Programs

Kitchen

Dinner on Hog Island
Dinner on Hog Island. Photo: Amanda Leemann

Hog Island Kitchen

If you are thinking you’re going to summer camp and will be served hotdogs and chicken nuggets – think again! The Hog Island kitchen serves delicious, locally sourced, thoughtful, creative meals. They take great pride in offering many different options and accommodating dietary restrictions.  

During your time on Hog Island, you will be served three meals a day and have access to coffee, tea, and snacks at the self-serve ‘hutch’. The ‘hutch’ has a shared fridge, microwave, and toaster that campers can use and is well appointed with snacks and treats throughout the week.  

Dietary Restrictions 

Here at Hog Island, we want you to feel welcome and well taken care of. Our kitchen does an outstanding job of accommodating dietary restrictions. Please keep in mind that we do have certain limitation on what we can provide. Due to the scale of our operation and remote location, all food is ordered well in advance of camp, and specific food items may not be available to you. We operate ‘cafeteria-style’ to feed many people at a time and cannot serve entirely separate meals to individuals with dietary restrictions. Instead, we typically try to serve dishes that are inclusive of different diets. Information about dietary restrictions will be provided at the beginning of each meal. Whenever possible, there will be alternatives provided that are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, or vegetarian. Please be aware that Hog Island does not have a kosher kitchen. 

We can accommodate the following dietary restrictions:   

  • gluten-free 
  • Dairy-free 
  • vegan 
  • vegetarian 
  • pescatarian 
  • no red meat  
  • common food allergies 

If you have a dietary restriction other than those listed above, please call us before registering to make sure we able to accommodate your needs. 

Friends of Hog Island Partnership  

The Hog Island Kitchen could not operate without the generous support of the Friends of Hog Island.  Part of FOHI’s commitment to making the Hog Island Audubon Camp a sustainable venture is to provide volunteers to help with opening and closing the camp and then to help during the program sessions. Volunteers spend one to two weeks on Hog Island working in the kitchen, washing dishes, performing general housekeeping in the cabins, and sometimes helping with maintenance projects.  Many former campers and long-time Hog Island supporters join the FOHI volunteer team each summer.  You can sign up to become a volunteer at the FOHI website. 

Vendors 

Birds and Beans Coffee- Every bean sold by Birds & Beans is certified by independent inspectors to meet the rigorous Smithsonian standards. This is a certification based on decades of objective scientific research. Bird Friendly® coffee means that migratory songbirds we know and love have a better chance to survive while on their wintering grounds in the tropics. 

Bremen Lobster Pound Co-op - Fresh lobster from Muscongus Bay are picked up weekly by our staff in a small skiff from this local lobster pound.  

Crown O' Maine - Crown O’ Maine Organic Cooperative (COMOC) brings you the goodness of things Maine grown, gathered, and produced since 1995. 

The Milkhouse - Located in Western Kennebec county just south of Cobbosseecontee Lake, the Milkhouse is a certified organic creamery that was created in the fall of 2012 by Caitlin Frame and Andy Smith. Our goal is for the farm to be a resource for the community, improve soil fertility & forage quality on the land while producing good, healthy food for the people of Maine and beyond. 

Rising Tide - A cooperative business dedicated to being a trusted community-based resource for high quality, natural, sustainable foods and goods. Our vision is to be a trusted source of foods, goods and information for our community. 

Round Top Ice Cream - Located in Damariscotta, ME, this iconic ice cream shop boasts almost 100 sweet flavors, including homemade, soft-serve, gelato, and sorbet. 

Campers excited for a "Lobstah Dinnah"
Campers excited for their "Lobstah Dinnah". Photo: Corey Husic

How you can help, right now