Let’s Mingle!
"Every dish carries the place and memory it comes from."
Join us for a special evening of storytelling + culture + flavors + community with
Chef Kesh Akinsanya!
Sunday, September 27th 4:30-7:30
Four relaxed courses + welcome snack
$85/ticket
A selection of wines by the glass/bottle or alternative beverages available for purchase.
A casual and easygoing, stand-sit-and-mingle dinner built entirely from recipes Chef Kesh has personally developed while living around the world — pulled from his debut cookbook: Kesh's Table: A Love Affair With Food.
With a Lebanese uncle, a Liberian mother, and a Nigerian father, Chef Kesh will share his stories of his family and their connection to each dish he creates.
Note: this is not a formal sit down dinner. We will have tables available but feel free to move table to table while visiting friends, or stand and chat while you sip & nibble, or curl up around the coffee table in the icehouse while listening to vinyl.
Make yourself at home!
Dress for the weather and enjoy the garden, patio, icehouse, and kitchen, while you mingle!
gluten-free/vegan/vegetarian can be accommodated. This event is for 21+ only.
A campfire will be weather and burn ban permitting
**Our team appreciates your support through the auto-gratuity of 20%**
About Chef Kesh
Born in Liberia, West Africa, Kesh learned to cook at age 7 — cooking with what nature provided, especially during the first five years of the Liberian Civil War, when there was little to no trade coming into the country.
Kesh has lived in seven countries and traveled through 48, experiencing food as a love language that connects people worldwide, and tasting how each culture takes the same vegetables, meats, and fish and adds its own unique local flavor.
An avid traveler and travel guide, Kesh is the author of the memoir War, Momma, and Me and the upcoming cookbook Kesh's Table: A Love Affair With Food. He has worked as a private chef internationally, and now lives in the Columbia River Gorge.
Chefs Collective Dinners for 2026 & 2027!
Our Chefs Collective Dinner Series is an opportunity for local and visiting chefs to create an inspired five-course dinner to share with our guests and community!
A specially curated wine pairing is available to compliment your dinner.
Below is our winter & spring schedule to help you in booking a room for a dinner night-remember, we hold tickets for our overnight inn guests so no need to buy tickets!
If you are able to attend on short notice or have a dinner for which you were not able to get tickets…PLEASE email us at rubyjuneinn@gmail.com with “Waitlist” in the subject line.
October 10th & 11th - Chef Elise Landry
Celebrating Transitions from Summer to Fall
There is an abundance of both summer and fall ingredients available this time of the year, Chef Elise will highlight the "harvest season" using a colorful spectrum of local PNW produce.
November 7th & 8th - Chef Kristen Young
Una Sera
An Italian Dinner
A five-course love letter to my past, rooted in the flavors that raised me: handmade pasta, slow-cooked sauces, and the timeless generosity of the table.
December 5th & 6th - Chef Tamara Hattar
Euzumeh (ah-zoo-meh) the Arabic word for invitation
The comforting flavors of Chef Tamara’s family’s Middle Eastern cooking with a PNW flair.
February 27th & 28th - Chef Avery Adams
“Flavors of the San Juans”
A tour of the most exciting ingredients from Washington's San Juan Archipelago, summer harvest. Enjoy a meal focusing on world class seafood, seasonal produce of the San Juans and the prolific larder of Orcas Island's Matia Kitchen.
March 6th & 7th - Chef Kristen Young
theme: coming soon
March 20th & 21st - Chef Sam Taminosian
The Northwest Through a French Lens
Rooted in the traditions of French cuisine and inspired by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, this five-course menu showcases the season’s finest ingredients at their peak.
Important Details for the Evening
As you may of heard, these evenings are a spectacular combination of a five-course dinner, an intentional wine pairing, and the good company of guests and community.
Doors open at 5:45pm with a complimentary sparkling wine & seating begins at 6pm.
We accommodate food allergies only, not personal food preferences……sorry!
We will not be offering refunds in the case of cancellation 14 days or less prior to the event.
In support & appreciation of our team and everyone’s hard work, we charge an automated 20% gratuity on tickets as well as beverage sales.
IMPORTANT- We are VERY dependent on our WAITLIST due to last minute cancellations.Please email rubyjuneinn@gmail.com with “waitlist”in the subject line, include your cell phone, the number in your party and dinner/chef/date preferences…we will get you in to a dinner!!
*Additional dinners will be added as they are confirmed! Join our email list to be the first to know!
Book a Room!
We hold (2) tickets per room should you want to stay over & experience a special dinner with us!
Chef Kristen Young
Kristen Young began cooking at an early age alongside her mother and grandfather, where a love for seasonal ingredients and gathering around food first took hold. After formal training in Chicago, she moved to San Diego and spent over a decade working as a private chef.
She co-founded Table by Destination (t.b.d.), a pop-up dinner series centered on creating one-of-a-kind dining experiences. Each event was inspired by its surroundings, partnering with local farms, wineries, and breweries to bring people together over meals shaped by the season and the moment.
Now based in the Columbia River Gorge, Kristen continues to work as a private chef and hosts pop-up dinners throughout the area. Her menus are guided by what’s growing, what’s local, and what feels right, always with an emphasis on connection, simplicity, and place.
Chef Sam Taminosian
Sam Taminosian is a Portland-based chef whose cooking is rooted in classical technique, seasonality, and a deep appreciation for the ingredients and people of the Pacific Northwest. Over the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to work alongside acclaimed chefs Gregory Gourdet and John Denison , experiences that helped shape his approach to thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking. You can find Sam cooking at OSCAR food & wine in Portland.
Chef John Helleberg
John Helleberg has over 25 years experience cooking professionally. His cooking style can be best described as classic and simple, where each ingredient shines. John’s style was influenced from working with Jimmy Sneed at the The Frog and the Redneck in Richmond, Virginia, where he learned the art of classical French cuisine. Skiing and fishing brought him to Telluride, Colorado, where became chef and owner of 221 South Oak. After selling 221. In LA, he cooked at the Michelin-rated restaurant Melisse, refining his skills and furthering his passion for cooking.
In 2003, John made Hood River, Oregon, his home and since made his mark as the Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine – Con Gusto, Celilo, Brian’s Pourhouse, Solstice, and most notably as the chef and owner of Sophie’s Restaurant, named after his daughter. Nowadays, he spends his free time hanging out with his family, teaching his kids – Sophie and Jack – all the sports he loves and cooking them amazing dinners at home.
Chef Tamara Hattar
Euzumeh (ah-zoo-meh), the Arabic word for invitation, is a casual pop-up created by Portland chef Tamara Hattar. Tamara grew up eating the food of her parents’ native Jordanian background. It was there she witnessed her Mom, Grandma, and Aunts create delicious and beautiful home cooked meals for the whole family to enjoy.
Her path has led her to the kitchens of restaurants such as San Francisco’s State Bird Provisions and local Portland favorite Ava Gene’s. With a desire to share the comforting flavors of her family’s Middle Eastern cooking, Tamara began recreating some of her favorite dishes with the Portland community.
Chef Anthony Dao
Anthony Dao is a Pacific Northwest native and Gorge local. Anthony’s career in food began in New York City where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurants such as The Nomad Hotel, The Finch and the storied Casa Mono. Feeling satiated by city living, he and his partner decided to go rural and interned at different farms and vineyards in Western and South Australia, learning about sustainable agriculture and winemaking. Upon returning home, he worked at Seattle’s beloved Vif and The London Plane. During the height of the pandemic, he started the highly regarded Seattle pizza pop-up, Romeo, in an effort to support local farmers and purveyors, and raise money for mutual aid. Most recently, he played a pivotal role in the hospitality program at James Beard nominated Hiyu Wine Farm in Hood River, where he was the sous chef for 3 years.
Chef Elise Landry
Elise Landry is the chef and co-owner of Gold Standard in Olympia, WA, a counter service all day eatery specializing in Fried Chicken, that opened in April of this year. She was formerly the chef behind Chicory Restaurant, a farm-to-table concept operated with her husband, Adam Wagner. Elise was born and raised in Kansas City with an upbringing celebrating her Cajun heritage. She spent her childhood around barbecues, jambalaya, and crawfish boils. Wanderlust and a passion for cooking has ushered her all over the world, accruing techniques, traditions, and food philosophies along the way. Over the past 15 years, Elise has composed a cooking style that focuses on her love for seasonality and sustainability within our food systems. The lush ecosystems of Western Washington drew Elise in immediately, and Olympia is where she has decided to put down roots. Awards include winner of the Chopped Next Gen competition.
Chef Avery Adams
Avery Adams is both chef and owner of Matia Kitchen on Orcas Island. He is nominated as Best Chef in the Northwest by the James Beard Foundation for 2024 (winners will be announced in June) and was a finalist for the same award in 2023. The restaurant was named to the Best Restaurants in Washington State for 2022 and 2023 by Seattle Met, and as one of the 50 best restaurants in the US by the New York Times in 2022.
“If music be the food of love, play on…”
Many thanks and appreciation to our chefs, both current and over the years…
Sam Taminosian- Oscar, Portland OR
Tadao & Tifanie Mitsui- Heyday Farms-Bainbridge Island
Javier & Jaci Canteras-Urdaneta-Portland OR
Elisa Landry & Adam Wagner- Gold Standard -Olympia WA
Anthony Dao- Dao Deli -Hood River OR
Avery Adams-Matia Kitchen-Orcas Island WA
A huge amount of gratitude to Kathy Watson, our fearless Chef leader, for bringing her talent, work ethic, mentorship, and humor to all aspects of the Chefs Collective Dinners.