For years, Sarah has been nursing another dream of a dinner at a long table surrounding the pond in the vineyards. While we didn’t quite have a long enough table to surround the pond, we walked the trail and immediately saw her vision — and immediately decided we had to make it come to life.

It’s every chef’s dream to break out of the kitchen and cook outside over open fire, and Chef Rick was equally focused and full of smiles as he passed between the pizza oven and the Asador all night, cooking and plating a beautiful meal inspired by Italian and Spanish flavors, full of ingredients grown in the valley or pulled from the Pacific Ocean nearby.

As guests arrived, everyone was immediately drawn to the raw bar filled with waiting oysters topped with crème fraîche and caviar, backed by lobster boats unloading the day’s catch right onto the docks. There were Patrón cocktails to cool down as guests mingled in the sunshine, taking in the seaside views before sitting down to Supper.

Guests arrived to find a nondescript metal door set into a brick building in the middle of an industrial neighborhood in Queens. Upon opening it, though, they were ushered into another world inside The Foundry. A lush landscape of iron flames built by fire-bright Le Creuset cast iron beautifully staged all around the space, brick alcoves set with vintage braisers glowing in spotlights that caught the light of champagne bubbles sparkling from welcome pours.

A city by the sea, defined by its working waterfront and a proud but fading industrial history. A rocky peninsula packed with arts and culture, world-class cuisine, and a few kitchy gift shops for the cruise ship crowd.

It also happens to be our home.

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.