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.

We arrived at the stunning Alila Ventana Big Sur resort with plans for a dinner in the redwood grove just down the hill, a first for the property and a magical setting for Supper. But, Big Sur is a place where you listen to the land, and the land (and sky) had other ideas. The day of the Supper emerged grey and rainy, with temperatures in the 30s — not at all ideal conditions.