News

Much like the end of summer and the changes that come with fall, there is a flurry of growth and renewal happening at Tree House Kitchen, and we couldn’t be more excited. Get ready to change the way you think about food!

At Tree House Kitchen, through our cooking classes, events and partnerships, we have always nurtured and celebrated the connection between food, good health, community, family, and our sense of peace and well-being. Our greater purpose as chefs and teachers is clearer than ever: to take a fresh look at the important role food plays in our lives, and share our new work with you.

The evolution of Tree House Kitchen: Our beautiful and peaceful location atop the Niagara Escarpment in Greensville has been reinvented as a bustling hub of food-forward research and resource development. We will be creating and publishing valuable resources, developing recipes in our test kitchen, and implementing new teaching mediums. Our renewed vision will allow us to meet the needs of our ever-growing client base and provide opportunities to share our work broadly.

Some of what you will see in 2017/18:

The development of new video teaching resources | Technology is our friend! Cook with Tree House Kitchen chefs from the comfort of your own home kitchen, anywhere and in any weather, in our fun and informative YouTube videos, coming up in 2017. Have a specific cooking question? You can even contact us to “Ask A Chef” and we may use your question on camera!

The Tree House Kitchen Potager | The wild flower and prairie meadow garden at Tree House Kitchen is already a certified Pollinator Paradise. Watch as we transform our no-mow grass into a tapestry of sustainably-grown heirloom vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, and herbs. Our eating gardens will include a dedicated kids space, an area for experimental varieties and our thoughts are moving forward toward an Accessibility Garden where everyone can engage their senses.

Share share share! | All this goodness is begging to be shared, so in addition to our free recipe package and newsletter (what, you haven’t signed up yet?) in 2017 you’ll be able to engage with us via Facebook and Twitter and see all the culinary action from the test kitchen come to life in our new Instagram feed.

You can also check in on Nancy Henley’s food literacy side projects, including:

Partnership with the Institute for Hormonal Health and integrative wellness cooking coaching | Learn how to nourish yourself as part of your holistically tailored program for hormonal balance and healthy weight management at Institute for Hormonal Health in Oakville. Watch for links to Nancy’s guest posts for the IHH and articles about eating thoughtfully for hormonal balance.

Hamilton Public Health food literacy advisory | Chef Nancy Henley is on the city’s Food Advisory Committee, which helps improve food literacy, food security, and food-delivery systems. We’ll update you on the latest news in the development of the new Hamilton Food Strategy, and the positive changes this will bring to the community!

And thinking ahead to 2017…

Watch for more news as we announce new developments and ways to have your best food experiences via Tree House Kitchen programming and resources.

Thank you for joining us for this exciting new chapter at Tree House Kitchen!

With the arrival of summer and the close of the Tree House Kitchen cooking season, I prepare for a creative interlude during the month of July during which Tree House Kitchen will be closed.

In the meantime, check out Nancy’s Notes on Grill-Roasting a Rack of Lamb and Searing Lamp Pops. Try it out this summer. 🙂 Have a happy summer exploring new ways to unleash your inner chef – it’s easier than you think!

I gratefully look back on this past year. It’s been a busy and satisfying year with food and recipe testing; dinner party cooking classes; community speaking, teaching and advocating events; and food writing. Teaching and getting to know so many of you who share my passion for food, wellness, community, and sustainability is a blessing. Thanks to each and every one of you!

Danielle de Graauw of Cable 14 visits Tree House Kitchen to discover Chef Nancy’s nourishing family cooking recipe systems and techniques, and shares video segments on Cable 14 Hamilton Life.

I’m excited to announce my first open house at Tree House Kitchen. Please join me on Sunday, September 20, 2015, 2-4pm for a welcoming, tasty, and cultured break.

Meet & Greet

Meet me and my team. A red seal chef with more than 20 years of professional experience, I’m an enthusiastic teacher; sharing my skills and recipes through radio, video, and print. The stunning Tree House Kitchen indoor tree garden, intimate dine-in teaching kitchen, and beautiful event space will be your backdrop for this afternoon. Meet friends and make new acquaintances as you increase your culinary knowledge.

Art Exhibition

Browse delicious art by French fine artist Eric Ranveau. His pieces – available for purchase – celebrate the beauty of landscapes, food, and wine through figurative and abstract expression.

Tea Tasting

Sip on a variety of exquisite loose-leaf teas served by Certified Tea Sommelier, Tracey Carr Snyder. Learn about tasting methodology and the history of tea. Sample and bring home your favourites. Packaged tea and Artisan Ontario Maple Syrup will be available for purchase.

Live Classical Music

Relax in uplifting musical ambiance provided by a delightful classical strings group featuring mother Jenn Brasch and her talented children – Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra alumni and members.

I’m excited to welcome you into my Tree House Kitchen on this special occasion. See you soon!

From Lily (guest child foodie of Tree House Kitchen Kids Cook Locally V1), Chef Nancy and Nancy’s kitchen team, at the close of our teaching season, we wish everyone a joyous summer of kitchen adventures exploring, growing, nourishing and connecting!

Countless meals and memories have been hand-created in Tree House Kitchen since October 2014. What a full and nourishing Fall/Winter/Spring teaching season we had.

In August, Tree House Kitchen will post a wide variety of classes with all-new menus and favourite world cuisine classics that will run from September 2015 to June 2016.

We are a small business with a lot of heart! During these past nine months

• 21 cooking/teaching events reached several hundred people — young and old – all of whom received original Tree House Kitchen recipe systems.
• 500 + tweets and dozens of Facebook posts with original Tree House food pictures and tips were shared.
• Teaching videos were created, monthly blogs and quarterly newsletters were written sharing wide ranging nourishing topics to help you… mmmmm think like a chef!
• 40 stellar, local, food-related businesses/not-for-profits/city services were recommended.
• A dozen charities were supported.

We look forward to hearing about your summer food adventures! Connect with us at our open house featuring artist Eric Ranveau, a live classical quartet, and a tea tasting Sunday September 20 from 2 – 4 pm. Details about this special event and RSVP information will be shared soon.

Enjoy the season’s fun and stay fired up this year with nourishing family meals.

This year in Tree House Kitchen, you can enjoy these amazing cooking class experiences:

Nourishing Knife Skills

Chinese, Cajun, Moroccan and Spanish Global Soups and Stews (Fine artist Eric Ranveau will be in attendance to gather impressions of the emotions of enjoying food and wine. His resultant paintings will be displayed at an upcoming exhibition at Tree House Kitchen on Sunday, September 20, 2015.)

Parent and Child Family Fun

A Celebration of Spring

Spa Cuisine

BBQ Bonanza

Several recipes are worked through as a class in a fun, relaxed manner. The delicious results are served family-style or plated in three to six (class-dependent) filling courses. View class details and dates (they sell out quickly!) and then register. See you at your favourite classes!

Momentum Fitness Club is a beautiful, boutique-style gym in the heart of historic downtown Dundas, Ontario. The Momentum staff and Chef Nancy Henley share a common goal of changing how people think about improving their health and nourishing their lives. “What’s great about Nancy’s recipes is that they are all predicated on her four-tiered approach to living a nourished life,” states Craig Spear, owner of Momentum. “Nancy is a brilliant chef and we are so excited to have her share her knowledge with us! We highly recommend you ‘like’ her Facebook page, check out her blog/website.”