You used to make things.

You used to cook slowly, get your hands in something, lose an afternoon to a project that had no deadline and no deliverable. You used to come home with paint on your jeans or flour on the counter and feel like yourself.

Then life got full - not bad, just full - and the making stopped. The weekends filled up with logistics. The craft room became a closet. The sourdough starter didn't survive the move.

This weekend is for getting it back.

Mischief & Makers Camp is a chef-crafted, hands-on retreat where you'll make things you've never made, eat food you'll talk about for months, and sit at a long table with people who came as strangers and leave as the kind of friends you text on a Tuesday.

Aerial view of a garden with a house and pathways

Home for the weekend.

Tucked into a forested corner of Vashon Island, Iola Gardens is part working garden, part black-timbered barn, part meadow that disappears into the trees. We chose it because the second you arrive, your shoulders drop.

The property has gardens, gathering spaces, a kitchen built for real cooking, and the particular quiet that only islands have. You'll eat dinner outside. You'll workshop at long tables under the trees. You'll wander paths that smell like cedar and rosemary. It's not a venue. It's a co-host.

Take a tour

No exact times — just moments.

  • Cartoon raccoon on a ferry with 'To Vashon Island' sign, surrounded by nature.

    Friday Evening

    Arrive by ferry. The water is the threshold - once you cross it, the weekend has started. Settle into your tent or your room. Wander the garden. Dinner is outside, under the lights, and it's the kind of meal that makes you slow down before you've even tried to. Meet the people you'll be making things with all weekend. The wine is open. Pip is watching from the treeline.

  • Illustration of a raccoon roasting marshmallows over a campfire in a forest at night.

    Saturday

    Morning workshops. Coffee is already made. You'll sit at a table with materials in front of you and an instructor who is patient, kind, and genuinely excited to show you something. You might be bad at it. That's the whole point. Long lunch in the garden. Afternoon: more making, or just being. Dinner takes its time. Campfire after. Someone will bring a guitar. Pip will steal a marshmallow.

  • Illustration of a raccoon sitting on a blanket in a forest setting with houses in the background.

    Sunday

    One last workshop - the unhurried kind, where you finish what you started or begin something new. Brunch with the people who, forty-eight hours ago, were strangers. Pack your handmade things. Catch the ferry home. You'll have dirt under your fingernails and something on your shelf that wasn't there on Thursday.
Ferry boat on water with mountains in the background

The ferry is part of the experience.

Vashon Island is a 20-minute ferry ride from Fauntleroy in West Seattle, a 10-minute ride from Point Defiance in Tacoma, or a 15-minute ride from the Southworth terminal in Kitsap County. No bridge. No shortcut. The ferry is the moment the weekend officially starts.

We'll send detailed directions, ferry schedules, and a suggested packing list after you reserve your spot. Don't overthink it. Layers, a headlamp, your favorite mug, and the willingness to be bad at something new.

A note from Pip.

Pip has been at camp since before the camp existed. He lives somewhere between the garden and the kitchen, and he has opinions about which mushrooms to forage. He strongly endorses the bread. You'll see him around. He approves.

Your spot at the table.

Every tier includes all workshops, all meals — from Friday dinner through Sunday brunch — and all the making your hands can hold. The only difference is where you sleep.

View all

Spots are limited. They always will be. Here's your gentle nudge.

Why you can trust the meal, the making, and the weekend.

From a chef who's fed people for thirty years at long tables, in fields, at celebrations that mattered. Maven Meals has spent over a decade making food that tells a story. Mischief & Makers Camp is what happens when that same care meets a weekend of craft, curiosity, and really good company.

Hosted at Iola Gardens on Vashon Island, a thoughtful garden where the land is as much a part of the experience as the food and the making. You'll hear the trees before you hear anything else.

Questions, asked frequently.

What if I've never done any of these crafts?

That's the whole point. Every workshop is designed for beginners. You'll leave with something you made, and you'll be proud of it.

Can I come alone?

Most of our guests do. By Saturday morning, everyone knows everyone's name. By Sunday, you'll have people to text when you get home. Coming alone is actually the best way to come.

What about dietary restrictions?

Chef Heidi has been accommodating every allergy and preference for fifteen years. Gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, dairy-free - just tell us when you book. We'll feed you well. We promise.

What's included in the ticket?

Everything except your ferry ticket and whatever you buy in the Vashon town on your way through. All workshops, all meals from Friday dinner through Sunday brunch, all materials, campfire, coffee that's always on, and the company of people who came to make things.

What should I bring?

Layers (island evenings are cool even in August). A headlamp if you're camping. Your favorite mug. Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting clay on. A book for lounging in the meadow. The willingness to be bad at something new. We'll send a full packing list once you book.

What's the refund policy?

Full refund up to 30 days before camp. 50% refund 15–30 days before. No refund within 14 days, but you can transfer your ticket to someone else at any time, and we'll help you find them.