Culinary Events

Our culinary events magically weave together food, a beautiful dining experience, art, and a chance to connect and grow with Ox-Bow through learning. Our kitchen is at the heart of our campus and these events are the perfect way to immerse your palette in the creations of our Guest artists and in-house culinary team, while creating community around the dining table. There are several different paths to explore and we invite you to join us around the table.

2025 Taste of Ox-Bow

June 27, August 1, and August 22 

7:00–10:00 p.m.

Ready to fall in love with the flavors of campus? At our Taste of Ox-Bow dinner series, we prepare unique menus that showcase areas of our campus emulating our four pillars: Environment, Historic Preservation, Education, and Community. These themed events invite you to see the kitchen as a studio and to taste the beautiful art that emerges from it. Stay for Friday Night Open Studios after dinner. Tickets are required, stay tuned to reserve your seats.

June 27: Featuring Artist John Brown IV, mixologist and bartender

Brown will lead guests through a voyage of mixology where you will taste, mix, experiment, learn and most of all enjoy a great evening on campus. Food from our culinary team will accompany the luxurious libations. Your ticket will include a one-of-a-kind piece of Ox-Bow glassware.

August 1: Featuring Sarah K. Williams, multi-disciplinary artist

Williams works at the intersection of food, sculpture, and performance and is the founder of Aesthetically Complex Pies. Guests will dine on Williams’s creations of obsessively organized and interactive sculptural treats on the meadow.

Fall Events

Harvest Dinner

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Chef and Food Journalist, Amy Thielen will join us at Ox-Bow this fall to craft a true midwestern harvest meal. Amy Thielen is a two-time James Beard award-winning writer and chef. She’s the author of three books: The New Midwestern Table, Give a Girl a Knife (a memoir), and her latest cookbook, Company: The Radical Art of Cooking for Others from W.W. Norton. Stay tuned for more details—tickets include a copy of Company: The Radical Art of Cooking for Other.

Bloody Brunch 

Saturday, October 18, 2025; 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. seatings available

Bloody Brunch begins with brunch prepared by our culinary resident, and concludes with an hour-long exclusive tour of Ox-Bow’s hallowed (and perhaps haunted) grounds. Spots are limited and early registration is encouraged. Ghost encounters are possible, though not guaranteed!

As a (grave)marker of your time with us, you’ll be able to take home your glass. Each one is a unique hand blown piece crafted on our campus by the Ox-Bow glass team. Tickets are $100 and include brunch, drinks, a piece of Ox-Bow glassware and a campus tour. Stay tuned to reserve your seats.

Past events

Pop-Up Culinary Resident Event

Thursday, January 30, 2025, 5:30–8:00 p.m.

A One-Night-Only Culinary Experience

This past summer and fall, our 2024 Culinary Artists-in-Residence delighted you with their creations during Taste of Ox-Bow dinners, Bloody Brunches, and Day of the Dead celebrations. Now, for one special winter evening, they are coming together to craft an unforgettable, collaborative culinary experience for you to enjoy.

This exclusive pop-up event is a one-time-only opportunity to experience the creative synergy of our talented Culinary Residents. With an air of mystery and surprises, further event details will be revealed only to ticket holders—purchase your ticket today for the chance to find out!

Tickets: $25 (tickets include access to the full culinary experience)

Culinary Residents:

• Daniel Fethke

• Sara Clugage

• MAGNET

• Edward Cabral

Where will you see these incredible residents next? They will be teaching Art on the Meadow workshops this summer—don’t miss the chance to learn from them! Registration for workshops open February 12, 2025.

Secure your spot now and be part of this exclusive winter event.

Bloody Brunch

Indulge in Ox-Bow’s scary-yet-succulent side at our Bloody Brunch with a menu designed by MAGNET. 

Saturday, October 19, 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

The experience includes an unparalleled brunch buffet, bottomless Bloody Mary bar, and an hour-long tour of haunted Ox-Bow. Your ticket price includes a one-of-a-kind glass produced in our on-site glass studio!

Día de los Muertos Dinner
Celebrate the traditional Mexican day of remembrance in the spirit of appreciation, education, and indulgence. 

Friday, November 1, 6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

Guest artist and chef Edward Cabral will lead a creative, reverent, and exultant feast in honor of Día de los Muertos. Accompanying beverages will be provided. Seating is limited,

Taste of Ox-Bow 2024

Ready to fall in love with the flavors of campus? At our Taste of Ox-Bow dinner series, Culinary Artists-in-Residence will prepare unique menus that partner with studios on campus. These themed events invite you into the spaces artists call home, all while immersing your palette with punchy, complex flavors! Stay for Friday Night Open Studios after dinner. 

CANCELED Friday, June 21, 5:00–8:00 p.m. with Hyun Jung Jun

Friday, July 26, 5:00–8:00 p.m. with Daniel Pravit Fethke

SOLD OUT - Friday, August 23, 5:00–8:00 p.m. with Sara Clugage

Guest Chef for Scary Supper - Edward Cabral:
Edward Cabral (b. 1987, Lafayette IN) is a multimedia sculptor, chef, and lecturer who lives and works in New York, NY. He received a BA in Visual Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. His work has recently shown at Williams College of Art (MA), Alexander Gray Associates (NY), and The Drawing Center (NY). He has also been featured on the History Channel, Food Network, and Disney+. His work focuses on the foodways and history of America cuisine. Friday, October 27, 6–8 p.m. - Scary Supper, includes wine pairings from Modales Wines

Bloody Brunch 

Ox-Tober festivities continue with our Bloody Brunch on Sunday, October 22. Begin with brunch prepared by guest chef Stella Brown, and conclude with an hour-long exclusive tour of Ox-Bow’s hallowed (and perhaps haunted) grounds. Spots are limited and early registration is encouraged. Ghost encounters are possible, though not guaranteed!

As a (grave)marker of your time with us, you’ll be able to take home your glass. Each one is a unique hand blown piece crafted on our campus by the Ox-Bow glass team. 

Sunday, October 22 from 10:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
First seating takes place at 10:30 a.m., second seating at 12:00 p.m. EST.

$75 – Includes brunch, open bloody bar, campus tour, and a take-home glass!

Guest Chef – Stella Brown:
Stella Brown is a native Chicagoan, artist, and curator. In 2009 she received her BA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art & Art History in 2019. She was the Founding Director of the Buddy store at the Chicago Cultural Center. She has been involved with the ACRE (Artist Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) Kitchen Program since 2015. In her artwork, areas of  examination include the Anthropocene era of man-made geology, contemporary ecological restoration practices in the Chicago region, the history of museum display and natural history practices, and display and consumerism in store displays and souvenir shops. In the last five years she has presented her own artwork and curated a number of public exhibitions and programming events at venues including Gallery 400, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goldfinch Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, ACRE, and Shoot the Lobster.

Best in the West 2023
Saturday, June 10, 6–8 p.m. - Tacos y Mas

Taste of Ox-Bow
Ready to encounter all the flavors of Ox-Bow? Let your tastebuds guide you through campus as you learn about the core values that carry Ox-Bow: Education, Historic Preservation, Environment, and Community. These themed events will invite you to encounter one or more of these values, while immersing your palette in small plates through punchy, complex flavors. Each meal will be rooted in a commitment to locality. Witness studios in action, explore historic cabins, roam the trails, and gather around the fire!

Friday, May 12, 6–8 p.m. Focus on Historic Preservation with Keith Goad
Friday, June 23, 6–8 p.m. Focus on Community
Friday, August 11, 6–8 p.m. Focus on Education

The Best in West 2022 Dinner Series

with Ox-Bow Hospitality Team
Every Saturday from September 17 through October 16, 2022, 7 - 9:00 p.m.

Enhance your Saturday evening with a unique dining experience created by our hospitality team. Your meal will serve the best version of the things you love in West Michigan for one night only each Saturday from September 17 through October 16. Not just a night of dining and imbibing, but a creatively, immersive night as you gather around the table with fellow guests.

Vegetarian, Pescatarian, and Gluten Free options available. Participants will receive a limited edition Ox-Bow Hospitality Zine with original recipes, stories, and illustrations.

Refreshments will be provided.

THE LINEUP: The Best in the West MI Pizza, Chicago Classics, Steak , Seafood, and Ramen

Decolonizing Dinner at Ox-Bow School of Art 
With Myriah Williams, Youth Specialist at Gun Lake Tribe
Saturday, April 16, 6-9PM

Cost: $135 per person or $250 per couple - Includes welcome cocktail, drink pairing, meal and 1 copy of the The Decolonizing Diet Project Cookbook

Join us at Ox-Bow for an exciting dinner experience to welcome spring with a meal that revels in ingredients that are native to our region! The Decolonizing Diet Project encourages use of ingredients that either exist in the Great Lakes Region naturally, or were brought by Indigenous peoples to the Region prior to 1600. Myriah Williams, proponent of the DDP and Youth Specialist at Gun Lake Tribe, will join Ox-Bow’s Culinary Director Nicholas Jirasek to craft a multi-course, family-style feast that highlights indigenous local ingredients like fresh harvested maple syrup, Manoomin (wild rice), and preserved duck. The event will begin with a cocktail hour and presentation from Myriah on the Decolonizing Diet Project, followed by a festive meal. Your ticket purchase will include a copy of The Decolonizing Diet Project Cookbook, produced by the Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University in 2015 (and other goodies!), so you can incorporate indigenous ingredients into your own home cooking.

Myriah Williams is the Youth Specialist for Gun Lake Tribe, a graduate student at Northern Michigan University working toward a masters in Indigenous Education and a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. She and her husband run Nadowen Farm and Gardens together.

During her time as a student at Northern Michigan University she took the Decolonized Diet Program (DDP) special topics class. Where she learned how traditional foods and agriculture sustain health and preserve the culture. She now incorporates the DDP into her everyday life.