Bake & Pray Retreat: October 9-11, 2024
Bake & Pray Retreat: October 9-11, 2024
Join author/baker Kendall Vanderslice and author/songwriter Amanda Held Opelt for a relaxing retreat in the mountains of North Carolina this fall—during peak leaf week, no less!
We’ll gather at the Mast Farm Inn from October 9-11 for three days of feasting, bread baking, worshipping, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation—together with a small community of 25 people.
Blending baking science and technique with theological reflection, Kendall will teach participants how to incorporate bread-making into the rhythms of their busy lives. Whether lifelong bakers or intimidated by the thought of yeast, participants will step away from this retreat with a practical understanding of how to bake bread and a deep appreciation for the ways God can shape them in the process.
What To Expect:
Arrive at Mast Farm Inn on Wednesday afternoon between 3 and 6 pm for light refreshments and time to explore the surroundings. We’ll begin our retreat that evening with a time of worship during a 3 course meal made by the inn’s spectacular chef.
On Thursday, we’ll spend the day learning how to bake bread as a form of prayer. Every workshop participant will mix up their own batch of dough, learning along the way how bread is at play in Scripture and in Christian tradition. We will worship together (music led by Amanda), we will rest with the bread (with plenty of time to go on a short hike, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, or visit Mast General Store), and feast together on a simple dinner of bread, soup, and salad.
Friday morning we will share one last breakfast together and one last time of worship before heading out. If you’d like to reserve your room at the inn all the way through the weekend, we encourage you to stay and enjoy all that Boone and the surrounding areas have to offer. We’ll even provide you with a guide for things to eat, see, and do.
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for anyone who wants to learn how to bake bread as a form of prayer! Whether you are an experienced baker looking to deepen your understanding of bread’s spiritual meaning, or you are brand new to yeast—this retreat is for you. Whether you spent every day of the pandemic mastering your sourdough or you are overwhelmed just looking at the flour options on the grocery store shelf—this retreat is for you.
If you are looking for time to slow down, to pay attention to God’s invitation to rest, and to connect with other like-minded folks around the table—this retreat is for you. Our time together will include plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings and to enjoy one another’s company too.
What is covered in the retreat fee?
Your retreat fee covers all retreat content, a welcome basket including basic bread baking tools and a signed copy of Bake & Pray, and 4 meals—Wednesday dinner, Thursday breakfast, Thursday dinner, and Friday breakfast.
You are responsible for booking your own lodging, which is available at the Inn and ranges in price from $225-$550 per person for both nights. Alternatively, you may choose to spend the night off site and commute in for the meals and retreat content.
Thursday lunch will fall during our free time. We will have light snacks available on site if you would like, or you may go out to one of the area’s wonderful restaurants. We highly recommend Over Yonder—a restaurant right across the street from Mast Farm.
About Your Hosts:
Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, writer, and the founder of the Edible Theology Project.
A graduate of Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies), Boston University (MLA Gastronomy), and Wheaton College (BA Anthropology), she has committed her life to the study of food and community formation.
Kendall is a professionally trained baker, having learned from several top American pastry chefs. In 2018, she was named a James Beard Foundation national scholar for her work bridging food and religion.
She is the author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God and By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God. Her next book, Bake & Pray: Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice, releases October 8 (just in time for this retreat!). She speaks regularly at churches, colleges, and universities around North America.
Her writing appears in Christianity Today, Christian Century, Faith & Leadership, and Religion News Service.
Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter.
She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds.
Amanda has spent 15 years serving in the non-profit and humanitarian aid sectors, and has written for Christianity Today, Premier Christianity, and 100 Days in Appalachia. She is the author of two books: A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing and Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life.
She lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, with her husband and two young daughters.
Where We’ll Stay:
The retreat will be held at the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. The Mast family founded the town of Valle Crucis in 1700 and began operating their family home as an inn in 1900. Today the Inn functions as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and event space, where guests can enjoy the grounds, the pond, and all that the region has to offer. The property includes the oldest habitable log cabin in North Carolina—which is one of the cabins available for you to stay in!
You will be responsible for booking your own room, with many options to choose from:
Book a private room with a Queen or King bed for yourself (or to share with a partner/friend)—private rooms are currently priced at $269/night
Book a cabin with a group of friends—cabins sleep from 2-6 people and are currently priced between $299 and $339/night
Ask us to pair you with two other same-gender retreat guests to share a cabin—currently priced at $113/person/night
Book your own off-site lodging and commute in for meals and the retreat
You must call Mast Farm Inn to book your room or cabin with the Bake & Pray retreat rate. The rooms have been reserved for our group and are not available for reservation online.
Valle Crucis is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Charlotte Douglas Airport and 3 1/2 hour drive from Raleigh Durham Airport. We are happy to connect you with other retreat guests who will also be driving in from Charlotte or Raleigh to share the cost of a car rental and gas.
Kendall will be hosting a book launch party for Bake & Pray in Durham on the evening of Tuesday, October 8. You might consider flying into RDU on Tuesday to join in on the party fun, then drive out to Valle Crucis on Wednesday with other retreat guests!
