Doppelgänger
PORTLAND, MAINE | AUGUST 2026
August in Maine is a dream, its memory the elixir that gets locals through the dark depths of winter. There’s a very short window of time when the days blend together with blissful regularity, the sun shining steadily over warm days and the farmers market reliably filled with colorful abundance. We took inspiration from the languid mingling of summer days and hosted two Suppers in a row celebrating the height of Maine summer.
We greeted guests with ice cold iced-tea inspired cocktails and a chance to wander along the pristine grass to the tree-lined shores of the pond at Cunningham Farm. Meanwhile, The Lady Shuckers roamed around with cool oysters picked up from The Nauti Sisters Sea Farm just that morning, offering everyone a crisp sip from the sea. Many guests mentioned this was their first time trying oysters, the good humor and excitement of the shuckers offering them the courage to finally dive in!
When the time came to take a seat at the table, guests opted to toast their dining companions in greeting, rather than simply shaking hands, setting a warm tone for the abundant shared meal to come. Chef David O’Brien and his team served a beautiful wine-paired dinner designed to take advantage of this fleeting moment of peak season summer produce, but drawing inspiration from Maine’s long culinary and agricultural history. We highlighted local spirits throughout the evening, from Bimini Gin to Handshake Bitters, showcasing the current creativity of Portland’s food and beverage community.
This was our first time hosting two showings of the same Supper, and we were lucky to receive wow-worthy sunsets both nights as the evening colored the dreamy clouds drifting through the sky heavy with distant summer rain. We even got some sweet table-touches from Fenway the dog during dessert, who’s humans own and run the farm. Even though both nights got to experience the same menu and setting, they told different stories through the ever-changing lens of this type of ephemeral experience, each with its own weather, crowd, character, and unique conditions that made it unforgettable and completely its own.
WELCOME
There’s nothing better than a glass of cold iced tea on a hot summer’s day, so we asked our local favorite botanical bartender, Brianna Betts, to build us a cocktail menu designed around Smith Tea. After a welcome pour of peach rose kombucha with a homemade shrub, she offered fresh mint gimlets made with either Bimini Gin or -ISH botanical spirit from The Zero Proof. Paired with fresh oysters, they were a wonderful way to beat the afternoon heat as everyone settled in.
A MENU BY DAVID O’BRIEN
Chef David O’Brien builds his menus around the seasons of his home state, celebrating the farmers, fishermen, and foragers who shape and celebrate the diverse pantry of the region. For this Supper, David dove into the historical archives for recipes like smoked mussel salad and icebox cookies which artfully laid over coal roasted local stone fruit for dessert. Contrasting those dishes were unique, technique-driven bites that blended the beauty of the past with the best of the present moment through seasonal produce from seven different farmers. Each ingredient sang event brighter after being transformed by David’s excitement about the abundance of summer in Maine.
MENU
WELCOME
Tomato Eclair whipped chèvre mousse, lemon zest, herbs
Roasted Carrot Mosaic hollandaise, crispy dulse
Halibut Salad fennel, dill, mustard, seeded lavosh
Cocktails:
Peach Rose Kombucha peach balsamic shrub, Root Wild beach rose kombucha
Mint Gin Gimlet Bimini gin, Smith Tea Mediterranean Mint Green Tea syrup, lime, mint
Zero Proof Gimlet 0.0% ISH London Botanical gin, Smith Tea Mediterranean Mint Green Tea syrup, lime, mint
TO START
Smoked Mussel Salad mussel liquor dressing, fermented ramp, pickled ramp, dill, coriander, lavosh
FIRST
Arugula & Spinach Salad summer melon, balsamic, charred peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, kohlrabi, herbaceous dressing
Wine: 2025 Saint-Peyre, Sauvignon Blanc, France
SECOND
Crispy Pork Belly red cabbage, corn aji amarillo salsa
Wine: 2024 Côté Mas, Orange, France
MAIN
Fish Ballotine halibut poached and grilled, cod and scallop mousse, squash, sweet corn, tomato, peppers, string bean
Wine: 2025 Santa Tresa, Rina Russa, Frappato Terre Sicilane, Italy
DESSERT
Coal Roasted Stone Fruits icebox cookies, anglaise
Cocktail:
Iced Chai Handshake Persian Digestif Bitters, Steven Smith Teamaker Chai syrup, lemon
WINE PAIRINGS
Danielle put together a wine list for this Supper designed around a simple question, “what do we want to drink right now?” These languid, late-summer days call for easy drinking bottles that delight the palate, and David’s dishes asked for something a little bit different to show off their complexity. She blended those two characters into a menu designed to follow us through the night, from a crisp, grassy Sauvignon Blanc to start while the sun was still high, to a bright Frappato to sip through the sunset.
NIGHTCAP
We ended with another take on a tea cocktail, this time focusing on the bright spice of Smith Tea chai, blended with Handshake Persian Digestif Bitters. This aromatic blend of saffron, sumac, spruce tips, and maple syrup is a favorite across the Portland restaurant scene, and a lovely way to finish a meal. It seemed only fitting that we honor the tradition of Persian hospitality by sharing tea together to finish the evening.
SECRET LOCATION: CUNNINGHAM FARM
If you’ve been following closely, you may recognize that we’ve been to Cunningham Farm before. In the depths of winter in 2023, we hosted a wonderful, snowy Supper in their historic barns.
When we did the site visit for the event, fall was just starting to crisp and color the edges of the trees, and the rolling lawns still stretched green across the grounds. While we think back on that winter Supper as one of our favorites, we’ve long wanted to return during outdoor dining season. We were so excited to be welcomed back by Abby and Matt to experience a completely different character of their tree farm on this summer weekend.
