Retreat Center Meal Services
From-scratch cooking from fresh ingredients to enhance your retreat experience
Since arriving at Vanderkamp, Food Service Manager Fiona Griffin has been serving incredible meals from fresh ingredients, with an emphasis on simultaneous simplicity and elegance. She is committed to providing delicious, healthy, and exciting menu options for your group. Bolstered by fresh and organic produce grown on Vanderkamp’s own community garden project, she has been serving meals for groups from 15-160 people that have been creating considerable excitement.
Our renewed dedication to serving the best possible food is resonating well with our retreat guests. A group that has been coming for 9 years running has offered the following comments:
“I think I am still full from last night! I have never eaten food like this here!”
“Wow, everyone is blown away… I don’t think we’ll have people going out to restaurants when they come here anymore!”
“Everything has just been terrific! Thank you so much for giving us a new menu this year!”
Vanderkamp is now prepared to offer retreat guests a personalized dining experience where groups can request their own menu via correspondences with our Food Service Manager, or leave it to us to serve meals that we believe will best serve your group. Want to hold a wedding here? Just want some good old fashioned meat and potatoes? We’d love to put together a meal package to serve your needs.
It doesn’t matter if you are a church youth group, a church looking for an adult retreat, or a couple looking to book a wedding: we are confident that we can put a meal package together to serve your needs.
Contact fiona today at fiona@vk.org, email James at james@vk.org, or call 315-675-3651 today to discuss what options are available. We can’t wait to show you what’s in store for your retreat group this year!
Hopefully you’ll see something you like on our sample menu, if not, we’re happy to chat with you to find options that suit your taste.
Sample Meals
Breakfast
Baked French Toast
Breakfast Strata (e.g. sausage egg and cheese, vegetable egg and cheese)
Whole Grain Pancakes
Quiche
Baked Oatmeal
Fritata
Served with:
Cereal Bar with yogurt, milk, and fruit
Bagels, toast, or sweet bread (banana, pumpkin, and zucchini)
Juice
Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate
Lunch
Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Stew
Grown-up Grilled Cheese and Soup (e.g. gruyere and apple grilled cheese with butternut squash soup)
Baked Potato Bar with fixin’s
Assorted Quesadillas (e.g. chicken, black bean, seasonal vegetables)
Burritos
Sandwiches (egg salad, chicken salad, etc.) with Pasta or Potato Salad
Hearty Seasonal Vegetable and Bean Stew with bread
Dinner
Chicken Pot Pie with Rice Pilaf
Tacos with Beans and rice
Enchiladas with Beans and Rice
Shepherd’s Pie with seasonal vegetable
Baked Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and seasonal vegetable
Spaghetti with Meatballs
Chili
Stir Fry with chicken or Tofu and fresh vegetables
Thai Curry with seasonal Vegetables
Homemade flatbread pizza with assorted toppings
Desserts
Apple Crisps
Brownies
Bread Pudding
Cobbler
Ice Cream
Cake
* All meals will be well balanced – meaning guests will be offered a healthful combination of protein, vegetables and grains. Menu choices will vary depending on availability of seasonal produce.
Meals are generally served buffet style.
Each meal is accompanied by either a cereal bar, mixed greens salad, or salad bar.
Lunches are served with fresh fruit.
Dinner is served with dessert.
We are happy to provide vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. We will accommodate any food allergies. Please speak with the food service manager prior to your group’s arrival to arrange for any special dietary need.
Please contact fiona@vk.org if you have further questions about meals at Vanderkamp.
