Three siblings, one rocky hill in Clarksburg, and the boldest bet in Maryland wine.

An old farmer drove his beat up pickup to the top of the hill and told Drew Baker the only thing that land ever grew was rocks. Drew bought the farm anyway, because rocks were exactly what he was looking for. I have been waiting to tell this story since I first made the drive out to Burnt Hill, and this episode of my DC food podcast finally gets to do it justice.

Maryland wine has been fighting for respect for decades, and this family might be the ones who settle the argument. If you care about the DC food and wine scene, about family business done right, or about what it actually takes to build a hospitality experience from bare land, this chef interview podcast conversation belongs in your ears. And the wine is only half the story. Drew survived leukemia after doctors gave him a 5 percent chance, and both of his sisters were his bone marrow donors. You cannot separate this family from this farm.

Drew Baker, Lisa Hinton, and Ashli Johnson are the siblings behind Old Westminster Winery and Burnt Hill, their regenerative farm and winery in Clarksburg, Maryland. Drew farms it, Lisa makes the wine, and Ashli runs the brand and the culture, and together they have built two of the most exciting wine destinations within reach of any Washington DC restaurant insider. Later in the show, recorded live at RPM Italian in Washington DC, I sit down with Executive Chef Massimo Vicidomini plus Luis Zelaya and Arrica Ashe of RPM Events and Catering for caviar, martinis, and a look inside private events at one of the sexiest dining rooms in the DC dining scene.

Key Takeaways

• A Washington Post article and a farm nobody would buy during the recession convinced the family to plant a vineyard around the kitchen table in 2009.
• Burnt Hill was chosen for its rocky, depleted soils, mapped by a terroir geologist before a single vine went into the ground.
• The family ferments Burnt Hill wines in large barrels made from ash trees harvested on their own farm, producing 18 different wines from just 1,000 cases.
• Drew Baker survived acute myeloid leukemia through brain surgery and two bone marrow transplants, and his sisters Ashli and Lisa were his donors.
• At RPM Italian in Washington DC, Chef Massimo Vicidomini and the events team build everything from Kaluga caviar stations to full off premise kitchens.
• Drew Baker said, "My doctors gave me a 5% chance to survive on diagnosis."
• Drew Baker said, "So it's grapes grown on the hill and then fermented in vessels on the hill with yeast from the hill."

Timestamps

00:00 Nycci opens live at RPM Italian in Washington DC
03:18 Meet the siblings behind Old Westminster and Burnt Hill
04:50 The recession, the farm that would not sell, and a kitchen table decision
08:04 From chemistry degree to winemaker
14:36 The family business lesson that keeps them aligned
17:10 Buying Old Westminster Winery from their parents
22:23 Finding Burnt Hill and the growing rocks story
29:08 Designing the Burnt Hill experience
34:40 Sheep, pigs, bees, and regenerative farming
40:10 Ash barrels and 18 wines from 1,000 cases
47:03 How Chef Tae Strain became the fourth leg
51:27 Drew's leukemia, two transplants, and two sister donors
53:43 The Temperance program and unfermented juice
58:26 The next five years and ten kids on two farms
1:02:11 Chef Massimo Vicidomini brings the Amalfi Coast to DC
1:08:15 Private events and caviar with Luis Zelaya and Arrica Ashe
1:13:21 Nycci wraps at RPM Italian

Connect with the Burnt Hill Farm Family and RPM Italian

Old Westminster Winery: https://www.oldwestminster.com
Burnt Hill: https://www.burnthill.farm
Burnt Hill Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burnt_hill/
Old Westminster Winery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldwestminsterwinery/
RPM Italian: https://www.rpmrestaurants.com/rpm-italian-d-c/
RPM Italian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RPMItalian/