Attendees from throughout the area had a unique opportunity Thursday to check out a new local venue for weddings, corporate events and more: the newly-opened Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs in Kintnersville, Bucks County.
The Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the event center–which is owned by Lower Saucon Township residents Dan Fehlig and Ian Humphries–that also included complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages, music by a DJ, a dessert bar by Amy’s Creative Cakes of Quakertown and a raffle.
Durham Springs owners Ian Humphries and Dan Fehlig join with representatives from the chamber of commerce and others to celebrate the official opening of the Culinary Event Center Thursday.
Durham Springs is the recently-opened successor to the once-celebrated Cascade Lodge, which for decades was a landmark dining destination in Durham Township.
According to a history page on the Durham Springs website, the original farmhouse that was the genesis for Cascade Lodge and is now part of one large building was built in the 1730s.
“This bucolic setting was transformed to Cascade Lodge by Captain Ernest Knuth and his wife, Paula, in 1939,” it says. “Over the years additions were added to the farmhouse to make up the profile that so many visitors knew most recently. While it truly started as a lodge, the success of the restaurant took over the demand for available space.”
In the mid-century, the property became known for its outdoor pool and “was the place to be,” according to the Durham Springs website, which notes that “there are innumerable stories about how many special occasions were shared at the restaurant.”
Humphries and Fehlig purchased the 33-acre property in the spring of 2017 and renovated it over the next year-and-a-half, opening Cascade, the Restaurant, last fall.
The restaurant serves a seasonal dinner menu prepared with local ingredients in an airy, bright atmosphere with a Scandinavian aesthetic. (To view a sample menu, click here.)
With the exception of a ’60s era barroom whose decor was preserved as a kind of time capsule, the space Cascade, the Restaurant, now occupies has been lightened with neutral shades which focus the eye on the beautiful natural surroundings outside its windows.
The event center is located in a newly-built barn wing and features floor-to-ceiling windows that open to a deck overlooking the restaurant and much of the property. From the deck one can view a series of small waterfalls; part of a stream that emerges from underneath the building, where it helps cool Cascade’s unique spring-chilled wine cellar.
The event center offers catering and is a place “to celebrate all things culinary and all things pertaining to events,” according to the website.
“With corporate and nonprofit events, there is always an agenda that comes first and foremost,” it states. “That’s why we start by identifying the event’s main mission and design every element to deliver the right message. Once accomplished we follow with great food, spirits and service wrapped in a beautiful design with all of the event elements seamlessly coordinated.”
For more information about the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs, email needinfo@durhamsprings.com or call 484-907-2100.
Cascade, The Restaurant is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling or via OpenTable on the Durham Springs website.
Durham Springs is located at 5065 Lehnenberg Road, Kintnersville, Pa.
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The entrance to Cascade, the Restaurant.
The original home that is the oldest part of Durham Springs dates from the 1730s.
The bar at Cascade, the Restaurant, has a mid-century ambiance and features a wall of black-and-white photos taken that recall Cascade Lodge’s heyday.
A classic margarita served at the bar, which has its own “Bar Bites” menu.
A canape served at the ribbon-cutting for the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs Thursday.
The entrance to Cascade, the Restaurant, at twilight-time. Valet parking is available.
A photo of the Cascade Lodge as it looked in an earlier era. The springs that give Durham Springs its name flow from underneath the building.
A tempura medley, served at the bar at Cascade, the Restaurant.
Cascade, the Restaurant, as viewed from the deck at the Culinary Evente Center at Durham Springs.
Cascade Lodge was opened by Captain Ernest Knuth and his wife, Paula, in 1939.
Large rocking chairs on the front porch of the original farmhouse invite guests to relax in the afternoon sun, perhaps with a drink in hand.
The wine cellar at Cascade, the Restaurant, is naturally air-chilled by the underground springs that bubble up from underneath the building. On the other side of the wine cellar’s glass enclosure is an intimate private dining room.
A common area on the main floor of Durham Springs is decorated in the American Colonial style.
Durham Springs co-owner Ian Humphries draws the name of the winner of the drawing that was held at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting. Humphries’ partner Dan Fehlig is holding the microphone.
Cascade, the Restaurant, is decorated mainly in netural tones that are reminiscent of the birch forests of Scandinavia.
The tables in Cascade, the Restaurant, overlook the natural surroundings at Durham Springs. Outside seating is also available.
Tables inside Cascade, the Restaurant, as seen from outside the building.
Framed vintage advertising for Cascade Lodge, which over the years became more of a restaurant than a place to stay.
The lobby entrance to the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs.
Guests are served wine at the ribbon-cutting for the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs.
A dessert table featured bite-size sweet treats by Amy’s Creative Cakes of Quakertown.
Guests enjoyed a beautiful spring afternoon on the deck of the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs Thursday. Pictured at center are Hellertown postmaster Joe DiRusso (left) and Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce chairman Ricky Gower of BB&T.
Guests at the ribbon-cutting mingle inside the Culinary Event Center at Durham Springs.
A glass of wine is something to savor in the beautiful outdoor surroundings of Durham Springs in Kintnersville.
On a balmy April evening, the moon rises above Durham Springs in Kintnersville, Bucks County.