Food becomes art. Art becomes conversation.
Conversation becomes connection.
ABOUT CHEF MEG
Meg has always moved between two studios: the kitchen and the pottery lab. What began as childhood experiments with family recipes grew into life shaped by craft - refined through culinary classes in Istanbul, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Sicily, Oaxaca and most recently at the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria and Le Cordon Bleu in Mexico City.
After settling outside Aspen, Meg deepened both disciplines: throwing bowls, hand building unique shapes, testing glazes and developing a style of cooking that honors season, texture, culture and aroma. At Presence, she blends these into a single approach - studio to table - where the ceramics and the cuisine are created side by side.
Presence was born from the belief that communities come together around a table. When guests gather, differences soften, divisions fade and the simple act of sharing a meal creates space for understanding. In a fast-paced, screen-driven world, Meg saw how her love of cuisine and clay could offer an opportunity to pause, reconnect, and experience a deeper sense of intention.
GENEROSITY: Presence was born from a desire to give—to share craft, care, and beauty without reservation. Our commitment to generosity is present in every detail: the time invested in each dish, the hand-formed ceramics, and the invitation extended through our gifted seat lottery to those who might not otherwise come. We give not from excess, but from intention. Generosity isn’t an added gesture here; it is the heart of our hospitality.
Our EthoS
ARTISTRY: Each course is approached as art—both cuisine and clay. Elevated, technique-driven cooking meets hand-formed vessels: divot plates for pickled fruits, wide bowls for risotto, sculpted forms for desserts. Every ceramic piece brings its own weight, color, texture, and curve, subtly shaping the experience beyond the palate. The result is quietly theatrical: precise cooking, sculptural presentation, and mountain views that shift with the light.
HUMAN CONNECTION: With only six seats, conversation deepens, distractions fall away, and food becomes a shared language. Presence exists to cultivate belonging—not just among guests, but within the broader circle we create and the new friends we meet. At every other dinner, two seats are gifted, inviting new voices and stories and ensuring that connection extends beyond means or circumstance. Guests leave not only nourished, but also more connected—to themselves, to one another, and to their community
