Today we’re kicking off a labor of love that’s been simmering for decades.

After years of talk, handwritten notes, saved recipe clippings, and stories told across dining tables and guest rooms, my family and I are officially launching the Vermont Inn‑trigue project—a memoir and cookbook chronicling 40 years of life, food, and hospitality at the Combes Family Inn in Ludlow, Vermont.

This project honors my parents, Ruth and Bill Combes, who ran the Inn for nearly four decades. Together, they created a magical place where guests became family and meals turned into memories. And now, we’re collecting those memories—and the meals—for a book we hope will nourish the next generation just as deeply.

Why Now?

A few weeks ago, my niece, Ayla, and I sat down with my mom for a recorded conversation about the early days of the Inn, her partnership with my dad, and how the kitchen became the heart of everything. As the stories unfolded, we realized: we can’t keep this to ourselves.

We’ve also dusted off old recipe binders, transcribed family favorites, and uncovered treasures like my grandmother’s handwritten cookbook and a bundle of recipes collected from both sides of our family back in 1989. We have photos from the Inn, stories from guests and extended family, and decades of tradition ready to come back to life.

Today I revived the Inn’s old Facebook page to start sharing updates, and I’ll be sending out an email to close family members asking for their own memories and photos. Our first batch of interviews is transcribed. A shared folder is live. My husband Bruce has signed on as our editor and writer. We’re ready.

How You Can Join Us

This isn’t just our story—it’s yours too.

If you were ever a guest at the Inn, helped in the kitchen, ate Ruth’s broccoli soup, or remember the smell of fresh banana bread coming out of the oven—we’d love to hear from you. We’re especially hoping family members and longtime guests will “adopt” a recipe or two: try it out, snap a photo, write a note about the memory it brings up, and let us know if you suggest any tweaks.

We envisions that each recipe will include the original CFI version, a personal intro or memory, method and cooking notes, and (if applicable) your updated take on it.

You can also follow the project’s progress and share your own memories by liking and commenting on the newly revived Combes Family Inn Facebook page.

What’s Next

Over the next few months, we’ll be testing recipes, collecting stories, and shaping a book that is equal parts family album, culinary time capsule, and tribute to the beautiful, chaotic, generous life of innkeeping.

Thank you for being part of this journey—whether you stayed at the Inn once or a hundred times, or whether you’re just curious what a lifetime of hospitality tastes like.

We can’t wait to share more soon.