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.

Feedback 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."

Your instructor, Mary Laury is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher. She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful. Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we will start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well. We all learn together!

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.

Feedback from recent Acadian Arts Retreats participants: 

“Mary is a wonderful guide and a gifted teacher.”  “Very helpful watercolor instruction."

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.

Escape to a Grand Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artist, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward. Day students are welcome. For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/. 

Feedback from recent participants:  

“I learned so much from Chris that I can use immediately at home in my own kitchen.”  “Great kitchen hints!”

Your instructor, Mary Laury is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher. She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful. Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we will start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well. We all learn together!

Escape to a Grand Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artist, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward.  For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn, call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/. 

Feedback from recent participants: 

“Great instructor!-Mary acts as a guide to develop our own style.“ “Easy no stress instruction.”

The Ellsworth Adult & Community Education Center is coordinating an International Pot Luck Dinner.  We are working with the schools, businesses and organizations to hold a pot luck dinner to celebrate everyone in our community and share food from our home countries.  We invite you to join our efforts to organize this event.

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.

Feedback 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."

Your instructor, Mary Laury is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher. She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful. Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we will start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well. We all learn together!

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.

Feedback from recent Acadian Arts Retreats participants: 

“Mary is a wonderful guide and a gifted teacher.”  “Very helpful watercolor instruction."

Soups made with love are a nourishing and inexpensive way to feed your family. In this series, we will share techniques, tools, ingredients and tips learned through years of cooking for family and friends.  You’ll learn techniques for preparing ingredients and bringing them all together, as well as tips on storage and serving.  A focus of the workshops will be the use of affordable and locally available ingredients, and adapting recipes to a variety of tastes and dietary  requirements. Handouts, recipes and a small container of soup for your family to try will be provided.  All registration fees are donated to Loaves & Fishes.  

Chowders  Nothing speaks New England like a creamy chowder!  You can make a seafood chowder for a special event, or a corn chowder for a quick weeknight meal that delights.  We’ll make a simple fish chowder together to learn and share some of the techniques and ingredients universal to chowders. 

Annie has always loved to cook for family and friends.  She started cooking when she was seven and was a keen observer of all the cooks in her family and beyond. She's worked in kitchens and also spent most of her childhood and early adulthood in western and eastern Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, so her palate is broad. She shares her love of cooking with family and friends through the preparation of food full of flavor. One of her priorities when she's cooking is to create a meal that accommodates all dietary requirements--a meal that everyone can enjoy.