M I S S I O N In bringing back the "farm" to this 1797 farmhouse, or revitalizing its purpose, our mission has been to create a destination where guests are delighted with creative spaces and events, superb hospitality, and the transformation of local ingredients into scrumptious global cuisine. Central to our operations is a commitment to source from local growers and artisans, align with regional food partnerships, and foster our own team's growth and well-being.
Chief INNovation Officer
Jefferson Brechbühl leads the Guest Services Team and provides oversight for housekeeping, dining, all events, finance, communications, and marketing. He serves as our in-house Event Planner and ensures good operation between the front of the house and the kitchen. Jeff gained a passion for events when he led marketing and events for a D.C. Main Street organization for six years - these events including street festivals for up to 10,000 and outdoor entertainment of all sorts (even an annual dog show). At the same time, in the same neighborhood, Jeff owned a health food and catering business. From 2007 until 2015, he held fundraising and operational roles within highly regarded local and regional non-profits. He raised over $14 million for D.C. nonprofits. As his own community service initiative, he managed the ECO Studio Regional Directory for Sustainable Living. Jeff speaks German, Portuguese, and Spanish and spends his free time running on trails, bicycling country roads, gardening, and planning family excursions.
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The Chef Proprietor
Bruce R. Barnes is our chef-proprietor. Prior to making the leap to New Hampshire, he was the senior executive chef at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., a top account for his company, Restaurant Associates, where he oversaw daily food service for more than 6,000 guests, including royalty and heads of state. Over 14 years, he earned top chef status at Restaurant Associates, leading accounts at renowned cultural institutions and top corporations in New York City and Washington, D.C., and winning the "Chef of the Year" title in 2012. He has often been a guest chef at high-profile events, including D.C. Cultural Tourism's Embassy Chefs' Challenge; on "Good Morning America," he won the Polar Bear Chef's Challenge in 2003. In the 1990s, he owned the popular Harvest and Universal Grill restaurants in New York's East Village. During Harvest's heyday, Velvet Underground leader and solo artist Lou Reed closed the restaurant for private Thanksgiving dinners with his wife Laurie Anderson. Bruce gained his early culinary training from chefs in Provincetown, Mass., and NYC. He has regularly worked with food stylists and developed a cookbook for the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian.
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Farming Director
Sachiko Ito Howard, PhD, joined the Colby Hill Inn staff in 2022, after retiring from teaching chemistry at New England College. She was among those who graduated from UNH Extension's first Master Gardener class in 1993. Sachie is here to help expand the farming activities of producing herbs, edible flowers and vegetables for the Grazing Room. Her specialty is growing Asian vegetables not usually found locally, as well as producing varieties of vegetables specified by Chef Barnes for his menu featuring international cuisine. When not tending the vegetables, she is busy taking care of flowers in the garden and in the dining room. But she will not milk the goats.
She was born in Osaka, Japan, and came to the U.S. at 14 with her brother to join her mother who taught Japanese at Yale University. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1966, the first female class to receive their degrees from Harvard University. She married Rob Howard, a Harvard classmate, and the couple moved to NH in 1969. They have two children, a daughter living in Nevada and a son in Hawaii. When her children were old enough, Sachie attended UNH to earn her PhD in chemistry. She then taught organic chemistry at UNH, Suffolk University and New England College. She also did research at Brandeis University.
Sachie's family history goes back to medieval Japan, and samurai ethics permeated in her mother and grandmother's generation. "My mother was horrified, in jest, I think, that I started a garden. She told me that my grandmother would be turning over in her grave knowing her granddaughter became a farmer," a lowly pursuit in samurai tradition. Despite being horrified, Sachie says, "My mother loved the vegetables I grew, especially the baby Japanese eggplants used for pickles."
Sous Chef
Jeremy Callahan
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Hospitality Ambassador
Lucas Woods fulfills roles as the demand requires his flexibility and attention to detail; he assists in setting up and breaking down events, serving and server support, housekeeping, dishwashing and general upkeep. He eats up the variety in his work and loves that every day is different, presenting new challenges and opportunities to interact with guests and teammates.
Lucas hails from nearby Hillsboro, New Hampshire, where he was the valedictorian of his high school graduating class. He is currently a senior at Henniker's own New England College, triple majoring in Education, Communications, and Creative Writing. He is also active in the college's radio station and newspaper as well as several national honor societies. Lucas enjoys exploring his community and the surrounding area, frequenting small businesses, getting involved, and appreciating the natural beauty of New Hampshire.
