Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

April 27, 2011

Soup to Nuts: Flush with kitchen envy?

You couldn't be blamed for feeling at least a teensy bit once you've been inside the beauties on the Falmouth Kitchen & Tasting Tour.

By Meredith Goad mgoad@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

FALMOUTH - When you're eating in Tanya Preston's kitchen, she wants you to forget that you're surrounded by 10,000 square feet of luxury living.

Forget that the master bedroom has a closet that Oprah Winfrey would feel at home in, and that all the doorknobs and faucets are gold-plated.

Forget that the guest bedroom overlooks acres of woods and fields where you might see deer and moose wandering by. (And, oh yes, it has a sauna, too.)

The custom-built, wood-paneled mansion on Woodville Road was built by the Shaw's grocery chain family and then owned by local businessman Eric Cianchette, who donated the place in 2006 to the University of Maine.

Preston and her husband are the newest owners. The family includes four boys -- ages 13, 11, 9 and 6 -- so now the home has to be ultra-kid-friendly, no matter how much handcrafted cherry and mahogany wood cabinetry and detailing there is to admire.

"I want this home to welcome people," Preston said. "I want you to feel comfortable. You want to take your shoes off, take your shoes off. I feel like (the house) hasn't yet had its opportunity because there wasn't a family living here. There's such good energy."

The Preston home is one of eight that will be open to the public May 6 and 7 on the Falmouth Kitchen & Tasting Tour.

This is a kitchen tour on steroids. In addition to drooling over other people's kitchens, you'll be able to sample items such as sesame-seared tuna and espresso truffles made by caterers and specialty food purveyors. There will be cooking demonstrations, and cookbook authors will be on hand to sell and sign their latest books.

The tour will benefit Preble Street's Maine Hunger Initiative (preblestreet.org), according to Marjorie Ferris of Fine Living Events, one of the organizers of the tour.

Ferris said the charitable aspect "is sort of the key with our events. We like to hook up with a nonprofit that a lot of people don't know about. It's great that we can make money for them, but the exposure that they get is priceless."

'COOKING AND BAKING TOGETHER'

The Woodville Road house and 3½ surrounding acres are on the market for $1.6 million, so visitors will be allowed to wander around the entire house and grounds. The former owners of the property, the Cianchettes, live next door, and that kitchen will be part of the tour as well.

The mansion is huge -- there are 10 bathrooms -- so Preston has been working hard to make it more family-friendly and "pump some life" into the property.

The kitchen proper is not so large that it is overwhelming, and it includes top-of-the-line appliances and interesting woodwork. There's a custom-carved wood sunburst over the stove, and a wood arch hangs gracefully over the center of the room. The arch is perfect for hanging pots, but Preston decorated it with greenery and ornaments during the holidays.

The kitchen has four ovens, two dishwashers, two warming drawers, an island with a sink, and cherry cabinets.

Preston has made a number of changes that have greatly expanded the kitchen/eating areas into an open-concept kind of space.

The stained glass that once separated the kitchen proper from the former dining room is now gone. The former dining room is now a family area with a sofa and love seat where Preston's kids can hang out and talk to her while she cooks for them in the kitchen.

"My youngest will always be in here helping me," Preston said. "We do a lot of cooking and baking together, and the boys will have their snacks and breakfast over in what I call the breakfast room or morning room."

(Continued on page 2)

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