Island Offerings

Mary Jo and I recently took a weekend trip aboard our sailboat into Penobscot Bay and did a little island and shoreline foraging. On shore we collected wild blueberries, chanterelle mushrooms and raspberries. We waded along the shoreline at low tide and collected mussels and sea urchins. Dinner that evening started with sea urchin roe, followed …
Read More

Mushroom Foraging in Maine

As a foodie, I have an avid fascination for mushrooms. Local foragers ring my doorbell several times a week to tempt me with the forests latest offerings which often make their way onto the nightly menu and generate conversation and rave reviews from our guests. I have been foraging mushrooms in the Maine woods for many years for what …
Read More

Hartstone Inn Receives Award of Excellence

We are very proud to have been awarded an Achievement of Excellence Award by the American Culinary Federation. The fine dining category includes nine prestigious restaurants from across the country including: Charlie Trotter’s (Chicago), The French Laundry (Yountville, Calif.) and The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Va.). Following is a portion of the press release: ACF Announces 2009 …
Read More

State of Maine Cheese Tour

Learn how to make Fresh Mozzarella cheese on your next trip to Camden. The State of Maine Cheese Factory (in Rockport, 5 minutes from the Hartstone and Hideaway Inns) offers tours and “hands on” classes with owner Cathi Morrill. Cathi is, as a previous guest/student put it, “enthusiastic about cheese making, warm and welcoming.” This is a great introduction to the process of …
Read More

Chef (Marla) for a Day in Camden!

Our “Chef for a Day” program continues to be a very popular way for guests to experience the Hartstone Inn kitchen firsthand. Recently, a couple from Pennsylvania came to visit us and they joined me for two days in the kitchen, assisting in the preparation of dinner. It was a true pleasure working with Marla …
Read More

2009 Garden Series at the Hartstone Inn

We are very excited about our new upcoming gardening series here at the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway featuring our vegetable garden guru, Shelley Johnson. Shelley tends all of the culinary gardens at the Inn and also grows produce on her farm for the Hartstone kitchen. She has a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to …
Read More

Thai Specialties Dinner

Mary Jo and I just returned from a three week trip to Thailand and we thought we would share some of the photographs, recipes and cuisine we experienced.  Above are some photos I took on the trip. We will be featuring a menu from Thailand (see below) on Monday and Tuesday, April 20 and 21, …
Read More

Spring Food & Beer Pairing

Join us on Friday, April 10, 2009 for our Spring Food and Beer Pairing Event. We have crafted a dinner menu and matched it with some fascinating beers to create a feast for your senses. The dinner menu consists of five courses with separate beer pairings for three of the dishes. Dinner is $55 per person. Menu: …
Read More

Boynton-McKay for Lunch

Boynton-McKay Restaurant, Camden Mary Jo and I make a weekly lunch journey down to our favorite lunch spot in Camden. Boynton-McKay is located in what was, for many decades, the town’s primary drug store, apothecary and soda fountain right on Main Street in downtown Camden. Phil, the owner/operator, also makes a great breakfast, but if you’re …
Read More

Haute Chinese Cooking Class

This past weekend I held a cooking class on “Haute” Chinese Cuisine. First, a quick definition of the French word Haute: adjective 1. high-class or high-toned; fancy. I use this term to describe the type of Chinese cooking I demonstrated in this cooking class, taking a standard “Chinese” dish and elevating it to a “higher” level by …
Read More

Final Vegetable Harvest of 2008

After weeks of cold weather, snow and ice, the ground has thawed enough for me to get my final harvest of carrots out of my raised bed garden. If you recall from my May 12, 2008 blog article titled “New Herb & Vegetable Garden Beds” I planted the carrot seeds on April 15th, harvesting most …
Read More

Chocolate Cooking Class a Great Success

This past weekend the Hartstone Inn featured a chocolate cooking class with Kate Shaffer of Black Dinah Chocolatiers. Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s classes were sold out and the response was very positive. Kate started the class with an introduction of herself and her business. She then discussed the basics of chocolate from the difference between …
Read More