Meet (Some of) Our People
Meet some of our retreat leaders and staff. We are so blessed to work with them throughout the year!
Our Culinary Team Andrew & Maddie Johnson
Maddie and Andrew Johnson are a husband-and-wife chef team whose lives and livelihoods have always been shaped by the kitchen: a place where work becomes craft, and craft becomes love.
Their story began at Usher’s House in Moorhead, where Andrew led the kitchen as Executive Chef and Maddie filled the space with warmth as the lunch chef, known for soups that comforted and lingered. It was there, surrounded by food and community, that they were married in a beginning as natural as it was enduring. Together, they are raising three children, Zayne, Kruz, and Lux, who remain the heart behind every table they serve.
Drawn by the desire to create something lasting, Maddie and Andrew followed their shared dream into ownership, spending seven years building The Lunchbox Eatery in Fort Ransom, North Dakota. The restaurant became a gathering place where scratch-made food, honest flavors, and thoughtful hospitality turned simple meals into shared moments.
Maddie’s culinary path began in Minnesota and unfolded in Fargo, where she chose experience as her teacher, learning in busy kitchens, late nights, and quiet moments of creation. Her cooking is intuitive and soulful, with a deep love for soups and pastas that nourish both body and spirit.
Andrew’s journey started in Lisbon, North Dakota, and carried him through formal training at Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, where classical technique met a lifelong passion for pizza and timeless comfort foods. His career brought him home to Fargo, where years of leadership in respected kitchens shaped a steady, thoughtful approach rooted in tradition.
Together, Maddie and Andrew cook with intention and care, honoring the past while creating space for connection. Their partnership is woven into every menu they write, a natural reflection of this historic schoolhouse, where stories are shared, celebrations unfold, and memories are meant to be made.
Tammy Jordan
Goldieknots Montana
Tammy brings the spirit of the Big Sky Country to the Nome Schoolhouse. As the owner of Goldieknots Montana, Tammy manages her own flock of sheep in Lincoln, MT, ensuring that the fiber you work with is of the highest quality—straight from the farm to your needles. With a passion for teaching and a deep love for the heritage of wool, Tammy makes the art of needle-felting and spinning accessible, relaxing, and incredibly fun for makers of all levels.
Marcy Blikre, Basketweaver Extraordinaire
Hi I’m Marcy Blikre. This passion for basket weaving had a simple beginning. After weaving a basket with a friend, I signed up for basket weaving classes through Moorhead (MN) Community Education. Little did I know it would become more than a simple pastime! I have been weaving for over seventeen years and belong to the Headwaters Basketmakers Guild (Bemidji, MN). I attend several workshops each year to learn various weaving techniques and to get new ideas from the teachers and fellow weavers. As a retired educator, I love to teach basket weaving to those interested in this lost art form. A useful basket is one of beauty and purpose. I am drawn to weaving utilitarian style baskets using flat or round reed but will also use natural materials such as willow and birch bark. Baskets may have a similar beginning, but each is distinctive in size, style, color, and presentation. Selecting a basket is a personal choice, how one uses it depends upon one’s needs.
Bladesmith Jed Anderson
Nome Schoolhouse works with Jed to offer monthly classes where participants can make their own knife. Click the link for more information. Video from Prairie Mosaic, Prairie Public TV.