Culinary at Maine Camps - Fave Meals, Culinary Programs Creations, Maine Restaurant Recos

January 21, 2026

When you send your child to camp in Maine, a few fantastic things happen foodwise:

  • Campers have an outstanding array of healthy and delicious food options at meals and snacks in the dining rooms, picnic pavilions, and cookouts. Some serve family style and some are buffet style with cooked entrees, salad bars full of colorful veggies and a variety of proteins, and baked goods. With veggie sushi, soup bread bowls, salmon, beef fajitas and more, we’ve come a long way from hot dogs, grilled cheese, and chicken nuggets, though those are still popular classics, too!
  • Campers expand their culinary horizons and try new things - they may enjoy different foods than they have at home. And we see the good influence campers have when they see other campers eating and they’re willing to try.
  • Campers get to make and eat fun recipes in well developed culinary programs and facilities. In fact, many come home with a cookbook and make their fave camp recipes for family and friends.
  • When kids go to camp in Maine, they and their families get to enjoy amazing food in cities like Portland and throughout the state pre- and post-camp, Visiting Day weekends, and beyond.

For this week’s blog, we asked our MCE Camp directors what some of the most popular camp meals, what are some of the best creations cooked in culinary programs, and for their Maine restaurant recommendations. Here’s a “taste,” a representative sampling:

I. Fave Meals at Maine Camps

From pizza, pierogies, pesto chicken pasta, and ’potle, to pancakes and pastries - Maine Camps serve mouthwatering meals.

Kingswood:

  • Main Hits: Pizza, Salmon, Pierogies, Mac and Cheese, and Chicken Tenders
  • Crowd Pleasers: Grilled Cheese, Lo Mein, Tacos, and Pasta
  • Special Traditions: Cookout nights, Shabbat dinner, and Pancakes for breakfast

Kohut:

  • Grilled cheese and tomato soup
  • Taco Tuesday
  • Pizza night

Matoaka:

  • Breakfast: Mac-Matoaka Breakfast Sandwiches - English muffin, egg, cheese, bacon, sausage options; Pancakes; Breakfast Burritos - build your own
  • Lunch: Chili Breadbowls; Build your own ‘Poke Bowl’ - chicken or beef, rice, beans, edamame, carrots, cucumber; Flatbread Panini - homemade pesto chicken, mozzarella, chicken, tomato, just cheese; Baked Ziti and garlic bread
  • Dinner: Beef Fajitas - all the fixings; Mediterranean Chicken - rice pilaf, hummus, pitta, grilled peppers and onions; Pizza night with caesar salad & chicken wings

North Star:

  • Chicken and Waffles
  • Walking Tacos
  • Chipotle Night
  • Mediterranean Night

Somerset:

  • Bang Bang Chicken
  • Somer-potle
  • Cookout
  • Ice Cream Sundaes
  • Sunday Pie Night

Vega:

  • Favorites in the Dining Hall: Chocolate chip pancakes, “Fuggets”, Fries and Chicken Nuggets, Chef Rob’s bbq chicken breast and chicken wings, “Chipotle” bar (taco/burrito bar with signature Chipotle items like cilantro-lime rice and guacamole)
  • Special Traditions: Cookout nights (once per week), 4th of July red-white-and-blue breakfast, Visiting Day lobster rolls, Camper Birthday “cake” - ice cream cake made special by Shanes of Maine - ask for “Vega Camper Cake” :)

Walden:

  • Pesto Chicken Pasta (Ziti) with Broccoli & of course, garlic knots
  • Anything and everything Taco… burritos, quesadillas, bowls, build your own and guacamole/salsa and chips for the win
  • Pizza and Congo bars (Blondie Brownies)
  • Schnecken (pronounced SHNECK-en) is a traditional German pastry—the name literally means “snails,” because of the spiral shape

II. Maine Camp Culinary Arts Camper Creations

From sliders, sushi, and smoothies, to “Smookies,” scones, and more … Maine Camp culinary programs make standout kitchen creations!

Kohut:

  • Oreo truffles
  • Rainbow smoothies
  • The always popular Chopped Competition

North Star:

  • Whoopie Pies
  • Scones and Croissants
  • Funnel Cakes
  • Sliders

Vega:

  • “Smookies” - s’mores with chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers
  • Vegetarian sushi
  • and anything that uses herbs from the Vega garden

III. Maine Camp Directors’ Restaurant Recos

A perk of camp in Maine is the amazing food that families can explore while visiting. We checked in with our Maine Camp directors to see where they like to eat, hang, and meet up with other camp directors pre-/and post-camp. Here are some restaurant recommendations:

Who’s hungry?! Let us know your fave Maine Camp cuisine!

Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools: Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child? Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks). It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates. Then you can research these camps in more depth. Next, be sure to contact our Maine Camp Guide, Laurie to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.

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