Kinhaven Junior Session Cookbook Sale!

Since Kinhaven’s first year in 1952, students have enjoyed wonderful characters like Althea and John Ahern in the kitchen, famous for their delicious, home-cooked meals, made with love for, first 12, later 120 people, and now it’s closer to 150! The original Kinhaven Cookbook, which was written 50 years ago, was created to document how the Kinhaven Kitchen functions and make sure that the next generation of cooks knew how to nourish the whole camp. Since the publication of that cookbook in 1975, the Kitchen has grown and changed in many ways, but the emphasis on home-made food has remained.

During the spring of 2020, as much of the world was shutting down due to the pandemic, a later generation of cooks who had worked at Kinhaven’s many sessions, but ultimately coalesced at the Junior Session, came together remotely to help address the concern of Butterscotch Brownie cravings.  For several years, there had been a number of requests for family size recipes of various Kinhaven favorites, the task seemed obvious.

For over a year, Molly Bidlack Bean, Nicole Daley, Sophie Kossakowski Kälin, Devon Nelson, Loran Diehl Saito, and Max Saito worked to create a new edition of the Kinhaven Cookbook, the Junior Session edition.Of course, there would be the traditional favorites, like Butterscotch Brownies and Ham Wiggle, but we also wanted to add newer, well-loved recipes, like Breakfast Casserole and Shakshouka. It took months of reducing and testing the recipes to make sure they produced the right amount of food for about 6-8 people. Then the work began of creating, designing, and editing the final book, which includes pictures and stories from the Kinhaven Kitchen, its people, its culture and its food.

Cookbooks are sold for $40. All proceeds from the sale of this book go towards the Nancy S. Bidlack Memorial Commission Fund, for the purpose of commissioning compositions from historically marginalized groups to create original works for middle school-aged students.  It is named for Nancy S. Bidlack, because she is the founder of the Junior Session and because of her efforts to introduce students to Kinhaven with broad and diverse backgrounds.

We are proud to share that since the cookbook was published in 2021, the Nancy S. Bidlack Memorial Commission Fund has supported the commissioning of two new works:

“Over the Bounding Main” a Brass Quintet by Brooke Stevens (premiered 2023)

“Buckeye” a Dectet for Winds by Ehren Valmé (premiered 2024)

So, if you’re longing for a loaf of Anadama Bread or a bowl of Kinhaven Chili, or even a Butterscotch Brownie, you can have the recipe right at your fingertips, while also supporting a great cause through the Nancy S. Bidlack Memorial Commission Fund.  

To purchase the Kinhaven Junior Session Cookbook, please visit: https://www.levellerspress.com/product/kinhaven-junior-cookbook/.

Kinhaven Junior Session Cookbook Recipe List