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A Culinary Arts Residency at Craigardan provides exceptional living and professional kitchen space to culinary artists and emerging chefs in an environment that is conducive to creatively working on new ideas, exploring the region’s food-scape, and developing the chef’s farm-to-table and seasonal repertoire alongside other creative artists. This residency assists chefs during an integral stage of their career; to establish themselves in the culinary world, to infuse a mid-career turning point with new energy and fresh perspective, or as an accomplished chef in need of sabbatical.

The culinary arts residency is a self-directed period of time. Chefs have a private kitchen studio with 24/7 access for their own creative exploration.

Culinary Arts Residency includes:

A private professional kitchen studio with 24/7 access
shared access to our large, commercial teaching kitchen
shared access to our outdoor summer kitchen in the Kilnhouse with our wood-fired pizza oven
free access to the farm’s seasonal bounty including fruits, vegetables, and eggs
the option to work with our farmers to learn more about production, harvest, and butchery
free access to the walk-in pantry
a $50 weekly stipend to source additional ingredients from our farm store, or other local farms and markets

Responsibilities:

commit to using local food if possible when sourcing ingredients from off-farm
present a short public talk (or tasting) as part of the Applebarn Series
Collaborate with staff and interns to help prepare one dinner each week while in-residence for fellow artists and staff (Monday Night Dinner)

Kitchen equipment includes:

a large, custom-made, wood-fired bread/pizza oven
Commercial gas stove/oven
Commercial grill
Three-bay sinks (2)
Two dishwashers
Walk-in cooler and multiple refrigerators
Stainless work tables
Microwave, food processor, immersion blender, blender, kitchen aid mixer, hand mixer, pasta maker, pressure cooker, mandolin, etc. and a variety of hand tools and specialty items.
Knives, utensils, cooking and baking utensils
Lots of prep, cooking, and baking equipment (knives, mixing bowls, cutting boards, baking pans, etc.)

If you have a specific equipment need, please ask us – we will likely have it available for you. We do recommend that you bring your own knives. Please also ask if you have specific ingredient needs. You may need to source some items and bring them with you if they are not available locally or if we cannot order it through our food service providers.

Ingredients:

Culinary residents have access to the shared pantry, and free access to food produced on Craigardan’s farm. Chefs work directly with our farmer and farm store manager to source the ingredients they need from our farm, farm store, partner farms, or our food service providers. Chefs are provided with a $50 weekly budget for sourcing food which is not produced on our farm or is not available in our pantry. Beyond the $50 budget, pantry, and farm veggies, the cost of additional ingredients and raw materials are the responsibility of the culinary resident. Chefs are not here to cook meals for others — however we do encourage sharing the food that is created with our ingredients provided and weekly budget.

More on Responsibilities + Food:

Chefs are asked to collaborate with staff to help prepare the Monday Night Dinner each week for the Craigardan community. Beyond the one meal per week, chefs are not required to cook anything at all. This is open creative time for culinary artists to use how they wish. However, food does not go to waste! We invite chefs to cook, bake, and experiment – and share their results with the other residents.

The weekly community meal is prepared for approximately 15 people, must accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions, and must focus on food produced at Craigardan or other local farms. We often have specific seasonal ingredients coming in from the farm that we must use for this meal. Other than those parameters, chefs may determine the menu and use this as an opportunity to experiment.

All residents, including culinary residents, are also asked to present to the public as part of the Friday Applebarn Series. For chefs this often takes the form of a tasting, or a presentation on a draft cookbook, or a discussion on their personal journey with food. We’ve even had a cooking demonstration in the kitchen. It’s up to you.

Purchasing / Shipping Materials:

You are welcome to ship personal materials and supplies to Craigardan in advance of your residency. Shipping or transporting all materials and supplies home is your responsibility. Personal items and artwork may not be left behind. If you bring it in or make it here, you must take it with you when you leave.

Your Studio Experience:

A culinary residency at Craigardan is for experienced independent chefs. This means that you know how to:

work independently with unstructured time in a kitchen
Maintain a clean, orderly, and safe environment
Adhere to the posted rules of community spaces
Ask for help.

Access to other spaces, materials, mediums:

The kitchen studio is your private location to work, but it does not need to be the only space that you work in – we encourage you to spend time outdoors, take courses in other media, explore the property, get your hands in the soil and in the clay studio, and take time to wite, think, cook, and collaborate.

"The Epicurean Endocrinology project has now done a lab at SUNY Buffalo, presented at Maryland Institute College of Art, and has plans to present at the Museum of Food and Drink in NYC, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, and at the Museum of Post-Natural History in Pittsburgh. The residency allowed me a much needed reset from the hectic pace of the city and the time and space to focus on the project and my own plans and process." Liz Flyntz, 2017 culinary artist-in-residence

Please email program@craigardan.org with questions.