Salt & Sprig by Chef Alison Garen

08/25/2026

Exciting news for Salt & Sprig! 🌿👩‍🍳

Louise Archer Elementary School is the first Ratatui & Pitufoo & Lobo Menor school where I’ll be offering after-school cooking programming!

This fall, I’ll be spending Tuesday afternoons cooking with students in grades 3–6 for a 9-week session. We’ll be building real kitchen skills, trying new foods, working together and — most importantly — having a lot of fun in the kitchen.

I’ve loved teaching kids through my camps and classes over the years, and I’m so excited to bring that experience directly into an FCPS school.

Louise Archer families — registration is open! I’d love to have your young Chef join me. ❤️

And hopefully this is just the beginning… 👩‍🍳🌿

Louise Archer Elementary School

08/10/2026

A little something most people don’t know about me: I grew up in Japan. 🇯🇵

Because of my dad’s job, I spent about 10 years there during the ’80s and ’90s—and it probably explains a lot about my love of food and how I eventually found my way to becoming a chef.

Tonight, my son and I had the most delightful meal at SHō Sushi & Izakaya VA, and there were little echoes of the Japan I remember throughout the evening. 🍣

There’s something special about walking into a restaurant thousands of miles away and having the food, flavors and feeling bring you right back to a place that was such a big part of your childhood.

Beautiful sushi, thoughtful food, and a little unexpected nostalgia. ❤️🇯🇵

So happy to have SHō Sushi & Izakaya VA in our community. We will absolutely be back.

08/08/2026

👩‍🍳 COOKING CAMP IS COMING BACK! 👨‍🍳

Our summer chefs have been cooking up a storm — and the fun doesn’t have to end when school starts! 🍳🍝🥞🍪

Salt & Sprig Cooking Camps will be popping up on select FCPS Teacher Workdays throughout the 2026–27 school year!

Expect the same hands-on cooking, lots of choices, new recipes, plenty of tasting, and a kitchen full of kids having an absolute blast.

📅 Dates + registration coming soon!
Spots will be limited for each camp day.

Have a young chef who wants to join us? Follow along so you don’t miss registration!

07/27/2026

A few years ago, I had a crazy idea: what if I built the kind of cooking camp I wished existed for kids? I had no idea if anyone would sign up.

Today, seeing another summer completely sold out is something I don’t take for granted.

Thank you to every family who has trusted me with your children, every camper who has brought curiosity, laughter, and enthusiasm into the kitchen, and everyone who has cheered me on along the way.

This is still just the beginning. I have big plans, bigger dreams, and I’m committed to making every season even better than the last.

Here’s to more cooking, more confidence, more community… and many more sold-out camps. ❤️👩‍🍳

07/16/2026

✨ Introducing Salt & Sprig ✨

This is more than a new name—it’s the next chapter of my business and a reflection of what I love most.

For years, I’ve had the privilege of cooking for families, celebrating life’s special moments through food, and teaching both children and adults to feel more confident in the kitchen. As my business has grown, I wanted a brand that truly captured all of it.

Salt & Sprig is built on one simple belief: beautiful food should make life easier, not more complicated.

Whether I’m preparing refined weekly meals for busy families, catering an intimate gathering, leading a hands-on cooking class, or helping someone discover practical kitchen skills that make meal planning less overwhelming, my goal is always the same—to bring people together through food and take a little stress off their plates.

Teaching has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work. I love showing kids that cooking is fun and empowering, and helping adults build practical skills, confidence, and simple systems they can actually use in everyday life.

Thank you to every client who has trusted me in your homes, invited me to your celebrations, sent your children to my camps and classes, or supported this journey along the way. I truly couldn’t have done it without you.

I’m so excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Welcome to Salt & Sprig. 🌿

Refined Meals for Home & Gatherings

With gratitude,
Chef Alison Garen

06/26/2026

🎉 July camps sold out—thank you!! 🎉

I’m so grateful for the incredible response to this summer’s cooking camps. Since July filled so quickly, I’ve opened one final week in August!

If you have a child who loves to cook (or just loves to eat!), they’ll spend the week learning real kitchen skills, building confidence, making new friends, and creating delicious recipes from scratch every day.

🍴 Hands-on cooking
👩‍🍳 Small groups
🥗 Fresh, seasonal recipes
❤️ Lots of fun—and they’ll come home excited to cook for your family!

Spots are limited and, if July was any indication, they won’t last long.

Register here: https://www.chefalisongaren.com/cooking-camps-for-kids

I’d love to cook with your kids this August! ☀️👩‍🍳

This isn’t just a cooking camp — it’s a mini life-skills lab disguised as a seriously fun kitchen adventure.Cooking classes are four hours long and are located at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department unless otherwise noted. All supplies are provided, they will cook and eat a full meal, and we ...

06/22/2026

July Cooking Camp is totally sold out but 9 spots left for August!!