Your instructor, Chris Toy is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs. Cooking students will learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe, and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients. Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques, and stories behind the dishes being created. Tuition includes all lunches and dinners (Breakfast is included with room price. Day students are welcome. We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages. Workshop participants will get to explore the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century. All meals are included in the workshop fee, as well as specially planned optional evening activities designed to extend your learning from the day’s workshops. Also included, is a private concert by award winning Celtic Fiddle player, Katherine Moller, in the Victorian parlor of Hubbard House. Special guest Catherine Hunter, will discuss Native American Basketry (included). Register for the retreat, then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations. Acadian Arts Retreats participants will have exclusive overnight accommodations in the park.

Your instructor, Chris Toy, is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian cooking for several Maine community education programs.  Cooking students will learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients.  Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques and stories behind the dishes being created.

Step back to a time when President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor and their family escaped to their “beautiful little island” in the Canadian Maritimes, Campobello Island.  We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages.  Workshop participants will be immersed in the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus specially planned evening activities designed to extend your learning from the day’s workshops. We convene on Friday at 1pm with classes throughout the weekend and end on Monday at 11 am.

Register for the retreat then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations (an additional cost).  Only Acadian Arts Retreats' participants will be allowed to reserve overnight accommodations in the park.

Please note: Included in the workshop registration is a $40 non-refundable fee should you have to cancel.

Join go-en fermented foods for a sweet (quick ferment) miso-making workshop and discussion about miso and its uses as well as the history and cultural significance of this traditional fermented food of Japan. Having been produced for more than a millennium, miso utilizes techniques and relationships that have been passed down from generation to generation with little alteration. Learn why that is and get to know the microbial partners within and around us that have agreed to carry on these relationships. In this hands-on workshop, the goal is to send participants home with the confidence to tackle miso on their own, along with a jar of sweet miso to ferment.

Date: Saturday, June 22, 2024, 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Cost: $40-60 sliding scale

 For online registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKH7wJ49h5ZDuA8NVOW2SsFAW-eeNAk_1ROcliTmY4YfVo7w/viewform

Hunting for edible and medicinal wild mushrooms is a fun way to supplement your gourmet food diet and get some exercise in the great outdoors. And, you can beat supply chain issues and rising food prices while learning a new fascinating outdoor hobby. We will focus on safety and identification of common safe edibles in the first class.

Did you know mushrooms are the fruit of the fungi? Just like picking an apple, it does not hurt the organism to harvest them. Join us for discussion on habitat and which trees are symbiotic with which fungi. If you want to find Grifola frondosa (hen of the woods, common name), you must know what an oak tree looks like!

The second class will be a workshop/discussion (students are invited to bring in what they have found on their own) and a chance to sample some cooked edibles. Please plan on 3 hours at the second class. Summer brings the chance of finding chanterelles!! 

Please bring a $5 materials fee made payable to the instructor.

Yes, there are poisonous mushrooms. For this reason no children will be admitted to this class.

Your instructor, Chris Toy is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs. Cooking students will learn how to prepare a variety of recipes from Asia, Europe, and the Americas incorporating traditional and local ingredients. Each meal will actively engage cooks with the tools, techniques, and stories behind the dishes being created.

Step back to a time when President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor, and their family escaped to their “beautiful little island” in the Canadian Maritimes, Campobello Island. We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages. Workshop participants will explore and paint the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century. All meals are included in the workshop fee as well as specially planned optional evening activities designed to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private concert by award winning Celtic Fiddle player, Katherine Moller, in the Victorian parlor of Hubbard House. Register for the retreat then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations. Acadian Arts Retreats participants will have exclusive overnight accommodations in the park. 

Comments from recent Acadian Arts Retreats participants: 

“I learned so much that Chris taught me, and the recipes were attainable."  “Chris speaks slowly and encourages questions."

Visit the working homestead and education center of Maine Local Living School on Open Farm Day! We will lead tours of the campus including the ice house, root cellar, greenhouse and gardens, solar food dehydrator, animal barn, and the classroom/workshop. Visitors will learn about and interact with earth-friendly systems including rainwater collection and solar water heating, rocket stoves and outdoor kitchens, composting toilets, and alternative building construction. Visitors will also have the opportunity to put their hands to work on a homestead project and try cookies made with acorn flour. Free and open to the public.

Date: Sunday, July 28, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Discover the difference between the original Maine wild blueberry and hybridized “grocery store” blueberries through a guided tasting experience showcasing a variety of blueberry products made by Mainers. The iconic wild blueberry's 10,000-year history as the original superfood of Maine is an age-old story packed with flavor - we'll leave you in good taste as you see for yourself what sets the Maine wild blueberry apart from the rest! In this class, attendees will learn about Maine's wild blueberry industry while sampling a wide variety of wild blueberry products made by Maine producers.

A beautifully arranged charcuterie and cheese board is a sure way to impress, whether you're entertaining at home or contributing to a pot luck. The best way to improve upon this classic appetizer is to fill your board with locally-sourced cheeses, meats and accouterments. In this class, students will be introduced to a wide variety of Maine producers; sample their products and learn how to incorporate them into your next charcuterie board. Attendees will also explore the fundamentals of arranging a beautiful charcuterie board - from cutting techniques for meats and cheeses to selecting and arranging eye-catching garnishes. This class will offer plenty of opportunity to taste products and practice various cutting and arranging techniques. All materials and product lists/recipes will be provided.