All About my 2023 Baking Retreat

UPDATE: RETREAT IS NOW SOLD OUT! Please email me, [email protected] to be put on the waitlist. Thank you!

Join me and three of my baking/cooking expert friends for my 2023, annual Baking Retreat! It’s a women’s weekend getaway, centered around good food and friends! Read on for all of the information you’ll need to know before registration opens!

What’s a Baking Retreat?

I love baking, learning and making new baking friends! The connections we experience through love of food is so powerful – it’s such a natural way to make a new friend! My love for all of these things inspired me to organize a women’s retreat centered around baking & cooking experiences. I’ve hosted two, highly successful retreats already! I’m so excited for my next and third retreat in 2023!

If you love baking and creating in the kitchen, making new friends and having unique, unforgettable experiences, then you are in the right place!

So, what exactly is a baking retreat? In a nutshell:

• It’s a women’s weekend getaway! Bring your best friend or come by yourself (be ready to make some new life-long friends!). We will all be staying together in one large, luxury home!
• I have invited 3 of my food blogging friends to come teach a class – we get to learn from the experts! Not only do they teach us their valuable expertise on how to be better cooks and bakers, but they will stay with us for the weekend – you get to hang out with your favorite food bloggers!
• Registration is open to the public! ANY skill level is welcome! You don’t have to be a professional to attend!
• It’s a time to do something so rewarding for yourself! You will come away from this retreat inspired, educated and enriched with new skills and fun friendships!
• You’ll also go home with lots of SWAG! I love showering my attendees with fun, free stuff!

This will be my third Retreat and I couldn’t be more excited! Past retreats have been in Park City, Utah and Bear Lake, Utah. I’ve had some amazing food bloggers join us for each one! In Bear Lake, we were lucky enough to have Si Foster (@abountifulkitchen), Tara Bench (@tarateaspoon) and Brooke Eliason (@femalefoodie) each teach a class and spend a good portion of the weekend with us!

See the video below for a very brief glimpse into our Bear Lake Retreat! It was incredible! I have LOTS more pictures and videos from my two previous retreats on my Instagram Highlights! Those are so fun to look at and get a better feel for what goes on at my Baking Retreats.

Each Retreat is unique

No one retreat is exactly the same! Each retreat is in a new location with new class presenters. I want each retreat to be a unique and new experience for you!

The 2023, Baking Retreat will be an unforgettable experience! Read through all of the information carefully for all of the details.

There are only 20 spots available! Be sure to be ready to register the second it opens up! I anticipate that it will sell out quickly!

Countdown to registration!

All about the 2023 Baking Retreat

I am gathering a few of my friends who are baking and cooking experts to come teach us their specialties. For the 2023 Nashville Baking Retreat, I have an amazing line up of presenters! (See the Class Instructors section below for all about WHO you will be hanging out with and learning from for this weekend!)

Now more than ever, we are all craving human experiences. After all we’ve been through the past couple of years, we need these connections!

Dates:

• Thursday, February 2, 2023 – Sunday, February 5, 2023.
• The Retreat will begin Thursday afternoon around 4:00pm for a special dinner together at the Retreat Home. We will also have our first class that Thursday night – it will be a fun one that will allow us to get to know each other quickly! We will have two classes on Friday and one class Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon and evening, we will head into Nashville and explore and eat dinner. We will head home Sunday morning by 10am.

Location:

• Nashville, Tennessee area (the home we are staying in is located about 40 minutes out Nashville)
• It’s on a beautiful, large and spacious, 17-acre Southern farm – the newly renovated property is a countryside farm experience with a modern twist.
• The home includes a sport court, sauna, gym, ping pong table (watch out-I’m really good!), fire pit, plenty of lounging areas, and a farm with highland cows and miniature American ponies!
• The Nashville International Airport is the closest major airport to where we are staying.

Class Instructors:

We have some amazing food bloggers coming to teach our classes! You will LOVE getting to know these amazing women! Learning from them, gathering together in the kitchen, spending the weekend with them…we’re in for an unforgettable experience!

Mel from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Mel has been posting her favorite, tried-and-true recipes on Mel’s Kitchen Cafe since 2008. Over a decade later, she’s still sharing her go-to recipes with the world, and treasuring the friendships she’s made with her readers over the years. Mel’s approach to life and food is realistic, down-to-earth, and approachable! She wants everyone who visits her blog to feel like they are sitting at her kitchen counter sharing best-ever recipes with a friend…as well as sharing the ups and downs of dealing with life, teenagers and everything in between! Mel lives in southwest Idaho (by way of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Utah) with her husband and five kids (and also two miniature donkeys, six cows, two kunekune pigs, 21 chickens, a swarm of honey bees, and a friendly golden retriever). It’s a whole lot of crazy and a whole lot of fun.

Chances are, you’ve made and fallen in love with several of Mel’s delicious recipes. This is such an amazing opportunity to learn from one of the most popular food bloggers of all time!

You can find Mel on both of her Instagram accounts @melskitchencafe and @melsfauxfarm

Sara from Our Best Bites

Sara is a bestselling cook book author and co-founder of the wildly popular site, Our Best Bites.  For over 15 years she has been helping people find joy and ease in the kitchen as she gathers people around her virtual kitchen table. 

She is the co-author of three Bestselling Cook Books, “Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes,” “Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites,” and “400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites.” Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

Sara is a busy Mother to 4 sons ranging in age from 7 to 16 and specializes in meal time solutions for busy families.  She especially loves connecting with other women and teaching skills that build confidence in the kitchen! 

We are so lucky to have Sara as one of our class presenters! She is legendary in the food blogging industry and we will be richly blessed by getting to learn from her!

You can find Sara on Instagram at @sara_ourbestbites

Kelsey Nixon

Kelsey has a rich background in the food industry! She hosted Kelsey’s Essentials and Kelsey’s Homemade on Cooking Channel and is the author of Kitchen Confidence.

She launched her career in food on season 4 of Food Network Star just as she was wrapping up her undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism where she created and hosted a college cooking show called Kelsey’s Kitchen that focused on fast, fun, and affordable meals for college students. Food Network Star led her to Kelsey’s Essentials, executive produced by Bobby Flay, which was one of the first pieces of original programming on Cooking Channel and earned her a daytime Emmy nomination!

Kelsey has been part of the Food Network family since 2008 with appearances on Iron Chef America, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Cutthroat Kitchen. She also regularly appears on the Today Show and Rachael Ray.

Kelsey currently lives in California with her husband and three adorable children. She has such a fun energy and will be so amazing as one of our class presenters!

You can also find more about Kelsey on Instagram at @kelseynixon

Heather from That Bread Lady

Also known as That Bread Lady. Yes! I’ll be teaching a class at the Retreat as well and I can’t wait to spend some time creating in the kitchen with you!

I am an Arizona native and have never wanted to live anywhere else! My husband and I have five amazing kids (1 girl and 4 boys), and one darling little granddaughter! We love spending time with our family, and do as much as we can together.

I began my love for baking as a young child, helping my mom in the kitchen. In 2010, I turned my passion into a home bakery business, specializing in homemade breads. I ran my bakery for 10, amazingly busy and fulfilling years, providing countless baked treats for several local businesses and thousands of my own customers. In late 2020, I eventually decided to say goodbye to my home-bakery business and debuted my baking website, thatbreadlady.com. Soon after launching my website, I developed a fun baking community called The Baking Academy – a way to share even more of my knowledge and baking experience through step by step videos. I currently have 15 virtual baking courses…and counting!

I have appeared several times on Studio 5 KSL and have been featured in Orson Gygi’s, At The Table magazine. I am also a two time presenter at Pinner’s Conference.

I love seeing my baking community continue to grow – I genuinely love to help others gain confidence in the kitchen and get amazing results in their baking! I love to make connections and friendships with others through baking!

You can always find me hanging out on Instagram at @thatbreadlady

What will we be learning?

Even though my retreats are usually dedicated to mostly baking, we have some really great cooking experts! We will be mixing up some cooking and baking classes this time!

• Best part of all…YOU will get to vote what classes we teach you!

What will we be doing?

Even though we want to learn as much as possible from these amazing experts that will be in our presence, I think it’s also so nice to have some down time as well. I want your weekend getaway to be super relaxing and a way to recharge your batteries! So, you will have classes mixed with free time to spend however you like! In past retreats, women have spent their free time going on walks, taking naps, reading, playing games and visiting with the other ladies. We will also be going into Nashville for half a day (Saturday) to explore and have fun!

What is included in the Retreat?

• This retreat includes lodging in a luxurious estate for three nights (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights). See “Room Assignments” section below for more details.
• All of your meals are included, with the exception of Saturday night when we go into Nashville.
• You will get four incredible, instructional cooking and baking classes by the experts! Classes by Mel, Sara, Kelsey and Heather. We have years and years of cooking and baking experience behind us. You’ll come away with new skills and knowledge that will be absolutely invaluable! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
• Swag bags and giveaways! We love to shower our attendees with fun swag from lots of different sponsors! You’ll be going home with lots of goodies – be sure to bring extra space in your luggage!
• Not included is your travel – you will be responsible for your flight and transportation to and from the house. You will be able to park at the house. Bring along some friends and share a car – we will also put together a Group Me chat with all of the attendees, in case you’d like to share rides.

Fees

• The Retreat fee ranges from $2200 to $2500 per person, depending on which room you choose. See room details below.
• A $600 deposit is due at the time of registration to reserve your spot. You can make your payments in two more installment payments throughout the rest of the year. Depending on what room you chose, the remaining balance after your deposit will be split into two equal payments. The second payment will be due September 1, 2022. The third and final payment will be due by Dec 1, 2022. You can also choose to pay in full any time before the final payment is due.
• Please note: All payments are nonrefundable, but are transferrable. If you are unable to attend, please contact me – I will offer your spot to the next person on the waitlist. If no one on the waitlist is able to attend, you will have the ability to transfer to a friend. If a replacement cannot be found for your spot, your payments are nonrefundable.

Who can attend

This retreat is for women only, ages 21 and up. I encourage you to register with friends, sisters, your Mom or daughter. I hope this will be an amazing girls getaway for you to relax and enjoy yourself!

Things to keep in mind

• No smoking, alcohol, recreational or illegal drugs are permitted for the duration of the retreat.
• There will not be masks or proof of Covid vaccination required.
• If you are feeling ill less than one week prior to the Retreat, I ask that you contact me immediately. No refunds will be offered due to illness.
• You will be sharing rooms, bathrooms and beds with other women. We will be in a nice, large home, but please be prepared to be cozy for your sleeping arrangements. Room assignments will be made AFTER registration (See Room Assignments section below). If you have any concerns about the sleeping arrangements, please contact me BEFORE registration.

Room Assignments

Even though the house we are staying in is beautifully renovated, luxurious and spacious, there are some bedrooms than have more privacy than others. In order to be fair, I’m offering a premium price on the more spacious bedrooms & a discounted price on the ones that have less privacy and have to share a bathroom with more people. Again, each sleeping arrangement should be quite comfortable, but I just want to make it fair for everyone.

The first step is to reserve your spot: In order for me to give you the best opportunity to get a spot at the retreat, I’m doing a general registration with a flat deposit fee ($600). I will then take room requests in order I receive the registrations. The payment schedule per room will look like this:

Upstairs

Upstairs contains 5 bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms (Room 1 & 2) each have their own private bathrooms. The remaining three bedrooms (Rooms 3,4 and 5) will share one large, full bathroom. (This shared bathroom will also need to be available as a powder room for other participants)

• Room 1: King Bed, private bathroom – Sleeps two. $2500 per person (pictured below)
• Room 2: King Bed, private bathroom – Sleeps two. $2500 per person
• Room 3: Queen Bedroom – Sleeps two. $2300 per person
• Room 4: Queen Bedroom – Sleeps two. $2300 per person
• Room 5: Queen Bedroom – Sleeps two. $2300 per person

Downstairs

Downstairs contains 3 bedrooms (that sleeps 10 total) and 1 full bathroom, shared by everyone downstairs. The downstairs area includes a HUGE living area, kitchenette with refrigerator and microwave, flat screen tv, ping pong table (careful – I’m really good!), gym and sauna. Please note, the bunk area is not completely closed off as a separate bedroom. Also, we can make the upstairs bathroom available as a powder room.

• Room 6: Queen Bedroom – Sleeps two. $2200 per person
• Room 7: 2 Queen Bedroom – Sleeps four. $2200 per person (pictured below)
• Room 8: Bunk Room – Sleeps four. $2200 per person (pictured below)

*If you have a group of three and want to stay in the same room, please let me know and we can figure out how to make that work for you!

Example of rooms

*Please reach out to me ahead of time if you have any concerns about the sleeping arrangements! And it’s important to remember, that most of your time will not be spent in your room, but will be with the group for socializing, meals and classes.

How to Register

• Registration begins Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 7:00am PT.
• Click on “Register Here” button below. Add it to the cart. Checkout and pay your $600 deposit to reserve your spot. *The registration button will not go live until June 14th at exactly 7:00am PT.
• If you are registering with a friend, the best way to make sure you both get a spot is to have one of you register for all of the spots in your party – just update the quantity in your shopping cart at checkout.
• Leave a note in the box at checkout with your top 3 room choices – after registration is over, I will offer first choice, in order of when people registered. (First come, first serve).
• Once your registration is complete, you will receive an email confirmation that your spot(s) was reserved. After which, I will reach out to you within 24 hours to personally welcome you to the Retreat!

*I anticipate registration filling up quickly. There are only 20 spots available (only 20)!! Please register as soon as it opens up to ensure you get your spot!

Any questions?

If after reading through this information, you have any more questions, please reach out to Heather at [email protected]

Good luck! I hope to see you in Nashville!!

love,

Heather