With adventure in our hearts, a few of us packed up just a few items and headed to the Gorge to reset and take some time for nature and an epic lunch! We roasted up some winter citrus brined game hens, which we enjoyed with brie crudités and finished with pears poached in chai!

A celebration of the winter season and the hidden gift of delicious foods it brings along. Winter itself is very mysterious—it’s cold and dark, the tree branches are bare and everything looks barren and dead. But covered with that sullen exterior, everything is still teeming with life, just waiting for the first breath of spring to burst forth.

Wintertide was held at Suttle Lodge near Sisters, Oregon. We had open white skies, warm fires, and jack frost nipping at our nose. Steaming pots of rich and hearty dishes, the sound of muffled laughter being muted by snow, and a trail of footprints leading to a table filled with adventurous friends. We bid farewell to winter with a sumptuous feast, filled with local, seasonal fare and warm drinks by the fire.

Winter evenings are best when lit by candlelight, near embers and flame with a glass of Bordeaux in hand and the sweetest of company around us. That is exactly how we rung in the holiday season, at our White Fir supper, excited for all the gatherings and the love-sharing to come.

Autumn brings about a richer, deeper, and darker harvest. At Noble Rot, we savored the spice of the season and enjoyed the preserved flavors of those past. In the top floor of Alderbrook Station’s net loft, we experienced the comfort of fall, surrounded with warm food, kind company, and inviting sounds of nature.

A long table gathering in the dead of winter, among tall evergreens, with fires warming each side of the table. Every course cooked over an open flame or directly in hot ash, the flavor of smoke and scorching earth seeped into every bite, making each dish rich in both flavor and story–the story of all of us, gathered at the table.