Culinary herb garden focus of winter parks program

The free presentation is March 14 at the Carriage House at The Felt Estate.

Cory and Gina Mitchell of The Beard & The Gal will be at the final Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission free winter workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Carriage House, 6579 138th Ave.

Get some tips on how to spice up your cooking at the final Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission free winter workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Carriage House at The Felt Estate, 6579 138th Ave.

Andy Rozendaal, farm director of Eighth Day Farm in Holland, will lead a culinary herb garden presentation with suggestions for using herbs in cooking by Cory Mitchell from The Beard & The Gal.

Mitchell will share the ways herbs add depth and complexity to his dishes, while discussing the proper technique for handling and preserving fresh herbs in a home kitchen.

No cooking will take place during the event.

For more information, contact Mary Jo Bertolino at parks@laketowntwp.org.

About the presenters

Eighth Day Farm, started in 2010, is a non-profit urban farm that invests in growing practices that build and care for the land and grow food that nourishes and sustains people in the community, the group’s website said.

In 2025, the farm donated $11,700 worth of produce, plants, and compost to food pantries, kitchens, and community or educational gardens.

The Beard & The Gal is Cory and Gina Mitchell, restaurateurs turned private chefs, creating intimate dining experiences and fun gatherings. The Mitchells offer pick-up from farmers markets they attend, home-delivered, restaurant-quality family-style meals, private in-home events and catering, according to the website

They are at the Holland Farmers Market every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Fulton Market most Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. selling a variety of items such as sourdough bread and bagels, flatbread, buttermilk potato rolls, herb sourdough focaccia, cinnamon rolls, white cheddar pimento cheese, hot brunch and more.

Melissa Eikenberry of Hosting Butterflies leads a discussion about butterfly gardens at the Carriage House at the Felt Estate last spring as part of the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission free winter workshop series.

The parks programs

The parks commission started its winter programs in early 2025 with presentations including hands-only CPR, mushroom identification and butterfly gardens.

This winter’s programs started in November for Native American Heritage Month with a workshop on “Talking Sticks,” an object traditionally used in council circles to designate who had the right to speak. In January, the workshop led by Ari Henson of the Allegan Conservation District focused on techniques to remove invasive species. The February event featured Ben Savoie, conservation district forester for a nine-county region including Allegan and Ottawa, who spoke about oak wilt identification and treatment.