Luxury wellness retreat Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill, New York, has announced a series of new culinary retreats led by chef Mads Refslund, cofounder of Noma in Copenhagen, four-time winner of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and two-time Michelin star recipient. Refslund leads Shou Sugi Ban House’s innovative, plant-rich culinary program and designs its seasonal menus.
The “Of Land and Sea: A Culinary Immersion” retreats will take place Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20; and Friday, October 9, through Monday, October 12. Participants will receive accommodations in a private guest studio with fireplace, soaking tub and garden patio; daily plant-rich meals; and numerous wellness activities. Additional programming, plus spa and healing treatments are available at an additional cost.
The culinary retreats will incorporate cooking demonstrations, workshops and excursions combined with the resort’s signature wellness programming, including morning yoga and beach walks. Each weekend will start with an introduction to Shou Sugi Ban House’s culinary philosophy and dinner, followed by a cacao ceremony before guests return to their private studios for a seasonal soak. Other itinerary highlights include a foraging excursion, microgreens workshop, picnic lunch, sound bath, fireside conversations and live music.
Shou Sugi Ban House’s culinary philosophy is born from the belief that true health is grounded in nature and food is medicine. Along with a resident nutritionist, chef Refslund creates balanced and hyper-seasonal menus that are inventive, locally sourced and designed to cleanse, heal and sustain guests throughout their stay. The culinary team selects the finest organic foods based on collaborations with local growers and purveyors, as well as integrating an abundance of herbs and greens grown in on-site biodynamic gardens.
