Guest Instructors

The Arboretum is pleased to host the following guest instructors for specified 2009 activities:

COOKING:

Jenny Breen has been cooking and baking professionally in Minnesota since 1986. She co-owned The Good Life Café, a vegetarian restaurant in South Minneapolis until 2001, and currently co-owns Good Life Catering where she is the menu designer and head chef (www.goodlifecatering.com). Breen is a passionate advocate and educator about local and sustainable foods. She is currently working on a cookbook which includes her original recipes as well as a basic explanation of how to find and use local and sustainable foods in the Northern United States. The Arboretum's resident chef since 2003, she teaches classes for adults, children, and families.  

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY:

Michael DeSmit is an active member of the Arboretum's Photography Society and has experience teaching photography skills to young people through CityFresh, the Arboretum's urban outreach entrepreneurial program.

Gretchen Wagener earned her Master of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in painting and ceramics from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Gretchen has lived and studied art in Florence, Italy and has exhibited her paintings in the Twin Cities and throughout the United States. She has developed and taught children's programs locally through various programs and institutions including the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, St. John's Lutheran School in Chaska, and Trinity Lutheran School in Waconia.