Dine
The Dining Room and Tavern are closed for the season. Each spring, we reopen with fresh, seasonal menus that reflect the flavors and producers of Deer Isle.
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2025 Season
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 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’ll reopen in spring in the same historic space that was once the Haskell family kitchen, serving casual, craveable fare with views of Mill Pond.
For more information: dine@pilgrimsinn.com.
2025 Dining Room
The Chef-in-Residence program has concluded for the season.
Our Dining Room is housed in a historic barn with an elegant, rustic atmosphere.
Throughout the 2025 season, Pilgrim’s Inn invited five chefs to lead our dining experience in collaboration with Chef Cortney Burns. The Chef-in-Residence series brought the richness of our surrounding land and sea to life through the lens of this diverse and talented group.
Each chef immersed themselves in place—meeting farmers, producers, and purveyors from the island and region while designing bespoke, à la carte menus for our Dining Room. During their stay, they also shaped the offerings in our Tavern.
Krem Miskevich
COMPLETED
(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 brought that sensibility to Pilgrim’s Inn, where they explored New England’s fall harvest during their residency.
Susan Kim
COMPLETED
(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 brought her intimate, expressive cooking to audiences in New York, San Francisco, Paris, Berlin, and Los Angeles. Doshi—short for doshirak—a packed Korean lunch—reflected Susan’s approach to food: deeply personal and rooted in memory. During her residency on Deer Isle, she wove her approach to cooking with peak season produce for a distinct expression of time and place.
Whitney Otawka + Ben Wheatley
COMPLETED
(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 reflected a love for layered, soulful food with global influence—and during their time on Deer Isle, they brought that sensibility to life.
Andre Garza
COMPLETED
(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 included 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 opened the season at Pilgrim’s Inn with a love of bold flavors and a thoughtful approach to the region’s cuisine.
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Illustrations by: Emma Lucille McCabe