The entire evening was punctuated with the clink of glassware as waves of cheers washed around the table, guests drawn together in good conversation until the sunlight faded and the lights of the nearby inn washed over the lawn.

The community here is close, deeply intertwined not only with each other, but with the land. The traditions of subsistence farming still feel present, not something of the distant past. You can taste it in the food, often simple farmer’s fare made fresh with whatever ingredients are most available. It’s in the wine too…

Gregory’s culinary standards are high, but in a fast-paced hospitality scene like DC with endless exceptional options, his recommendations are based as much on vibes as cuisine. He knows you can get an incredible meal in a lot of places, but he gets most excited about how an establishment makes you feel through that enigmatic combination of service, setting, and scene.

After a long winter, spring always starts achingly slowly, taking its sweet time to unfurl until the whole world seems to stutter into life all at once. It’s easy to give into impatience and miss those first few days, when the bravest trees start to bloom but the weather hasn’t quite decided which way to turn.

‍January is decidedly not high season in Maine. The small towns along the coast are sleeping through the season’s short days and the weather forecast is anything but welcoming to outsiders. Mainers embrace the beauty of this time of year, though. They pull themselves out into the elements to enjoy every bit of the season, no matter what it brings.

Supper ended after a gorgeous sunset ushered in a peaceful evening and the lights twinkled on across the city skyline. Guests lingered around the table late into the night, sipping on dessert cocktails and reveling on our little community created just for the day, on this rooftop in the city, so far away from the many realities waiting below.

During cocktail hour, we were given the unique chance to step back from our end of the food chain, all the way to the source, through a live butchering demonstration in the barn. With a cocktail in hand, everyone in attendance was able to watch the craft of whole animal butchery unfold in front of them — moments before sitting down to try the results at the table.

The drive down highway 94 from Detroit to Ann Arbor is a transformative one. You leave the Art Deco mosaic of Motor City highways and the clean lines turn soft, the expanse of Michigan’s farmland begins to emerge as a pastoral pastel.

Around dessert, the sky started to change — the Northern Lights turned what was a memorable Supper into a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we couldn’t be more thankful to Chef for the location change!

Within the landscape of the impeccably manicured Redeemed Farm, the lawn bursting with hydrangeas in full bloom, we set the table for a sparkling evening painted in shades of blue and gold. As the sun set in tandem with the rising moon, the shining bulbs of chandeliers glinted in the bubbles of champagne glasses, blurring into an image of impressionistic joy.