Events

Thursday, May 18
Thursday, June 15
Thursday, July 13
Thursday, Aug 24
Until 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy tranquil evening hours in the Gardens, which we will keep open until 7:30 p.m. for members. No registration required. The Kitchen Garden Café will also be open and serving a special menu on these evenings. The gift shop and shuttle service will be closed.

With Chef Michael Gosselin
Monday, July 31
6 – 8 p.m.
In the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Inside of Lyceum Hall, the 1872 building located in downtown Lewiston, sits Fuel Restaurant. A fully restored gem that is singly listed on the National Historic Register, Fuel holds the top spot in Central Maine for fine dining. They offer traditional French fare with their own spin, featuring dishes like escargot with roasted bone marrow and red wine sauce. In fact, Fuel’s wine list is so impressive that has won them the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the past eight years.
Chef Michael Gosselin has been with Fuel since the day it opened in March of 2007. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, Michael worked at the Black Point Inn and other local restaurants before landing at Fuel. Michael started as the Sauté cook, and rose through the ranks to become the Executive Chef. He now oversees all aspects of Fuel's kitchen.

with Jennifer Dunlap
Wednesday, August 16
8 - 9 a.m.
Members only

Join staff horticulturist, Jen Dunlap, as she reveals plants that you can grow in your garden to keep mosquitos, gnats, aphids, and all sorts of other insects at bay. Learn about strategically placing insect-repelling plants in your garden or on your patio. We will also explore carnivorous plants that eat insects.

Sunday, August 20

We will celebrate YOU - our wonderful members at the 5th annual Member Meeting & Celebration!

with Chef Matt Ginn
Monday, August 28
6 – 8 p.m.
In the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Chef Matt Ginn and Evo Kitchen + Bar are committed to providing its diners with an unforgettable experience. To sum it up, Evo claims to put an unconventional twist on the traditional. From the aesthetic in Portland to Evo's relationship with local farmers, the specialties of Evo and the uniqueness of the Gardens will combine to create an incredible dinner. Chef Ginn’s interest in food started when he was 14 and picking strawberries at Maxwell’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth. The 2015 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year sharpened his skills at award-winning restaurants like Harvest and L’Espalier in Boston. He returned to Maine as Chef de Cuisine at Five Fifty-Five in Portland in 2012, and is currently the leading Chef at Evo Kitchen and Bar, where he serves up stylish and delicious Middle Eastern-inspired fare.

Sunday, September 10
4 – 5:30 p.m.
in the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Join us for a delicious Traditional English Cream Tea in our Café when the summer colors start to fade and our fall colors begin to display. There will be delicate tea sandwiches and freshly baked scones, made that morning by Mollie and Wells Moore, with Mollie’s own strawberry jam topped off with a yummy real clotted cream, and finishing with a mini sweet. Most important – your own individual pot of tea with your choice of milk or lemon. Make reservations early as there is limited seating.

with Chef Cara Stadler
Monday, September 11
6 - 8 p.m.
In the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Tao Yuan in Brunswick and Bao Bao Dumpling House in Portland are both owned and operated by the mother-daughter team Cara and Cecile Stadler. Executive Chef Cara Stadler grew up making Shanghainese classics, but was trained globally. She started her career at the age of 16 in the United States; honed in on her fine-dining skills in Paris by studying at Le Cordon Bleu, staging for Guy Savoy, and working at Gordon Ramsay’s Au Trianon Palace; and worked extensively with David Laris, one of China’s best restaurateurs, after opening a fine-dining club in Beijing with Cecile. Tao Yuan features a Chinese inspired but globally-influenced small plates menu, while Bao Bao Dumpling House features Chef Stadler’s Shanghai-perfected dumplings. She was a James Beard Rising Star Chef nominee, and was named one of the Top 10 Young Chefs to Watch in 2016 by Conde Nast Traveler.

with Chef Niko Regas
Tuesday, September 26
6 - 8 p.m.
In the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Emilitsa is a rustic Greek restaurant with a contemporary and casual atmosphere located in the arts district of Portland. It was opened nine years ago by Chef Niko Regas, his father Chef Demo Regas and his uncle John Regas. They offer a full array of Greek dishes that “honor the breadth of traditional cuisine from all regions of Greece,” using local, fresh, and natural ingredients, and was recently featured in the New York Times’ feature “36-Hours in: Portland, ME.” Chef Niko Regas placed first in both the “People’s Choice” and “Best in Mediterranean” categories of the 2015 New England Lamb Jam, a competition between 20 of the top area chefs sponsored by the American Lamb Association.

with Chef Adam Flood
Monday, October 23
6 - 8 p.m.
In the Kitchen Garden Cafe

Grace Restaurant, located inside the restored historic Chestnut Street Church in Downtown Portland, harmonizes historic style, modern interior, and imaginative cuisine to create a unique atmosphere. Since 2012, Chef Adam Flood has created approachable but complex and artistic dishes from quality ingredients. Flood is originally from Saco, Maine and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas with over ten years of experience in fine dining, and has worked alongside James Beard Award winners like Michael Schlow, Patrick Connolly, Sam Hayward and Ken Oringer.

November 17 – December 31
Thursdays through Sundays, 4-9 p.m.
(Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve)

Join us again for the largest light show in Maine! See hundreds of thousands of lights, strung through the upper gardens in a beautiful display. Gardens Aglow is a ticketed event that delights people of all ages.

In addition to dramatic lighting, visitors will enjoy special food and beverage options in the Kitchen Garden Café and holiday shopping in the Gardens Gift Shop. Grab a friend, enjoy appetizers or a cocktail, and then experience an enchanting evening of festive lights and displays.

Tickets will go on sale in late summer.