Common Ground Retreat Center is a community-run operation. We don't have professional staff who live at the retreat center and instead rely on volunteers to take care of most essential tasks, including cleaning and cooking. When you sign up for a retreat or practice period, you will be able to indicate your interest in helping out in one of various ways, one of which is cooking!

If you are helping in the kitchen, it is required to wear indoor shoes or slippers.

We encourage folks who sign up to make a meal to prepare it ahead of time and bring it with them, to keep things simple at the retreat center. However, it's ok to bring ingredients and make your meal on-site if that's easier for you.

We provide tried and tested (and tasty) recipes, which you can view here. If you indicate interest in cooking on your registration form, we'll be in touch to coordinate the menu.

Other Info about Food at the Retreat Center

Breakfast is usually oatmeal and fixings.

Lunch is the main meal. We operate in the spirit of the eight precepts, which encourages the simplification of any eating after the midday meal in order to help maintain the momentum of the retreat and allow our minds to settle. Dinner is often soup and crackers or leftovers.

There is a fridge to store any additional food you need to bring. Again, please consider keeping it simple.

There is tea and coffee but feel free to bring your own to use and/or share.

Label and date all items placed in refrigerators or freezers.

Items not in need of refrigeration should be kept in clean, proper storage containers. This is important for insect/rodent control. We have some large coolers that can be used for this purpose.

If you are tenting, no food items are allowed in tents. Raccoons and skunks quickly identify sources of food. Help them respect our boundaries.