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Staff
photo/Ian Gleadle
Three years ago, Nancy Douglas officially opened L’Auberge
Edge of Seattle Inn to combine her passion for gourmet cooking and her love for making people happy.
After living in this community for over 20 years and
reporting about it for more than a decade, you’d think I’d know most everything that went on here. At least I
thought I did.
Imagine my surprise then to discover that I have been
living around the corner from a French country inn without any knowledge of its existence. I recently just discovered it by
chance when I was doing some research on cooking classes and up it popped on the Internet.
When I examined the location of the establishment, I
suddenly realized that it was practically in my backyard! I had walked by the long gravel driveway hundreds of times and I
admit I used to be curious about the grand house that peeked out from within the secluded woods. But as there was no signage,
I never imagined that it was anything more than a beautiful estate, built for some fortunate person.
That person, I learned, is Nancy Douglas, mother of
two, ex-flight attendant and long-time entrepreneur. Douglas initially had the one-level house on five acres built to better
accommodate her handicapped son, who was unable to use stairs.
Three years ago, she officially opened L’Auberge
Edge of Seattle Inn to combine her passion for gourmet cooking and her love for making people happy.
“I am a pleaser and a giving person by nature,”
Douglas explains, “and it really tickles me to make people happy. I also come from a long line of excellent cooks and
was raised in a family that entertained a lot, so being in the hospitality business is a perfect fit for me.”
The independent-minded Woodinville woman had a colorful
upbringing, with a childhood spent living in Morocco and France. Her mother, a French woman from Alsace, met her father, an
American serviceman from a small California gold mining town, shortly after the war, in Morocco.
Douglas lived in Morocco her first seven years and learned
to speak French and Arabic long before she ever spoke English.
The family moved to California for a period of time,
but then they went abroad again to live in France. It is there, in the land of fine cuisine, where Douglas learned to cook.
“My grandmother was the real gourmet cook,”
she says. “She taught me everything about French cooking and I loved it. We used to have big parties and we would cook
for everyone and it was so much fun. Cooking became a kind of therapy for me and I got consumed with it. While my grandmother
was into cooking, my grandfather was really into wine. He was an expert at pairing food and wine. He went on to train my father
in the fine art of wine and then years later, my father went on to form the Knights of the Vine in California.”
Douglas spent her adult years, first as a flight attendant,
where she traveled the world, and then later, as the owner of a promotional business for flight attendants. She created the
business to help give flight attendants additional work opportunities outside of their flying time.
Fortune 500 companies would call her to hire the flight
attendants for trade shows and large-scale events. It was a successful business that Douglas managed for almost 25 years.
The idea to open an inn, however, came much later on, and she admits that it was a gradual decision that occurred naturally.
“I had this one bedroom apartment adjoining the
house and my friends would always tell me that I should rent it out,” explains Douglas. “It basically started
with that suggestion and then I slowly began fixing up the other rooms in the house, with the aim of becoming a B&B. Meanwhile,
my parents kept telling me that I should hold cooking classes because I have the ideal gourmet kitchen to stage them in. Everything
then fell into place.”
Today, L’Auberge Edge of Seattle Inn is a three
unit (four bedrooms) establishment that can accommodate a total of 10 people per night. The inn is designed and decorated
in the French provincial style with a Mediterranean flair, a remnant from the years Douglas spent in Morocco. Grand arches,
stone walls, handsome woodwork and terra cotta touches fill the place with warmth and give visitors the sense that they have
entered into another world, a world of elegance and refinement.
Each room is beautifully furnished and accessorized
with amenities ranging from hydro massage-soaking tubs to radiant heated floors. In addition to the totally self-contained
one-bedroom apartment (includes fully equipped kitchen), there is a honeymoon suite with a fireplace, a studio suite and a
standard one bedroom.
Guests receive a self-catered breakfast in the morning
and upon request, Douglas will prepare other meals. Each Thursday afternoon, she offers high tea in the dining room, which
includes delicious pastries and finger sandwiches, along with an assortment of teas, all served on sterling silver settings,
fine china and hand-embroidered linen.
The tea service is complimentary to guests staying at
the inn, however, it is also open by reservation to the public, for a fee.
“I’ve had various women’s groups in
the community book tea service because it’s a great way to spend an afternoon together,” comments Douglas.
Another unique aspect of the inn is its cooking classes.
Twice a month, top-of-the-line area chefs come to give hands-on classes in traditional and regional French cooking. Intensive
culinary weekend sessions are also held on occasion.
Douglas says, “I truly believe that cooking is
an art, part preparation and part presentation, both which are equally important. It’s much easier to cook if you have
seen the dish prepared in front of you.” She continues to explain that food can be an adventure in gastronomic education.
“As you learn, your taste buds acquire an appreciation
for new culinary delights and seek other taste adventures. Our cooking classes are here to teach and to stimulate you and
our chefs are here to inspire you with their zest for cooking, tasting, testing, and mixing and matching of food and wine.”
The sessions are open to the public and can also be
booked by groups, looking for team-building experiences.
In addition to cooking classes, the inn offers its guests
accessibility to a variety of relaxation and stress reduction therapies, including massage, facials and Reiki treatments.
Douglas feels that a true getaway is not complete without such services, which in her opinion help to replenish the mind,
body and spirit.
Recently, she also added wedding planning and special
event catering, to the menu of special services available at the inn.
She says, “I’ve just had the grounds landscaped
and now there’s a wonderful area specifically designed for outdoor weddings and receptions. I can accommodate parties
of up to 250 people outside and then there’s the whole dining/living room space indoors. It’s a very romantic
setting and with the honeymoon suite on site, it makes for a complete package.”
Business at L’Auberge has been steadily growing
and according to Douglas, the inn is usually booked from April through Labor Day, with a week being the average length of
stay during the summer months.
Guests have come from all over the world, and more recently,
locals have begun discovering the place. The only advertising she does is via the Internet.
“People seem to find me this way and I keep adding
and updating my Web page to keep things current,” comments Douglas. “It’s working pretty well so far, so
I can’t complain. What makes me very happy, though, is the positive response I get from my guests. They tell me that
it’s warm and welcoming here, as well as quiet and tranquil. They are able to regain peace of mind when they stay here
because it’s away from the outside interferences of daily life. And when my guests are happy, I’m happy.”
Douglas is particularly thrilled with the ratings her
inn recently received from City Search. L’Auberge was given the Best B&B in Seattle award, along with the Best Getaway
B&B in Seattle and the Best Romantic B&B in Seattle, for 2006.
“That’s exciting,” she adds, “because
it tells me I’m doing something right!” | 
