Hellebore
OXFORD, MAINE | FEBRUARY 2026
February is the shortest month of the year on the calendar, but often the longest in the mind. Winter has worn on for some time by now, already full of snowy adventures and cozy fireside evenings. But, the holidays are long over and spring still nowhere near. The days are short and dark, and the snow and cold stubbornly remain. It can be a difficult, in-between time. That’s part of why we believe it’s one of the best times to gather — warm up together, beat the winter chill with a hearty meal, and find the beauty of the season in the twinkle of a good friend’s eye over a final glass at the end of the night, the bright burst of winter citrus that sneaks some sunshine into dark days, or the smell of woodsmoke as meat roasts on the Big Green Egg outside.
We gathered for a deep-winter Supper at Whitney Farm Estate in Oxford, Maine. This rolling farmland stretches across the corridor that takes skiers from the seacoast up to the mountains. Our featured chef, John Kuespert, came down from the slopes of Sugarloaf Resort to prepare a beautiful midwinter feast for us in the Estate’s towering barn. Paired with beverages from The Zero Proof and our hand-selected wine pairings, each bite was a bright celebration of the season, a reminder that spring really is just around the corner, but there is still so much to savor now — the dark, jewel-toned beauty of the depths of mid-winter.
WELCOME
We greeted everyone with hot negronis and a pretty spectacular fireside lounge to enjoy the sunny winter day while Chef John passed around delicious appetizers, including oysters fresh off the Big Green Egg grills for everyone to enjoy.
A MENU BY JOHN KUESPERT
Chef John Kuespert recently took over the culinary program at Sugarloaf Resort, where he has a chance to highlight Maine’s incredible variety of ingredients. His menu was a lush celebration of the oft-forgotten jewels of winter dining — fresh citrus and sunchokes, meats cooked slow and savory, succulent cold-water seafood. It was a wonderful mid-winter meal we won’t soon forget.
MENU
WELCOME
Citrus + Fennel blood orange meringue, feta, cara cara, pistachio
Winter Tart whipped chèvre, pumpkin, fig, pear, pickled red onion
Grilled Oyster Mere Point oysters, Calabrian chili butter
TO DRINK
Hot Negroni Campari, gin, vermouth
2023 Albet I Noya Petit Brut Reserva
Sacred Profane Dark Lager
The Zero Proof - ISH London Botanical Gin + Tonic
WELCOME
Mosaic cured Maine salmon, bluefin tuna, burnt onion ash, yuzu ponzu, cucumber, finger lime, herb oil, nori tuile
-ISH Sparkling Rosé
FIRST
Coastal Maine Chowder lobster, clam, corn, potato, smoked creme fraiche, sweet chili crunch
Wine: 2023 Stirm Calcite, California
Saint Viviana Sauvignon Blanc
SECOND
Duck Salad endive, arugula, apple, candied walnut, duck confit, blue cheese, apple butter vinaigrette, fermented honey
Wine: Pepin Rouge NV, France
Oddbird GSM
MAIN
Beef Cheek sunchoke purée, swiss chard, maitake, sunchoke chip, mushroom demi glace, chive oil, winter truffle, root vegetable pave, broccolini almondine
Wine: 2021 Ferdinando Principiano Barbera d'Alba DOC, Italy
Saint Viviana Cabernet Sauvignon
CHEESE
Maine Cheese Board honey, blueberry jam, fig mostarda, sourdough
Band of Vintners Freestyle
DESSERT
Clafoutis huckleberry, luxardo cherry, labneh espuma, cherry gastrique
Handshake Amaro L’Amer Amargo, Maine
Oddbird Sparkling Rosé
WINE PAIRINGS
Danielle put together a menu of playful pairings from adventurous winemakers we love to go with each dish. In particular, the 2023 Stirm Calcite, a beautiful, complex white wine from winemakers in Watsonville, California, was the perfect sip of acidity and freshness to pair with fresh Maine seafood, with just a little bit of extra texture to compliment the sweet richness of corn chowder.
For those abstaining, The Zero Proof put together equally thoughtful pairings, sans alcohol, from pioneering zero-proof winemakers in California.
NIGHTCAP
Dessert was a whisper of summer to come, dressed in a winter coat. The silky clafoutis studded with huckleberries and luxardo cherries perked up everyone’s palates for a special sip of local amaro. Handshake is made right here in Maine, using Persian flavor profiles to create something altogether unique. It’s become Portland restaurants’ favorite way to end a meal, so we brought it to our table, too!
SECRET LOCATION: WHITNEY FARM ESTATE
We tried something new this winter, and spent a full weekend in one place, hosting two Suppers with different chefs and unique design at the same location. Whitney Farm Estate proved to be the perfect place for this experiment. We felt so welcomed onto the beautiful farm, from setting up in the pale sunshine, to gathering in the warm glow of the barn, to stacking rentals in the garage at the end of the night. The Estate’s rolling fields, thickly frosted in snow, offered an incredible backdrop to our weekend, while the barn invited us in, away from the (very chilly!) winter chill.
