“Our goal is to use what is grown here as the backbone of our cuisine.”

—Chef & Owner, Dan Gleason

Photo by Deb Lindsey featured in Washington Post

Our Story

Sumac is an experimental kitchen run by restaurant duo, Daniel Gleason and Abigail Gleason. Sumac launched in 2020 as a marriage of shared passions for fine cooking, hospitality, and supporting small farms. Sumac hones the traditions of the farmer’s table as an inspiration for our culinary direction.

With a seasonal approach to cooking and preservation, our menu offers a taste unique to the Rappahannock Piedmont region cooked over a wood fire. Sumac strives to source 100% of all proteins, vegetables, dairy, and grains from within 150 miles.

Sumac Photo by Brian Oh

WILDLY LOCAL

& WOOD FIRED

Sumac operates as a seasonal kitchen, serving the public mid-spring to mid-winter, following the rhythm of the farmer’s growing season in the Piedmont Region of Virginia.

Our chefs change the menu each week to offer you a creative take on fine fresh flavors.

After six successful seasons, 2026 will be the final season in our tiny kitchen trailer in this format.

Dear Friends,

We recently announced that Season VI will be our final season in this format. The last service to the public in our tiny kitchen trailer will be December 6, 2026.

This means a few things. First, this is not a loss, but a celebration! We are honored, proud, and so very grateful for what Sumac current and past crews have accomplished in this space. Come out and celebrate with us through early December!

How To: Get tickets, grab our food A La Carte, come to Oktoberfest hosted by Pen Druid, join us for an exciting Guest Chef collaboration Nov 29th, and The Feast of the Seven Fishes Dec 4-6th, get the limited edition Season VI merch, or send us a note from afar!

Second, this is not the end, but the end of this chapter. Sumac began as a collaboration and a shared vision of truly local sourcing and wood fired cooking in an outdoor kitchen that did not yet exist. This concept was given life at Pen Druid Brewing. Guests came and gave us a chance. Cooks came and built it with us. Sumac was featured in press including The NY Times, Washington Post, The Washingtonian Best Restaurant List, and more amazing press about our “rustic yet refined” kitchen, first said by Eater DC.

In our time, Sumac has hosted thousands of guests, 25 chef residencies, has created more than 300 Tasting Menus (that’s a lot of red book menu posts), and when our kitchen froze over each winter, we brought Sumac to your homes for an intimate private dinner series. Sumac hosted the collaborative series, TOO MANY COOKS, plus other awesome guest chef collaborations. Sumac created 2 self-published Cookbook Zines, fired 12 whole animal roasts, fed more than several hundreds for event catering— and for the sake of a list, has chopped a countless amount of wood. For now, that is enough.

Please come out to celebrate with us during the final season! Come out for the first time, or join us once more before this unique and special dining experience closes this chapter.

We love you all and can’t wait to have you join us one last time. Your support has allowed us to carry this craft and vision, not to mention double down on our support of small farms and aspiring cooks— which means more than a letter can describe. We promise to keep you posted on future Sumac experiences in the wild, so please follow along @sumac_va.

With Gratitude,

-Chef Dan & Abigail

September 2026

Join Us for the Final Season

The Tasting Menu is available by advanced ticket only. A La Carte Menu is available on a first come, first served basis. Indoor taproom seating is available by Pen Druid.

BOOK TICKETS

Press