Farm at the Arb

Chef Beth Fisher has worked in restaurant kitchens across the Twin Cities her entire adult life. Some of the highlights include her 13 years at Lucia’s in Minneapolis, working in the kitchens at Rustica Bakery and French Meadow Cafe, opening and serving as head chef of Wise Acre Eatery for its first five years, and running her own catering and restaurant consulting business.

But since 2023, she’s been in a role unlike the commercial kitchens of her past: She’s running the kitchen classroom at the Farm at the Arb, a relatively new addition to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s offerings.

In this role, Fisher develops and teaches classes in a variety of formats—all with the goal of introducing attendees to produce that is not only grown in Minnesota but right in the farm’s demonstration plots.

“This was just a dream come true when I landed here,” she says.

When the Farm at the Arb launched in 2019, the goal was to connect people with the plants they eat. Minnesota-grown crops, fruits and vegetables are farmed in a variety of demonstration plots and interpretive exhibits that highlight both commercial production techniques and home and community garden opportunities.

A year after she became leader of the kitchen classroom, Fisher was brought on to develop the culinary program, after the Arboretum’s Burton and Virginia Myers Education Center was completed and opened. The education center, one of four buildings on the farm (the other three being the restored historic Red Barn, the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center and the Rootstock Summer Kitchen), houses the headquarters for Arboretum Adult Education and the statewide Master Gardener program, as well as the kitchen in which Fisher works and teaches.

The Hearth of the Farm

“The kitchen is the hearth of the farm,” Fisher says. “That’s where we get to show off [our produce] or show people what they can dream of or do [in their own gardens].”

In the teaching kitchen, she gets to translate the crops and produce grown at the farm into edible delights. “This is where everything comes to be presented to you on a plate,” she says. “Whatever is growing out there [in the fields and Foodscape], we put it on your plate in approachable and creative ways.”

Arboretum members and guests have access to a wide variety of food and wine classes taught by Fisher, her colleague and collaborator Chef Cheo Smith, guest chefs or sometimes even University of Minnesota (U of M) food experts and extension educators.

One class Fisher specifically enjoyed developing is the recurring “Exploring the Outdoor Pizza Oven” class.

“This class is really fun, because a lot of people went out and bought those ovens [over the past couple of years], and they come to class and they’re like, ‘Yeah, we bought one, but we don’t really know how to use it,’” she says. “So, it’s a perfect way for them to learn how to use it and to come and get that experience.”

Each participant gets to make their own Neapolitan-style pizza from start to finish, which is then cooked for one to three minutes at 600°F. The class comes with a twist, too: The pizza dough participants make is a custom recipe Fisher developed featuring Kernza®, a perennial wheatgrass.

The kitchen classroom also hosts a variety of seasonal classes, such as a holiday cookie class and a wine class on the science of sparkling wine to inspire festive gatherings. The “Everything but the Turkey” class in the fall is a popular demonstration class that teaches a variety of side dishes and a dessert that are designed to complement a Thanksgiving turkey.

Though there are a wide variety of available class subjects and styles, each of them is an opportunity for people to gather, connect, learn something new and get a fresh perspective on Minnesota-grown products.

Lightbulb Moments 

Several years in, Fisher is loving the work, and she and Smith continue to expand the Farm at the Arb’s kitchen classroom offerings—from hands-on participation and culinary demonstration classes to mini sessions and tasting experiences.

“Some people like hands on, and other people really like just to come and relax and have a meal,” Fisher says, so she and Smith have developed a variety of class formats that cater to different preferences.

She loves to teach—something she discovered decades ago while at Lucia’s. “I just loved it, and it was really natural for me to want to teach people how to cook and use their garden goodies or whatever produce [they have on hand],” she says.

When culinary teaching opportunities became sparse during and after COVID, Fisher thought this part of her career was over. But with the benefit of hindsight, she now sees it differently. During COVID, she says, “everybody started gardening, and that was a big shift for a whole generation that started caring again about where their food came from. It was beautiful. It was a really nice change.”

Now, through the teaching kitchen at the Farm at the Arb, Fisher gets to answer a broader cultural question: “I grew all this food—now what do I do with it?”

One of her favorite parts of the job is seeing people learn something new. “You can almost see the light bulbs go off over people’s heads,” she says. “I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t realize I’m even doing something that might be a learning moment for people. People are like, ‘I learned so many tips and tricks!’”

She encourages participants to interrupt her during demonstrations to ask questions about kitchen tools, techniques or ingredients. “I’m super approachable and I want to teach,” Fisher says. “I want people to learn and go home and [apply what they learned in the class].”

The Science and Art of Growing

Visitors at the Farm can find expertise everywhere they turn, from the chefs in the teaching kitchen to the Master Gardeners and farm apprentices working in the garden plots and retired farmers and U of M grad students in the fields. But the expertise on display doesn’t just come from volunteers and staff.

Fisher points to the connection to U of M scientists, researchers and industry experts as a big part of what makes the farm so special. Right onsite, at the Arboretum’s Horticultural Research Center, U of M researchers from the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences work with the university’s world-renowned woody plant and fruit breeding research programs.

Fisher loves talking to the center’s researchers and scientists. And she’s using their wealth of knowledge to the benefit of kitchen classroom participants, having these experts come in to teach classes.

David Bedford, a research scientist for the U of M’s apple breeding program who is credited with discovering the Honeycrisp apple, will teach an apple class this fall. And Soon Li Teh, U of M assistant professor of grape breeding and enology, will teach about fermentation and bubbles in wines in December. “I’m starting to really develop those classes and what I think people like me would be interested in,” Fisher says. “I want to know the ‘why’ behind [these crops and products] and enjoy the moment of it.”

Carrie Stowers, Farm at the Arb ag external relations and engagement manager, affirms that she’s seen this expertise—from not just scientists but also chefs and farmers—as both a draw and value-add for visitors.

“The families that come here want that authentic connection that Beth [and other staff members] provide,” Stowers says. “They’re going to the resource that understands both the science and the art of growing food.”

A Minnesota Agriculture Showpiece

Ultimately, everything Fisher does in the kitchen is intended to connect with places outside its four walls, from the Farm at the Arb demonstration plots to the crops farmers across the state grow and produce.

“We’re trying to represent the state of Minnesota in agriculture out here in these plots—like 
 what you see [growing] when driving around the state,” Fisher says.

Harold Tilstra, a Farm at the Arb volunteer and retired farmer from Luverne, Minnesota, concurs, saying, “We try to get really close to everything that’s raised in Minnesota.”

The hope is to show visitors what grows in Minnesota, how it grows, what it looks like, and—for those who attend culinary classes—how to cook with those ingredients.

“It really is about that farmer and chef connection,” Stowers says. “People are attracted to either the farmer and gardener perspective or to the chef perspective, or identify themselves as an archetype—‘I want to be a farmer or gardener’ or ‘I want to be a chef.’ And we offer both of those experiences in an authentic way that you can’t get anywhere else.”

The Farm at the Arb offers hands-on opportunities for visitors to harvest crops each summer and fall during their seasonal series of harvest days. Guests can get their hands dirty digging up potatoes or picking corn. Farm guides are present in the fields, educating visitors on the crops and answering questions they might have.

“What’s hard is that Minnesota producers are in [their own] fields, working. They can’t be in our fields talking,” Stowers says. “So what we do is we have farm guides who have that experience. Usually, they’re retired farmers or grad students at the U of M. And they are representing [producers]. They’re ambassadors of Minnesota farmers who need a voice.”

Interactions with guides in the fields allow guests to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of how food is grown and what it takes to plant, grow and harvest in a way that’s both personal and engaging.

The Farm’s visitors are generally people who are at that beginning awareness stage with farming or gardening, or experienced gardeners looking for new ideas. “Our goal is to bring them deeper into those interests and learn, taking away something to use at home or in the grocery store,” Stowers says.

“It’s really a working farm and a showpiece for the state to be super proud of,” Fisher says. “I hope more and more people find out that we have this incredible working farm at the Arboretum.”

The Landscape of the Farm at the Arb

The Foodscape
 The Foodscape features garden beds with pathways in between and a living grass patio. It offers visitors examples of food plants that they can grow both to eat and for their ornamental value, showcasing sustainable and creative ways to grow food, in beautiful ways.

“The Foodscape is [designed for] residential growing … either that patio on the back of your apartment in Minneapolis or in your backyard,” says Carrie Stowers, Farm at the Arb ag external relations and engagement manager. “You can learn how to grow food in any space.”

The Market Garden
 Managed by the Farm at the Arb apprentices, the Market Garden demonstrates how to grow large quantities of produce for personal or commercial use, such as in an urban farm. These plots feature plaques that show visitors what the yield per square yard is for each vegetable. Stowers says this part of the farm is about learning how to grow food for others and getting the maximum yield in the small space, whether urban or rural.

Fruitful Way
 Just south of the education center, Fruitful Way shows visitors which fruits grows best in Minnesota’s climate—such as apricots, plums, berries and apples—and is a source of inspiration for many homeowners.

Orchard and Vineyard 
 The Orchard and Vineyard area was developed to showcase the apples and grapes that have been developed and bred by University of Minnesota (U of M) scientists, along with information on how they are grown. Visitors might also get previews of the crops of the future that are currently in development at the U of M.

Crop Walk 
 This area surrounds the numerous demonstration plots on the east side of the farm. Visitors will stroll past plots of potatoes, corn, soybeans, pumpkins, sunflowers, Kernza® and so much more—all showcasing the commodities that real farmers throughout the state grow.

The Garden Gallery 
 In this “story garden,” community partners from varied backgrounds share stories through plants, showcasing the influence of other cultures on Minnesota’s agricultural history. The current exhibit tells the rich history of the Igbo people of Nigeria through food.

Upcoming Classes and Events at the Farm at the Arb

Upcoming Culinary Classes

Passport to Pasta, Oct. 8, 2026

All About Squash: Brunch with the Thulls, Oct. 10, 2026

Garden Kitchen Hour - Mini Session, Oct. 14, 2026

Wild Rice: The Indigenous Superfood, Oct. 22, 2026

Special Access: All About Apples with David Bedford, Oct. 24, 2026

Everything but the Turkey, Nov. 7, 2026

A Toast to the Roast, Nov. 12, 2026

The Science of Sparkle: Sip & Savor, Dec. 5, 2026

Holiday Baking: Cookie Favorites, Dec. 12, 2026

AppleHouse Holiday Boutique

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum AppleHouse, open daily, transforms into a Holiday Boutique Nov. 5–Dec. 20. The iconic seasonal destination features Minnesota-grown apples, including varieties grown at the Arboretum’s nearby Horticultural Research Center. Other items include gourmet packaged foods, frozen pies, pastries, fudge, gifts and—in the fall—pumpkins, squash and gourds, also grown at the Arboretum. Find location and hour details at arb.umn.edu/applehouse.

Learn with the Arboretum

Find more classes, programs and events at the Farm at the Arb, and the Arboretum as a whole, at arb.umn.edu/learn.

Connecting People and Plants at the Arboretum

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is a 1,200-acre public garden in Chaska that was founded in 1958. Hosting nearly 700,000 visitors per year, the Arboretum is home to protected natural areas along with 46,000 trees, 28 specialty gardens, 44 plant collections, more than 12 miles of trails, a conservatory, a horticultural library and an art collection. The Arboretum is also host to in-person and online classes that are attended by more than 20,000 children and adults each year.

Visit the Arboretum 

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318 arb.umn.edu/tickets