Grace Art Camp Studio Artists for Krik? Krak! Stories from Haiti recently met to exchange ideas and plans about the stories, history, and arts and crafts of Haiti and found a feast awaiting them.

What better way to start the process than with a home-cooked, made-from-scratch, Haitian meal prepared by GAC’s 2019 Cultural Guest Artist, Elsy Dinvil. Elsy is originally from Haiti,  and has made Portland, Oregon her home for the past seven years. She just self-published her first cookbook: Cooking With My Mother. Elsy will be offering a cooking studio one day a week this summer as well as sharing stories with campers and staff of growing up in Haiti.

There are still spaces available throughout the summer — to register please visit:  https://grace-institute.org/grace-art-camps/grace-art-camp-2019/

Elsy Dinvil was born in Jeremie, Haiti. She started cooking at an early age at her mother’s side. She loved playing with food, which led her to pursue trainings in the food industry. She graduated from Ecole Hôtelière d’Haiti, one of the most prestigious culinary schools in Haiti and later got a full scholarship to study Food Science Technology at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. A six-year struggle with food allergies led her to a greater understanding of the mystery of food and its impact on the body. Her passion is to help orient people to eating fresh unprocessed food. Currently, she is focusing on developing her line of allergen-free Creole Me Up sauces and condiments. She hosts various Haitian food pop-ups during the year, cooks alongside renowned chefs in town, and teaches Haitian cooking classes around Portland.