DC Chef Behind

Johnny Spero built his reputation in Georgetown alleyways, earning a Michelin star in 2022 for Reverie, his intimate DC tasting room. He then closed Reverie, packed up his family and settled on Whidbey Island in 2025. Come May 17, his next act opens inside the Inn at Langley: a multicourse tasting menu restaurant called Passage, housed in the waterfront property as it emerges from a full renovation.

Spero's path to the Pacific Northwest runs through some of the most scrutinized kitchens in the country. Before opening Reverie in Georgetown, he served as executive chef at José Andrés' 12-seat Minibar in Washington, D.C., and staged at Noma in Copenhagen. He later worked at Mugaritz in Spain. His second DC venture, Bar Spero, a seafood-focused concept in the city's East End, earned a James Beard Award nomination and was featured in Esquire, Bon Appétit, and Robb Report.

The move to Whidbey was deliberate. Spero spent 2025 getting settled and conducting menu research, telling the Seattle Times that "it's a dream to be surrounded by some of the best ingredients and produce anywhere." On Instagram, he acknowledged the open secret before the formal announcement, noting that the moss in his photos had already given away his Pacific Northwest landing spot.

Passage will operate out of the Inn at Langley, a waterfront property overlooking Saratoga Passage in the village of Langley. The inn has been closed for renovations and is accepting reservations for its May 17 reopening. The restaurant will serve a tasting menu format, consistent with the format Spero used at Reverie.

For a dining scene that draws heavily on Puget Sound seafood and South Whidbey farm produce, the arrival of a chef who made his name on precisely those ingredients carries real weight. Reservations for Passage are already open through the Inn at Langley's website.