Now accepting
dinner reservations.
Dine
Our dining room and tavern serve modern, inventive cuisine rooted in the land and sea that surrounds Deer Isle. Our menus feature fresh, seasonal ingredients and highlight local purveyors. Guests enjoy elevated yet relaxed dining in two distinct settings that honor the Pilgrim’s Inn heritage.
Chef Cortney Burns
A native of the Midwest, Cortney began her professional cooking career in Australia after college. Upon returning to the U.S. in the early 2000s, she refined her skills at several acclaimed San Francisco restaurants, eventually making her mark at Bar Tartine, alongside chef Nick Balla.
Cortney relocated to New England in 2018, contributing to projects including Tourists, The Mayflower Inn, and Smithereen Farm. She is also an accomplished author; her book Bar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes earned both James Beard and IACP awards.
Since arriving on Deer Isle, Cortney has quickly built meaningful relationships with local growers, ceramicists, coffee roasters, and artisans who enrich our community. We are thrilled and honored to have her as part of our team.
Tavern
We serve casual, craveable fare in a cozy, historic setting. Once the family kitchen for the Haskells, whose onetime home is now the Inn, the Tavern features 8-foot wide fireplaces with the original brick ovens, wood paneled walls, and views of Mill Pond.
Opens Thursday, May 22, 2025
Open daily | Drinks from 4 p.m. | Food from 5 p.m.
Tavern menu: Thursday – Monday
Local pop-ups: Tuesday & Wednesday (details coming soon)
First come, first served.
Parties of 6 or more may book in advance: dine@pilgrimsinn.com.
Dining Room
Our Dining Room is housed in a historic barn with an elegant, rustic atmosphere.
Pilgrim’s Inn has invited five chefs to lead our dining experience throughout the 2025 season, working closely with Chef Cortney Burns. Our Chef in Residence series brings the richness of our surrounding land and sea to life through the lens of this diverse and talented group.
Each chef will immerse themselves in place—meeting farmers, producers, and purveyors of the island and region while designing their bespoke, à la carte menus for our Dining Room. Our Chefs in Residence will also influence the Tavern menu during their stay.
Andre Garza
June 5 – July 7
Chef Andre Garza, a Houston native, most recently led the kitchens at Roots Wine Bar and The Chelsea in Houston. He began his culinary career with Chef Randy Rucker at Bramble, where he developed a deep respect for local sourcing and ingredient-driven cooking.
His experience includes time at Helen Greek Food & Wine in Houston, Hestia and Kalimotxo in Austin, and Beach Road on Martha’s Vineyard, where he served as Executive Chef. Andre kicks off the season at Pilgrim’s Inn with a love of bold flavors and a thoughtful approach to our region’s cuisine.
Whitney Otawka + Ben Wheatley
July 10 – August 11
Chef Whitney Otawka has spent a well-traveled career cooking alongside her husband and kitchen collaborator Chef Ben Wheatley. They split their time between Savannah, Georgia and Gascony, France where they most recently were co-chefs in residency at Chateau Engalin.
Whitney and Ben’s recipes & writing have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and Culture magazine. Whitney’s award-winning cookbook The Saltwater Table explores the flavors of the Southeast Coast inspired by their time living on Cumberland Island. Their cooking reflects a love for layered, soulful food with global influence—and they look forward to bringing that sensibility to Deer Isle.
Susan Kim
August 14 – September 15
Chef Susan Kim is the founder of Doshi, a roving pop-up inspired by Korean home cooking. Born in Seoul and raised in California, Susan trained at Chez Panisse in Berkeley for four years before joining the opening team of Claus Meyer’s Agern in New York City.
Since launching Doshi in 2020, she has brought her intimate, expressive cooking to audiences in New York, San Francisco, Paris, Berlin, and Los Angeles. Doshi is short for doshirak—a packed Korean lunch—and reflects Susan’s approach to food: deeply personal and rooted in memory. She is excited to weave her approach to cooking with peak season produce on Deer Isle for a distinct expression of time and place.
Krem Miskevich
September 18 – October 20
Chef Krem Miskevich, born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, is the founder of Good Pierogi, a traveling pop-up dedicated to reimagining Polish cuisine. Before launching Good Pierogi in 2020, they spent over three years as Sous Chef at the celebrated restaurant Kismet in Los Angeles.
Good Pierogi was born out of nostalgia and a desire to bring traditional Polish flavors into conversation with local ingredients. The pop-up has appeared in New York, Martha’s Vineyard, Baja, Montana, Arizona, and beyond. After four summers on Martha’s Vineyard, Krem is excited to explore New England’s fall harvest during their time at Pilgrim’s Inn.
Illustrations by: Emma Lucille McCabe