The Place
Inspired by an Italian “agriturismo”, the style of small farm with accommodations that is common across Europe, we started with a vision to welcome overnight guests and immerse them in the farm and food that surrounds us.
Our mission is to highlight and preserve the agricultural landscape of our property and Leelanau County, while providing a bespoke hospitality experience for our guests, pushing the boundaries of what is being done in our state both in terms of farming practices, agritourism and immersive hospitality.
Since purchasing the property in 2020, we have been working on thoughtfully renovating and fully updating the 1970’s house and barn and regenerating the land.
The People
Allium Hill is hosted by husband and wife, Tim Kemp and Sarah Hesterman.
Having both grown up in Michigan, Leelanau County was always a favorite summer destination for both Tim & Sarah and it was the place they chose to relocate back to in 2020 after over 20 years living in Brooklyn, NY. Allium Hill has been a dream of theirs and the couple brings years of high-end hospitality experience, world travel, and passion for food & agriculture to create this bespoke immersive agritourism destination.
Tim Kemp is currently director of culinary innovation for meal-kit company Blue Apron. Trained at the renowned Culinary Institute of America, Chef Kemp honed his cooking skills at several of New York City’s most famed fine dining establishments including Thomas Keller’s per se before spending nearly a decade as a high-end private chef. His style of food spans across cuisines, is rooted in fine dining technique with a modern flair and is inspired by seasonal and locally grown, raised and foraged ingredients.
Sarah Hesterman is a film and video producer, food & travel enthusiast, small business entrepreneur and AirBnb Superhost.
The Partners
Vineyard
Allium Hill Vineyard is a partnership with Doug and Jacquelyn Olson’s Daymark wines. Coming to Northern Michigan by way of Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Bordeaux, France, winemaker Doug Olson has a Masters of Science in Viticulture and Enology from Bordeaux Sciences Agro and is currently the winemaker at Boathouse Vineyards. Working with exclusively single vineyard fruit sources and low intervention farming practices, organic, biodynamic, and regenerative Daymark wines will feature responsibly grown fruit capable of revealing an honest and pure representation of Northern Michigan wine at a premium tier.
Culinary Garden
Allium Hill will be partnering with renowned gardener, designer and educator, Megan Gilger, a 3rd Generation gardener who has experience from home garden to farm production on a small scale. Residing in Leelanau County, Megan is deeply passionate about building regenerative gardens and food systems that feed the larger ecosystem. Currently working on her Permaculture Design Certification from Cornell University, she has a heart for paying attention to the land and what it can tell us about working with its natural order. She has spent nearly five years teaching and consulting, building gardens that work with nature for protection and production.
