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Pastry Chef Pierre Tocco creates wedding cakes at The Mill at Fine Creek. (Photo courtesy The Mill at Fine Creek)
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The Mill coated with snow (Photo by Dani White)
Comprising 10 acres of lush gardens, serene settings and modern facilities, The Mill at Fine Creek at 2434 Robert E. Lee Road in Powhatan has outdoor and indoor spaces for ceremonies, a 225-guest main dining room, the Miller’s Cottage for groomsmen to get ready, guest cottages, general store Fine Creek Provisions, neighboring brewery Fine Creek Brewing Co., and now, its own pastry kitchen.
Offering wedding cakes and fine pastries, this is the first time the venue is making and preparing cakes independently and on site.
The pastry kitchen is headed by classically trained French pastry chef Pierre Tocco, who has 34 years of experience making wedding cakes. Melissa Linkenhoker, general manager of The Mill at Fine Creek, says prior to joining The Mill, Tocco was on the venue’s vendor list for his cakes.
Tocco also crafts pastries including fruit tarts, cream puffs, eclairs, coconut macaroons, chocolate-hazelnut cupcakes, and cake slices in flavors such as tiramisu and raspberry-almond. Gluten-free options are available.
The pastry kitchen is not open to the public, but Linkenhoker says they accept special orders by phone, email or through the site’s historic general store, Fine Creek Provisions, which also sells a selection of Tocco’s pastries every Thursday through Sunday.
“We’re still amping up things and trying to get the word out, but the majority of our events do use our pastry services at some point,” Linkenhoker says.
Although some couples opt for cakes from outside vendors, Linkenhoker says they still have the option to use the pastry kitchen for additional desserts.
Couples are not required to order from the pastry kitchen when holding their wedding at The Mill at Fine Creek, but catering and alcohol must be supplied by the venue.
“We’ve always been full-service,” Linkenhoker says. “We provide food, alcohol, tables, linens. … This pastry kitchen is giving us the ability to provide more desserts than we were able to before.”