Chefs Collective Dinners 2024!
As you may of heard, these evenings are a spectacular combination of a five-course dinner, an intentional wine pairing, and the company of guests and community.
We welcome everyone at 5:45pm with a complimentary sparkling wine with seating at 6pm.
We accommodate food allergies only, not personal food preferences-sorry!
(We will not be offering refunds in case of cancellation 14 days or less prior to the event. )
Below you will find our chefs bios, dinner themes, links to our music compilations and TICKETS.
(Limit of 2 dinner events per household)
In support & appreciation of our team and everyone’s hard work, we greatly appreciate your acceptance of an automated 20% gratuity.
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.
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!!
Book a Room!
We hold (2) tickets per guest room should you choose to stay with us for a special dinner experience.
Chef Bios & Tickets for the Chefs Collective Dinners
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.
Kathy Watson is the former chef and owner of Nora’s Table, a beloved Hood River institution. She was coached to love food at an early age by her old-country grandparents, Max and Rose. She roamed their small farm on the Monterey Bay in California, learning to love apricots, Gravensteins and loganberries in their season. She fished on the bay with Max, and sat in the shade of Rose’s pole beans, eating tomatoes and cucumbers.
She cooked her way through high school and journalism school at the University of Oregon. But she lived another life for 25 years as a journalist and public relations consultant before saying to hell with all that and returning to her first love: locally sourced and imagined food. Nora’s Table, which she owned with her husband Stu, was known for its strict adherence to local food and wine, crafted with the flavors and techniques of cuisines from the Mediterranean, India and Mexico.
Since selling Nora’s Table in 2015, she’s been teaching cooking. She also created Super Club, serving dinners over three summers at what is now Ruby June Inn. That project was the inspiration for Chefs Collective. She is the author of a memoir, “Last Morning at Nora’s Table” and is writing a novel, “Orphans of the Living.”
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 Angela Krause began her culinary journey at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, under the expert guidance of renowned chefs Jacques Pepin, Alain Sailhac, and Andre Soltner. Eager to further refine her skills, she honed her craft at the prestigious two-Michelin-starred Charlie Trotter restaurant in Chicago, IL.
Angela then took charge of the pastry kitchen at Cafe Absinthe in Chicago and in 2000 moved to Portland under the guidance of Restaurateur Bruce Carey and Chef Kenny Giambalvo at Blue Hour. It was her seven-year tenure as the head chef at Caffe Mingo where she found her true culinary groove. Here, Angela infused her dishes with love, using only the finest ingredients to create wholesome and mouthwatering traditional Italian cuisine that became a favorite among the loyal locals.
Angela's passion for working with local farmers and artisans was a driving force behind her culinary creations. Her French training and Michelin star-quality skillset were beautifully complemented by her heart-centered approach to cooking.
Krystyna Livingston recently took a job as a Culinary Instructor at Skagit Valley College.
Before her new role, she ran the pastry and savory program at White Salmon Baking Co. for
three years.
Her culinary experience ranges from Orcas Island to San Francisco. Her previous eight
years’ experience includes a year at Michelin-rated Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos, CA.
She received
her culinary training at Napa Valley Cooking School and she also has a degree in
environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She brings her training in
classical French and Japanese technique to the plate, married with her love of local produce,
meat and fish.
Elise Landry is the chef and owner of acclaimed Chicory Restaurant in Olympia, WA. 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 decade 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 with her husband and business partner, Adam Wagner. Awards include winner of the Chopped Next Gen competition.
Chef 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.
2024 Fall & Winter Tickets!
Chef Elise Landry of Chicory Restaurant in Olympia WA on November 2nd & 3rd
Radicchio & Chicory
We are creating a menu celebrating our namesake and some of our favorite vegetables to work with in the fall. Chicories are a vast group of cool weather bitter greens; they are versatile and a great crop for farmers to extend their growing season.
Chef Anthony Dao
Sweater Weather
Embrace the cozy that is late Autumn with a playful and homey menu highlighting Anthony’s Vietnamese heritage, multicultural upbringing and farm to table sensibilities.
Chef John Helleberg
An Autumn Evening in Marseille
The cuisine of Provence is arguably the most interesting in France. Known for bold flavors that are both complex and comforting, it is an intriguiing mix of traditional French dishes lightened by the sunny and warm Mediterranean.
Many thanks & great appreciation to our chefs, current and over the years….
Kathy Watson- (RETIRED!) formerly Nora’s Table-Hood River OR
John Helleberg-formerly Frog & the Redneck Richmond VA & Sophie’s Restaurant
Krystyna Livingston-formerly Manresa & White Salmon Baking
John Moch-formerly Celilo-Hood River OR
Aaron Woo-formerly Native Selections-Portland OR
Tadao & Tifanie Mitsui- Heyday Farms-Bainbridge Island
Colby Richards & Hady Coxen
Javier & Jaci Canteras-Urdaneta-Portland OR
Angela Krause-formerly Caffe Mingo-Portland OR
Elisa Landry & Adam Wagner-Chicory-Olympia WA
Anthony Dao-formerly Hiyu Wine Farm-Hood River OR
Avery Adams-Matia Kitchen-Orcas Island WA
Sara Cushman
Julian Vera
Kelly Alexander-White Salmon Baking-White Salmon WA
Noel Spivey-Amelia Winn Winery- Bainbridge Island WA
Sean Russo-The Lakehouse Bellevue-Bellevue WA
We are so very grateful to all of our guests that make these events possible!
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.