Reading · Afoot in Both Worlds

Table set for our first night’s Supra feast in Islamadora

I had a blast last November despite being the only non-Orthodox, non-spouse at John Heers’ annual gathering in the Florida Keys. My mind feasted on rich conversations, my flesh delighted in fabulous food in gorgeous tropical surrounds, and my soul was uplifted by the shared pursuit of community as antidote to difference.

I was especially moved by a couple of personal exchanges with John Heers and the guest speakers Jordan Hall and Jonathan Pageau. All three men role model something for me... how to reclaim the best of traditional religion while integrating the best of post modern inclusivity and openness. Hence it was a perfect match for my passion for “generous orthoodxy.”

John was especially solicitous of me as a solo traveler and a bit of an outsider. He even arranged for another participant to pick me up at the Miami airport.

Jonathan Pageau at Islamorada, Florida Keys. We’re not in Canada anymore.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the small private Peace Corps John runs through his First Things Foundation (not to be confused with the Catholic organization of similar name). John sees the traditional “supra” feasts he hosts as a powerful way to create or strengthen community. He holds events around the counrty to train “tamadas” (a ceremonial toastmaster) to lead this traditional type of Georgian feast.

Nov 6-9, 2025
Islamorada, Florida Keys
Guest speakers Jonathan Pageau and Andrew Gould

I got to test what I learned a few weeks later by playing tamada at my family Thanksgiving--a big success despite personal and political tensions at the table.

Here are two tips you can try, even without knowing the whole context or tradition.

Every toast should honor something.
Toasts are best offered in polarity pairs -- first honor age, then honor youth. First honor courage, then honor prudence, etc.

You can read more about my trip at my personal travel blog links below. And if you can’t make it to Florida, consider visiting John’s Kiepe restaurant in Greenville S.C. where strangers come together for supras every week.

Part 1: The delights of traveling in the Florida Keys

Part 2: Learning to be a Tamada, feasting with Hall and Pageau,

Outsider Crashes John Heers' Mostly Orthodox Tamada Training in the Florida Keys

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