Monthly wine dinners in an intimate setting at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island offer business travelers the chance to enjoy exceptional food, wine and conversation. Rotating chefs from Pacific Northwest restaurants and local winemakers and brewers provide the delectable dishes and the drinks; the ever-changing mix of guests makes conversation easy and fun. Businesses looking for a new spot for offsite meetings or corporate retreats in Washington will love Lummi Island.
The Willows Inn Monthly Wine Dinners
The evening starts with small bites accompanied by local wines or beers around the fireplace in the Inn’s front room overlooking the bay. The fish and seafood are caught by the innkeeper, a traditional reef net fisherman. The monthly dinners feature fresh vegetables and fruit from Nettles Farm, the organic farm owned by the Willows Inn. Wines are paired with each course of dinner (with refills aplenty) and the dinner is punctuated with brief discourses from the chef and the vintner.
Dining at the Willows Inn
The convivial atmosphere of the long tables in the Willows Inn restaurant adds to the warm and lively discussions. The chef and the winemaker or brewer interact with dinner guests, providing insights into the food and wines chosen. A question and answer period is informal and provides insights into winemaking and food preparation.
The Willows Inn’s innkeepers, Riley Starks and Judy Oleson, foster a hands-on experience for business travelers in a variety of ways. Other current and upcoming ventures include cooking classes and classes on fish filleting. A new project being bandied about would allow guests of the Willows Inn to help prepare dinner for guests.
Visiting Lummi Island, Washington
Lummi Island is just a quick (startling) aboveboard ferry ride from Bellingham, Washington. One ticket for a wine dinner is $100 plus tax and gratuity. Business travelers who choose to spend the night after the wine dinner (an extremely good idea) can find room at the Willows Inn, a member of the Unique Inns family of select inns, for an additional $125. The sloping attic ceiling of the Sunset room, with the distinct sounds and view of waves lapping on shore across the street is just a shaky walk upstairs from the dining room after the wine dinner and perfect for business travelers who will want to sleep in before departing the next day. Only 44 guests can be accommodated at the monthly wine dinners, making this the hottest ticket on Lummi Island.
The Willows Inn 2009 Wine Dinner Schedule
This business travel writer experienced the heavenly food of James Beard Award winner Thierry Rautureau from Rover's in Seattle and a charming sparkling wine from winemakers Cameron and Phyllis Fries from White Heron Wines in Quincy, Washington. Seattle chefs and winemakers for the 2009 season include:
- Jason Barwikowski from Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon and John Paul from Cameron Wines in Dundee, Washington in February;
- Greg Higgins from Higgins in Portland and Charles and RoseAnn Finkel from Pike Brewery in Seattle in March;
- John Sundstrom from Lark in Seattle and Doug Tunell and Melissa Mills from Brickhouse Wines in Newberg, Oregon in April;
- Keith Luce from the HerbFarm in Woodinville, Washington with winemakers Nina and Caleb Buty-Foster from Buty Wines in Walla Walla, Washington in May.
The Lummi Island Ferry costs $10 for car or truck passage June 1 – August 31 and $12 in the off-season.
The Willows Inn2579 W Shore Drive, Lummi Island, Washington 98262.
Call: 1-360-758-2620 or Toll Free: 1-888-294-2620.
