Southern Living Idea House Breaks Record at TerraBella!!!

The 2010 Southern Living Idea House in TerraBella opened its doors to the public on June 12 and it received such positive response that it set a record of the highest attendance for any Southern Living Idea House to date during an opening weekend!!! This is quite an accomplishment considering that some of the past Idea Houses were located in larger metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, GA and Orlando, FL and the Idea House program has been in existance for over 20 years! 

Southern Living Home Groups Executive Director, Kristen Payne made the announcement Monday morning.

"The Southern Living Idea House in Covington has hit an all time record for opening weekend attendance,” said Ms. Payne. “We are so excited to be so well received in such a wonderful community as Covington."

The Northshore community and Southern Living Idea House followers showed up in great volume to see the beautiful house and to enjoy local favorites. From 11AM – 1PM, Chef John Besh signed copies of his cookbook in the Idea House kitchen, and Friends Coastal Restaurant and Pontchartrain Vineyards provided refreshing food and wine samples. Local artisan Ginger Finnan, aka “The Redhead Lady”, displayed and sold signature jewelry designs.

Other events are scheduled during select weekends at the Idea House. These events include a live performance and CD signing by fiddler Amanda Shaw on July 24, a cooking demonstration by Chef Louie Finnan of Louie and the Redhead Lady and a live performance by Christian Serpas and Ghost Town. The next event is scheduled for July 10, and will be a family day with Global Wildlife Center and Native American Storyteller Grayhawk Perkins. Many thanks to the Saint Tammany Parish Tourism Commission for bringing these great events to TerraBella!!!!

A full event calendar can be found at http://www.terrabellavillage.com/

Southern Living 2010 Louisiana Idea House: Sneak Peek Video

The 2010 Southern Living Louisiana Idea House sneak peek video has been posted on Southern Living's website.

Click the photo below to view the video.

Chef John Besh coming to TerraBella on Saturday, June 12!!!

Come help us welcome Celebrity Chef and Northshore native John Besh to TerraBella!

Chef Besh will be at the Southern Living Idea House Grand Opening on Saturday, June 12 from 11:00 to 1:00 for a cookbook signing.

Besh has been named winner of the 2010 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Award for Best American Cookbook. He wins the prestigious award for “My New Orleans," a look at the area’s culture, history, culinary techniques and unique flavors. Besh operates six restaurants in the New Orleans area, including the lovely La Provence in Lacombe here on the Northshore. The chef, who beat Mario Batali on “Iron Chef,” battled to second place on “Top Chef Masters,” and appears often on The Food Network, also debuts a new show of his own on June 14 on TLC. Titled “Inedible to Incredible,” the show helps home cooks hone their skills. Besh also will be debuting a new PBS show based on his cookbook.

The Idea House will be open for public tours June 12- September 12, 2010, and could draw as many as 30,000 visitors from across the country. Southern Living will feature the Louisiana Idea House in the August 2010 issue of its magazine, which reaches nearly 16 million readers each month. Based in Birmingham, Ala., it is the fifth largest monthly consumer magazine in the U.S.

Tickets are $5 and available at the door. The Children’s Museum of St. Tammany, the signature project of The Junior League of Greater Covington, was chosen as the charity to benefit from a portion of admission sales. The Junior League of Greater Covington will oversee ticket sales and tours over the three months open to the public.

Visit http://www.terrabellavillage.com/ or www.southernliving.com/home-garden/idea-houses/ for more information about the Idea House.

UPDATE - TerraBella Welcomes Over 1,000 People during The Parade of Homes!

Over 1,000 people visited TerraBella Village during the Parade of Homes which stretched over three weekends.

Ron Lee, owner of Hearthstone Homes, is the President of the St. Tammany Parish Homebuilder's Association President and TerraBella builder said, "We had a very successful 2010 Parade with just at 1,000 visitors to our parade home. We heard nothing but positive comments from everyone about Terra Bella and everyone agrees that it is a great concept and the way of our future. We know that at least one home sold direct from the parade – congrats Bruno construction - and we also have a few other customers who have purchased lots and will be building soon. This was a great event for all. As President of the Home Builder’s Assoc, I am very pleased that the developers and builders participated and look forward to next year’s Parade of Homes being even bigger for Terra Bella."

Even though the Parade of Homes is over, TerraBella has 6 decorated homes available for viewing anytime. Stop in the information center or call 985-871-7171 to schedule an appointment.

Thank you to everyone for making the Parade of Homes a huge success!