Cooking with Fire

Cooking is the language of love for many people throughout the world and throughout history. When we sit down to meals with friends and family, we strengthen the bonds of our relationships while nourishing our bodies together, giving us the vital energy we need for all aspects of our lives. While we are still discovering new modern ways to cook our food, people continue to cook food in ancient ways over open fire, utilizing smoke, coals, and so much more. 

Open to all; no previous experience needed. 

In this workshop we will:

Spend a full day cooking together over open fire, building and preparing a communal meal from start to finish.

• Strengthen fire-building skills for outdoor cooking
• Learn a variety of cooking techniques, from ancient to modern methods
• Cook with locally foraged, hunted, and farmed foods
• Prepare and share a full communal feast together
  • This includes: building fires, cooking, setting the table, and sharing a meal in community

Some techniques and recipes may include:

• Smoking meats and vegetables
• Making handmade tortillas
• Baking dessert in a “Swedish stove” we build together
• Crafting pot hangers for slow cooking and braising
• Clay baking techniques
• Chicken butchery (optional participation depending on comfort level)
• Shelling and working with foraged nuts
• And more!

About the Instructors

Dustin Lamberta – Dustin has been working with people in nature for over 15 years. He’s a passionate deer hunter with a special fondness for birds, open fire cooking, gardening, black walnuts, buckskin sewing, and earthenware pottery. He lives in Cottekill, NY with his wife Terrah and dogs Frankie and Peanut.

Henry Gartner – Henry Gartner was born and raised in rural Greenwich NY. Growing up in a farming community, he found a love for the outdoors at an early age. As a Farm & Wilderness camper when he was a young teen, Henry refined his skills for spoon carving and creating friction fire. He came to the Hudson Valley to study at SUNY New Paltz, where he graduated with a degree in mathematics. Henry can be found in the Gunks year-round, trad climbing and mountain biking. When there is snow to be skied Henry shreds on tele gear. His two moms could not be happier that he has chosen to work for an organization fostering social justice.

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