What kinda food yous guys got there?

OK, so I've actually fielded this question in its current grammatical state, so that's my get out of 'you're being a dick' jail. If it actually happened then I can write about it, right?(I'm honestly not sure about the spelling of yous, but you get the point)

So, this does beg the question of 'How do you describe your food?'. That's legit and I'm gonna take a stab at it. I will start off by saying that this is a tough question for me to answer. It's right up there with 'what's your signature dish?' My stock answer to that one is....That's like asking a parent which of their children is their favorite.

So, how would I describe our cuisine? Well, we used to say it's refined American cuisine with French influences. Actually, I suppose that's not a bad description, but it's so much more than that. Is the food influenced by the area? Yep. Is it seasonal? Yep. Respect tradition? Yep. Innovative? Yep. Bottom line is that it's a cuisine that's built from my personal experiences. I spent a bunch of years below the Mason Dixon line, so there is certainly a southern soul to the food. I grew up in south central PA, so there are definitely PA Dutch influences. Growing up, we spent a lot of time in Balitmore and DC, so the Chesapeake Bay and its flavors play a role in planning our menu.


I work very closely with farmers and butchers, so I've got a healthy respect for and, oh ok I'll say it, love of offal.

So, what can you expect when you sit down at the Sheppard Mansion? Well, certainly refined American cuisine that is based on classic French technique. Well-sourced products? Yes. Innovative techniques? Yes. A little bit of Chesapeake, some PA Dutch twists and a little dip down South and maybe some tongue? Yes. The other thing you can expect is that every day we are doing the very best that we can to present a very interesting dining experience for you.