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| Chalet Suzanne 2009, Florida State Archives |
By Jane Feehan
I usually focus on stories about South Florida, but take an
occasional foray into other counties when a topic or place claimed state-wide notice.
Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales earned world-wide attention. A small inn with a gem of a restaurant, it was described in many ways since opening in 1931: as a “doll’s village;” a “Scandinavian fairy tale; a “rambling Swiss colony; a place with an old Florida look; a “rambling rose-colored inn.” It was all that and more.
Lafayette, Indiana residents Bertha and Carl Hinshaw moved to Lake Wales in 1929 or 1930. According to news accounts, they arrived with plans to convert an estate into a “residential hotel” along with a partner. Carl died of pneumonia at age 47, not long after their move. Bertha had to support their two children, Suzanne and Carl, Jr.
With a vision but no partner, she proceeded to establish an inn.
That vision was influenced by earlier trips to Europe where Bertha collected items that reflected Old World culture. These “curios,” displayed at the new inn, shaped the inn’s décor and ambiance.
She readied the small hotel with 30 guest rooms—arrayed in a rambling footprint— and a dining room. Located in the citrus-laden hills of Polk County, her Chalet Suzanne sat at the side of one of many lakes in the area, enhancing its appeal to tourists. But how to get the word out to those tourists?
Bertha had a knack for marketing. In an interview she described the signs she had placed on highways advertising her new business. Chalet Suzanne welcomed its first customer a week after the first sign went up on a Florida highway. Later, signs were installed north along the U.S. East coast to within 200 miles of New York. That was before crowds took to the skies to visit Florida; road signs proved to be the right marketing tool for the time.
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| 1931 Chalet Suzanne postcard Florida State Archives |
Within a very few years, Chalet Suzanne was known as a venue for weddings, civic club luncheons and pleasant amenities, including morning delivery of coffee and orange juice to each guest room. Newspapers published the inn’s recipes for orange bread and other orange-based delectables.
Daughter Suzanne married there in 1940 and moved to New York. Son Carl, Jr. signed up with and flew for the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He married his high school sweetheart, Vita, and returned to help run Chalet Suzanne.
By 1941 Orlando’s Sunday Sentinel Star wrote that Chalet Suzanne was “one of the South’s unique and outstanding inns and eating places.” It was also noted for having one of the largest collections in the U.S. of old, in perfect condition, horse-driven carriages (about 12 at the time). Horses were available on the 100-acre Chalet Suzanne property to pull the carriages.
The inn burned down partially in 1943 and was rebuilt with materials from old rabbit hutches, chicken coops and wood from the stable. Because of the war, construction materials were scarce; it may explain why guest rooms sit at varying, uneven levels, imposing a rambling or Old World look on the inn.
Carl and Vita (a WAVE, U.S. Naval Reserve), helped run the kitchen when they returned to civilian life. Their hotel assistance included presenting water ski shows on the lake for inn patrons. Carl skied while Vita drove the boat.
Carl’s love of flying (he was also a test pilot) likely prompted the construction of an air strip on the property. That air strip welcomed celebrities including Johnny Carson, Burt Reynolds, TV host Mike Douglas, Don Johnson, Robert Redford and astronaut Lt. Col. James Irwin who became a family friend.
Chalet Suzanne’s popularity extended into outer space. The family opened a canning factory on its property in1956 after garnering fans for soups such as asparagus potato, seafood Newburg bisque, and their signature Romain in a spinach-mushroom base. When Apollo astronauts complained about flight food, Chalet Suzanne's soups were suggested; they passed NASA muster for dried versions and were sent up with an Apollo and a joint Apollo-Soyuz mission in the 1970s.
In 1970, The New York Times placed Chalet Suzanne on their list of the world’s great restaurants. The inn also repeatedly received Florida Trend magazine’s Golden Spoon Award.
Matriarch Bertha Hinshaw passed away at 90 in 1975. Carl Jr. died at 75 in 1997 and Vita at 89 in 2012. Carl’s son, Eric carried the tradition of excellence forward until 2014, when he decided to close Chalet Suzanne. The accolades kept coming but not younger customers. Eric was not keen on making changes that would appeal to a younger crowd. Perhaps it was the right time to exit with reputation intact, bright memories firmly established and plenty of stories to pass forward…a legacy of 83 years of excellence.
Chalet Suzanne was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The property, about 130 acres was still held by the Hinshaw family in 2016. It is now the site of a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men, Refuge on the Ridge. It was first operated by the Hinshaws, but now by someone else. Ar last check, the Hinshaws remain owners of the property.
Sources:
Tampa Daily Times, May 3, 1934
St. Augustine Record Jan. 24, 1937
Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 10, 1937
The Miami News, May 7, 1937
Washington Daily News, April 2, 1938
Sunday Sentinel Star, Feb. 16, 1941
Tampa Tribune, May 7, 1940
Tampa Tribune, March 12, 1950
The Tampa Tribune, Jan. 26, 1969
The Tampa Tribune, May 19, 1969
The Tampa Tribune, Aug. 24, 1970
The Ledger, Sept 30, 1980
Indian River Press Journal, July 22, 1990
The Tampa Tribune Sept. 4, 1997
The Ledger, April 26, 2012
The Ledger, June 20, 2012
The Orlando Sentinel, July 4, 2014
Tags: Chalet Suzanne, Bertha Hinshaw, Lake Wales
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