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The Chapeze House is a restored 200-year-old Federalist structure that is filled with architectural treasures.

“This seems to happen particularly in the South with very old houses,” Col. Michael Masters says with a broad grin. “You don’t find them. They find you.”
Masters and his wife, Margaret Sue, should know. Though they didn’t move to Bardstown to redo old houses, so far “10 or 12” have come back to life under their experienced, caring hands.

One in particular – the Chapeze House –was saved from the wrecking ball by the Stephen Foster Drama Association (SFDA). After being used as the town’s tourism office for a number of years, it was listed to sell and finally, put up for auction. But when no buyers showed up, the chairman of the board of the SFDA called the Masters’, who’d had their eye on the “cosmetically disadvantaged, structurally sound orphan,” and they snapped it up.

For eight months, Michael, Margaret Sue, their son Colin Edward and a carpenter worked full time restoring the 200-year-old Federalist mansion, which features magnificent crown moldings, poplar and ash floors, and five hand-carved Adams mantels.

“The place,” says Masters, a Kentucky Colonel who is also known as “The Colonel,” “is just a knockout.”

And the good news is, the family shares its architectural treasure on a regular basis, hosting bourbon tastings, dinners, afternoon teas and a cooking school. The home’s original owner would no doubt be pleased.

 “Dr. Henri Chapeze,” the Colonel enthuses, “is one of the coolest guys there ever was.”

One of 14 French army officers who came to America in 1777 with the Marquis de Lafayette to join the Continental army, Dr. Chapeze served as a surgeon in the command of General George Washington before leaving to begin building a house in Bardstown in 1787. The good doctor’s son Ben completed the mansion in 1810 and in 1846 developed the Chapeze Distillery, known for its Old Charter, which to this day remains a choice Kentucky bourbon.

And who better to carry on that tradition than Masters, connoisseur of fine bourbon and the author of Hospitality – Kentucky Style, a volume that’s half Kentucky heritage, half Kentucky cookbook, and Margaret Sue, an event planner for more than two decades. Both have years of experience in catering and in the bed and breakfast business.

“We’re well-known cooks, and it’s all from scratch,” says Masters. “None of our recipes are complicated. Some of those dishes Martha Stewart whips up, I couldn’t do on a bet! People say ours is the best food they’ve ever eaten.”

You can tell by his tone he’s not boasting but simply stating a fact. After all, Masters has appeared as guest host on the Food Network and on the Fine Living Channel with Chef Paula Deen of Savannah and with Kevin Brauch, a.k.a. The Thirsty Traveler.

At Chapeze House, individuals and groups of up to 50 can reserve ahead for tastings of four or five premium Kentucky bourbons, and in time, can even qualify as members of the Kentucky Bourbon Society. As a guest sips 18-year-old Elijah Craig, the Colonel, a fine storyteller, may relate the colorful history of bourbon, how it’s made and aged, how single barrels bourbons came to be and about the heady “angel share.” Or he may delve into his impressive family history, which traces from English kings through such Central Kentucky monikers as Boone and Bryan.

He chuckles. “My father used to say, ‘All that stuff won’t buy you a cup of coffee, but it’s fun to talk about.’”

Savory appetizers accompany all tastings. Think shrimp, meatballs and tenderloin.

“We make sure there’s plenty of good food,” Masters explains. “After you’ve tasted five bourbons, you definitely want something to eat.”

This host extraordinaire calls it a “Kentucky cocktail party,” and that includes a hefty serving of hospitality.

“The state is known for its hospitality,” he explains. “People have a notion of that but don’t really know what it means. I welcome each guest with a handshake and some words of welcome. No one does that anymore.”

An outstanding hostess, Margaret Sue runs the Kentucky Bourbon Cooking School, passing along secrets of Southern cooking and preparing dishes using Kentucky bourbon. Students may become as involved as they choose in the process, but when the beef tenderloin in bourbon is ready, everyone is served a luscious meal. The Colonel’s handmade bourbon balls make for a perfect ending to a sumptuous dinner.

If one class isn’t enough, you can sign up for the cooking school’s extended Culinary Vacation. Spend three days and two nights in Bardstown at the Colonel’s Cottage, the Masters’ bed and breakfast accommodations in two charmingly restored cottages. You’ll tour historic Central Kentucky sites such as My Old Kentucky Home, Abe Lincoln’s Birthplace and Ashland, the home of Henry Clay one day, and cheer on your favorites at either Keeneland Race Course or Churchill Downs the next.

Evenings, of course, feature scrumptious meals back at Chapeze House.

Fresh-baked scones with Devonshire cream highlight Margaret Sue’s afternoon teas, and should a group choose, may be followed when the “drinking lamp is lit” by a bourbon tasting. The entire mansion can be reserved, with the Masters family rolling out the red hospitality carpet.

Weddings are regular weekend events and are often held in the backyard’s 60-foot by 60-foot urban pocket garden, where photo ops abound and a gazebo can morph into a fully stocked bar.

No matter the event, declares Masters, “Our goal is for people, when they leave our house, to say, ‘That’s the best evening I’ve had in forever.’”

Katherine Tandy Brown (editorial@lanereport.com) is a staff writer
for The Lane Report.

Upcoming Events across Kentucky Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Kentucky Horse Park 4089 Iron Works Pike Lexington April 26 – 29 www.rk3de.org (859) 254-8123 The nation’s premier equine eventing championship, Rolex Kentucky 2007 will serve as a qualifying Olympic Games competition and will feature some of the world’s best horses and riders. An International Trade Fair accompanies the event. Tickets include general admission to the Horse Park. American Quilter’s Society National Quilt Show Paducah Expo Center Paducah April 25 – 28 info@AQSquilt.com The AQS National Show is a mecca for quilting enthusiasts, with more than 400 quilts on display, a merchants’ mall, workshops and lectures, awards banquet, fashion show and benefit auction. Open to the public. EKU Jazz Fest Eastern Kentucky University Ravine/Foster Music Building Richmond April 27 – 28 www.music.eku.edu april.brumfield@eku.edu (859) 622-1428 The 2007 EKU Jazz Fest features some of the region’s top jazz musicians performing on Friday night at various downtown venues. On Saturday there’s live music all day with workshops, master classes, an instrument petting zoo, food, and movie screenings. Closing concert features hot New York jazz vocalist Kate McGarry. All events except closing concert are free. Kentucky Scottish Weekend General Butler State Resort Park 1608 Highway 227 Carrollton May 11 – 13 www.kyscottishweekend.org info@kyscottishweekend.org (866) 462-8853 Scotland comes to General Butler with bagpipes and pipe bands, highland and country dancing, athletic games, Celtic music, seminars, British car show, Scottish vendors, clan tent, Border Collie trials, and a Saturday night Ceilidh and Sunday Kirkin’ of the Tartan. Georgetown International Kite and Culture Festival Cardome Centre 800 Cincinnati Pike, Suite 3 April 21 – 22 www.kitefest.com sherry.williams@georgetownky.gov (502) 863-1575 x 102 Cardome Centre’s popular annual Kite and Culture Festival is a family weekend of kite flying, children’s crafts, displays, exhibits, kite making, an international food court and nonstop entertainment. Free admission.