puree) running through it. A chocolate Valentine heart perched on top finishes it off."

Other desserts on the menu include a fresh fruit crisp with homemade cinnamon ice cream; a flavored crème brulee with either passion fruit or lavender.

You have reached the end of the article.

Select the following link to see all the listings in the Dining Out category: Dining Out
Select the following link to see all the listings in the February 2001 edition: February 2001
Select the following link to go back to the index page: Index
Select the following link to go back to the introduction page: Introduction