You can learn all about how we are preparing to serve you safely, and probably get answers to your other questions (like where to park, what time the dinners are served, etc.) here at this FAQ page.
We’ll be dining outside, carefully separated, and your chefs will be putting all we know about food safety to work in the kitchen. I feel confident that both our guests and our crew will be protected and safe.
Currently, Klickitat County has been approved for Phase II of reopening, which permits restaurants and events such as ours, as long as we follow guidelines.
If for some reason any of the dinners are canceled due to COVID restrictions, all paid guests will receive full refunds.
Dietary Concerns? Please Tell Us. When you buy tickets, you will be asked to provide the name and contact information for any in your party who have dietary restrictions. Your chef for the evening will call to talk to any guests indicated. Without advance communication, it will not be possible for us to accommodate dietary issues, be it allergies or restrictions such a gluten or shell fish or red meat. Thanks for your help!
Introducing Chefs Collective
Here’s where I’ll be every Saturday night this summer: At the new Chefs Collective at RubyJune Inn.
But the coolest part is that most of the time, I won’t be cooking: I’ll be dining with you, because Chefs Collective will be the most creative Saturday night dinner ticket in the Gorge. I don’t want to miss a one!
For three summers, I was chef of Supper Club at Husum Riverside B&B. Maybe you were there for some of those dinners! It seems a lifetime ago, and much has changed. The Nice family sold the B&B and the new owners, the marvelous Chris Wiggins and Gretchen Wolf, have remodeled and changed the name to RubyJune Inn.
This summer we’re presenting the Chefs Collective.
Every Saturday night from June 20 to September 12, one of six creative chefs (if I do say so myself) will be preparing a multi-course dinner for 25 people. We decided on this smaller guest list to make the dinners more intimate, giving us the opportunity to create carefully hand-made food.
Now that COVID-19 has swept into our lives, this number aligns with Washington state guidance and allows proper social distancing. We do ask that if you show ANY signs of illness that you respect all attending and stay home. We will fully refund ticket costs and will find some way to get you back into the dinner loop at a later date.
You can read all about our six chefs, and check out the new rooms at RubyJune’s. The Inn is open for overnight guests.
We are no longer using an event vendor so now there are NO FEES for ticket purchase, and isn’t that a nice surprise? … Kathy Watson
My Three Saturday Nights
Here’s what I’ll be preparing for my three Chefs Collective dinners:
July 4:Montreal Amalgam: From the Marche Jean-Talon, surrounded by Little Italy, to Chinatown, Montreal has had 375 years to twist and connect its luxurious food scene. We tramped through the city this past fall, watching noodles and steam buns being made in Chinatown and eating our weight in French pastry. Here are the lasting impressions the city left me.
August 1: The New French Bistronomy: It was a magically timed trip: two weeks in Paris this past February, just before the virus changed everything. It was the perfect time, while Paris was relatively quiet, to visit restaurants unafraid to tamper with the historic bistro formula. With all the classic French panache in place, chefs were recreating the classics, from duck confit to steak frites. So in this dinner, I’ll rife West on the French classics. Think a Gorge kiteboarder in a beret.
September 5:India, again and again: I keep returning to this cuisine and its fondness for the foods at home here in the Gorge this time of year: eggplant, tomatoes, fresh shell beans, and of course, lamb. Expect chutneys from Gorge fruit too.
Gretchen Wolf and Chris Wiggins
Wine, and our New Hosts
Chris and Gretchen, our partners in Chefs Collective, have re-imagined the Husum inn.
The new name, RubyJune Inn, is an homage to Chris’ mom Ruby and Gretchen’s grandmother June. Since fall, they’ve been remodeling, landscaping, and turning the beloved old ice house into a very cool wine bar.
Before coming to the best part of Washington state, they owned a wine bar on Bainbridge Island, and bring with them a love of great wine, from Washington, and the wider world.
We chefs will have the pleasure of working with them to select wines for all our dinners. As in years past, you will definitely be treated to wines of the Gorge, and from other regions as well, as Chris and Gretchen seek out little-known but delightful wines at very affordable prices.
