When you're dreaming up a new event, what usually comes first? Is it the place, the food, or a random idea?

“I start typically with place and season, because the same location in spring versus fall versus winter versus summer is going to give us an entirely different creative palette to play with. I try to organize our yearly event calendar to look at what's the best activity for that time of year and the best place to do it. So we're kind of looking for a Venn diagram overlap that gives you all those things in one.

“We have locations that we've returned to, or if we have a certain idea like snowshoeing, there are only certain places we can go to do that kind of idea. But ultimately, it really is driven by place and season.

“And after we have that place and that time of year locked in, then we start exploring how we can creatively approach this specific point in time and place in Vermont to highlight what makes things special, so that none of our dinners are the same. They're always a little bit different, and even the same themed dinner is always different every single year.

“We're always trying to bring a new perspective, and we'll even start to think about how we can innovate for the following year, sometimes before we've even done the event. We're like, ‘Oh, that's a cool idea! Too late to fold it in here. Let's put it in our notes for next year.’”

Having been to a few of your events, it’s obvious that you put a lot of thought into not just the setting, but also the drinks and atmosphere and food and music. What's the detail that turns a meal into an experience people remember? And what would people be shocked to know about producing these events?

“One of the things that sets apart what we do from other types of experiences is that we have a gentle way of encouraging people to actually get to know their community, and to know who's at the dinner table with them. Having an opening and a closing moment as a group, done in a way that allows extroverts and introverts to feel comfortable, I think really sets the tone and makes our dinners a lot different.

“You hear resonance when people are sharing things they're celebrating, you learn about people's family when you're passing plates of pork. It is a different atmosphere. Everyone comes to the table wanting to experience great food and great drink and great conversation, and there's an openness that I think is really the detail that puts our dinners in a different category.

“The thing that people would not expect about producing events is the amount of dishes you do! And that our time spent doing a dinner is well beyond the three hours of the dinner itself. They're really all-day affairs for us and our team, and I think that sometimes surprises folks.”

Now that you've built multiple businesses, is there something you understand now about starting a hospitality business that you wish you'd known at the beginning?

“I think most of the things that I've learned that are very important are, one might say, the more boring things. I understand insurance rates. I understand payroll taxes. There's so many more costs that go into doing business. I look at what we pay in credit card fees every year and it's five digits. It's not nothing. There's a lot of those things that I had no idea about.

“And then the other side is being able to do things I didn't think I would be able to do. Like even just growing our team to the size it is now…providing full-time jobs for folks, and providing amazing seasonal work for people who are teachers or have other types of professions, who come back every year and work with us, and who I've watched really grow in the roles and gain more experience in hospitality and comfort within it. It's been awesome. That's another thing I didn't fully wrap my head around as I was growing the business…how amazing the team would end up being.”

Bonus Question: If you had an unlimited budget and no logistical constraints and could do whatever Adventure Dinner you wanted, where are we going and what are we doing?

“Oh, man. I have never thought of that question, because there has never been a time in which there has not been logistical or budgetary constraints! (laughs) I really like what we do, so maybe we could incorporate something crazy like hot air balloons, or those moments could be really amped up. I'd love to have a floral budget…that would be amazing. But honestly, I would pay for someone else to carry everything for our whole team.

“It's a question I get asked a lot…what's your favorite location to go? And I'm like, ‘Well, what time of year is it, and what am I interested in eating and drinking?’ We're preparing right now to go for our Jasper Hill and Hill Farmstead dinner, and we get to have this meal together once a year, one day.

“There's a lot of joy in being friends, getting to be playful, getting to show them this crazy idea I had and this crazy display I'm doing, and being able to share that creative energy with other creative people in food who are making great beer, great cheese, growing great things. There's something that's like homecoming every time.”