Ten years ago or so, I was freelancing, working with clients in the food and beverage space, and my friend Dorothy invited me to the groundbreaking of the new tasting room at Old Westminster Winery. She thought I would like the people there and boy, she was right. It was so nice to meet the Baker siblings Drew, Ashli and Lisa – and their parents, friends and family all there to celebrate this huge accomplishment. What I didn’t know at the time was that their business would grow and grow and that I would get to be a little tiny part of it.
A few months after we met, Drew reached out and asked if we might work together. I knew the Baltimore restaurant community really well so it made sense for me (as we joked) to serve as their “Baltimore sherpa”, connecting the Bakers with chefs, owners, sommeliers, media and general movers and shakers in the food and beverage world in Baltimore. It was so much fun introducing folks to these Maryland winemakers and helping them tell their story. All they needed was to meet a few of the right people and they were off to the races!
Old Westminster Winery has grown and evolved so much over these last ten years. It’s kind of amazing but honestly, when I think about how talented these siblings are, it was only a matter of time until they had their award-winning wines, a huge social media following, an excellent on-site dining experience and now, Burnt Hill Farm, a second farm and vineyard in Clarksburg, just 30 miles northwest of Washington, DC.
In the summer of 2019, I attended Old Westminster’s Summer Solstice Festival atop the hill at Burnt Hill Farm and was blown away. I met the most incredible people, all dedicated to making a new breed of wines. At the time, low-intervention wine was becoming a thing and it was so much fun tasting new wines, hearing about the winemakers’ journeys and being around such talented and enthusiastic people. (It may sound corny, but the positivity at this event was palpable.) And now, all these years later, that hill in Clarksburg overlooking the Appalachian Mountains has been transformed into a beautiful and thoughtfully crafted food and wine destination unto itself with the addition of three gorgeous structures and a wildly talented chef (my friend, Tae Strain). I was lucky enough to preview Burnt Hill recently and it was so amazing that I decided to write about the experience.
In the midst of all of this exciting growth for Old Westminster and Burnt Hill Farm, Drew has been very sick – some of know his story. In 2022, Drew was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was given a 5% chance to live. He has undergone two bone marrow transplants, thanks to his sisters, Lisa, who is the winemaker and Ashli, who handles marketing and the winery’s operations. And now, Drew is cancer-free and looking to the future with a glimmer in his eyes, as only Drew can. If you are not following him on Instagram, you really should. He has handled his journey with grace, humility and unbelievable strength and he’s an inspiration to me and to many, many others.
Drew and his wife Casey live at Burnt Hill Farm with their three beautiful children and are growing many, many varieties of grapes and also are raising bees, pigs and sheep and I honestly can’t wait to meet the sheep! (No shade to the pigs.) Drew and Casey have quite a love story – they eloped in 2014 – and I’m so glad I get to watch it continue.
Here’s Drew’s Baker’s Dozen, hope you enjoy.
Cake or pie? And, what kind?
Totally depends—I’m picky about dessert. My wife Casey’s key lime pie is unbeatable. My mom’s pineapple upside-down cake? Also unbeatable.
Your most prized possession?
Burnt Hill Farm 🙂
What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?
I always ask the server what’s good—and almost always go with whatever they recommend.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
Tartine! Casey bakes a sourdough loaf every week, and I love to cut a slice or two and dress it up. Toast with butter and jam, a BLT, avocado, sunny-side-up egg and bacon, or whatever cheese/meat/greens we’ve got in the fridge.
What is your morning beverage and how do you take it?
Cold brew. Black. No ice. Two cups every morning.
What’s your personal motto?
Often wrong, never in doubt!
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas by a mile! It’s also my daughter Nelly’s birthday. The family’s together, the kids are hyped, we take the whole week off, head to Florida to see Casey’s family in St. Pete—it’s just the best.
Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?
My Pops and uncles—my mom’s dad and brothers—were/are always full of wisdom and one-liners. I soaked up a lot from them growing up. My personal motto, “Often wrong, never in doubt,” came straight from that lineage, along with gems like: “Go all-in on your strengths,” “No half-measures on convictions,” and “It’s easy to make a buck—don’t sacrifice your reputation chasing one.” Their words still shape the way I try to live my life.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Honestly, I can’t point to a single thing I’ve achieved that someone else doesn’t deserve credit for. I think my superpower is seeing potential in others—assembling a team, pitching a vision, reverse-engineering an outcome, and helping people succeed. I’ve been part of a lot of projects I’m proud of, but I wouldn’t call any of them my accomplishment. I put ideas in motion and enjoy the ride!
The last text you sent?
Sharing photos of my kids in a group chat with my sisters and our spouses we call “the six”
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I’m living it—doing things I love (work included!) with people I love.
What do you love most about food?
Feasting with the fam. I’m the type to skip a forgettable meal to save room, time and money for a special one!
Your favorite place in Baltimore?
Hopkins saved my life, so it’s hard not to love it—even if I hated all 400+ days spent there. Café Dear Leon, DiPasquale’s and Ekiben were Casey’s and my food go-tos when we lived in the city. And Cookhouse is my current favorite restaurant. So there’s a few 🙂
Read more from Amy Langrehr on her newly launched Substack, Cream Cheese + Olives.
