Maine’s White Barn Inn Welcomes Executive Chef Cornelia Sühr

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From a working barn to celebrated culinary destination, White Barn Inn, Auberge Collection has spent more than five decades evolving alongside the landscape that surrounds it. Once home to livestock, horses and chickens – and later used as an ice creamery – the historic barn was restored in 1973 and transformed into White Barn Inn Restaurant, establishing a legacy of elevated dining rooted in Maine’s agricultural and coastal bounty. This autumn, the acclaimed restaurant enters a new culinary chapter under Executive Chef Cornelia Sühr, whose international fine-dining career brings a distinctly European perspective to the New England landmark.

German-born, Sühr has worked in some of the world’s most acclaimed kitchens, including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester and The Savoy in London, and later at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, where she became the hotel’s first female Chef de Cuisine. She went on to lead kitchens at Jean-Georges Philadelphia at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, before joining The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller in Florida. Now, taking the helm at White Barn Inn, Auberge Collection, Sühr is translating years of classical training and global experience through the lens of coastal Maine, allowing the landscape and its changing seasons to dictate the menu.

As autumn settles over Maine, the signature Coast Line & Forest tasting menu evolves to reflect the season, tracing a progression from the coastline to the deeper flavors of land, smoke, and fire. Drawing on Maine’s farms, waters, and forests, Sühr uses techniques including fermentation, preservation, smoking, and live-fire cooking to bring depth and character to ingredients at their peak. The menu continues to evolve with seasonal availability, allowing each harvest to shape the experience. Priced at $250 per guest, with an optional $125 wine pairing, the current menu features:

Halibut | Razor Clams | Potato | Dill
This dish captures the character of Maine’s coastline while incorporating the elegance of classical French cooking. The halibut offers natural sweetness and a delicate, flaky texture, while the razor clams bring subtle brininess and a slightly firmer bite. Potato adds an earthy, comforting element suited to the fall season, while dill provides freshness and a gentle aromatic lift. The sauce draws inspiration from traditional French moules marinières, using shellfish, white wine, and aromatics to create depth without detracting from the purity of the fish. The result strikes a balance between simplicity and refinement, bringing together familiar coastal New England ingredients through a delicate, contemporary interpretation of French technique that allows the natural flavors of the sea to remain the focus.

Stonington Lobster | Parisian Gnocchi | Sea Beans | Fennel
Sourcing lobster from Stonington, known as one of Maine’s premier lobster fishing towns, is particularly special. With its deeply rooted fishing heritage, the small coastal community represents much of what makes Maine’s culinary identity unique: tradition, craftsmanship, and a close connection to the sea. Stonington lobster is prized for its natural sweetness and beautiful texture, with succulent, tender meat that retains a delicate firmness and almost buttery richness. Parisian gnocchi introduces a light, airy texture that contrasts beautifully with the lobster, while sea beans bring a crisp bite and subtle ocean salinity. Fennel adds freshness and gentle anise notes. The sauce draws inspiration from a traditional Provençal bourride, lending silky, velvety richness that enhances the lobster’s natural sweetness without overpowering it. The dish brings together two coastal traditions: Stonington’s fishing heritage and the elegance of southern French cuisine.

Jonah Crab | Celeriac | Green Apple | Chervil
This dish gives Jonah crab the same attention often reserved for Maine lobster, highlighting its delicate sweetness and subtle brininess. The composition balances flavors from the sea with ingredients from the fall harvest. Celeriac contributes an earthy, slightly nutty sweetness that complements the crab, while green apple introduces crisp, refreshing acidity and chervil finishes the dish with a delicate herbal touch. The combination moves between sweet, earthy, acidic, and fresh flavors without allowing any single element to dominate. A lighter, more delicate expression of fall in Maine, the dish emphasizes elegance and seasonality, allowing the quality of the crab and the character of its accompanying ingredients to take center stage.

“Maine offers an extraordinary culinary landscape, from the cold Atlantic and its abundance of seafood to its farms, forests, and beautiful yet fleeting growing season. My goal is not to disguise these ingredients, but to give them a stage. I want our guests to experience Maine through the menu while weaving in my own European background, techniques, and perspective. Ultimately, I want the food to have a distinct sense of place while remaining elegant, modern, and deeply personal,” said Executive Chef Sühr.

On property, additional culinary experiences include The Art of the Petit Plateau, Shell & Shore Oyster Shucking and Tastings, The Macallan Whisky Tastings, Farm-to-Cocktail Classes, among others, further cementing White Barn Inn as a sought-after culinary destination in Kennebunkport. Beyond the property, the town’s annual HarvestFest is another seasonal draw, bringing in visitors for a celebration of local food, makers and community.

The post Maine’s White Barn Inn Welcomes Executive Chef Cornelia Sühr appeared first on FSR magazine.