Local Eatery, Darien Arts Center Continue 3-Year Visual Arts Collaboration

DARIEN, CT — NAYA Darien and the Darien Arts Center are extending their partnership with a series of fall workshops that combine art instruction with Lebanese cuisine.

The Visual Arts Fall 2025: NAYA Create Art & Eat Workshops invite preschool through fifth-grade students to take part in hands-on creative projects led by Darien Arts Center instructors.

Each session concludes with a "Little Habibi" kids’ meal from NAYA, which includes a choice of base (rice or sald), protein (chicken shawarma, chicken Shish Taouk, beef shawarma, kafta lamb kebab, cauliflower, or falafel), up to five toppings, and a choice of milk or juice, along with a coloring book and pencils.

The workshops will be held on the last Thursday of each month at NAYA Darien, 146 Heights Road in Darien Commons.

The collaboration began during NAYA Darien’s grand opening in June 2023, when customers were invited to donate what they wished for their first bowl or roll.

The effort raised the equivalent of nearly 500 meals for the Darien Arts Center, and a collaborative artwork created at the event is displayed at the center. Since then, the partnership has generated more than $6,000 in donations and supported more than a dozen classes and events.

"The partnership we’ve built with the Darien Arts Center reflects the importance we place on lasting relationships within our local communities," said NAYA CEO Hady Kfoury in a news release. "Now entering our third year, this collaboration has allowed us to connect with young families in Darien and create meaningful programming together — extending the impact of our original donation in ways that continue to grow."

The initiative is now in its third year of offering workshops that merge art and food in a community-focused setting.

Upcoming Workshop Schedule:

• Fall Luminaries Workshop - Thursday, Sept. 25, 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.: Children will create a colorful decoupage mason jar lantern that glows with a tealight to bring home for the holidays. Colorful tissue paper, leaves, and other embellishments will be used to make each lantern unique.
• Pumpkin Decorating Workshop - Thursday, Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.: Children are invited to embellish their own one-of-a-kind pumpkin using all kinds of stickers, found objects, gems, markers and paint pens. All will be invited to make scary, goofy, or just plain decorative creations just in time for Halloween.
• Apron Decorating Workshop – Thursday, Nov. 20, 4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m.: Children will create their own personalized aprons using fabric paints and fun embellishments — perfect for helping out in the kitchen this Thanksgiving or getting creative at home all year long.

Each workshop is $42 per child and includes the class, the kids' meal, and art supplies. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

"As a nonprofit organization, we rely on grants and donations to keep the cost of our classes and events affordable," said Darien Arts Center Executive Director Wendy Mitchell in a news release. "With federal and local funding increasingly being cut, we are especially grateful for the generous support we've received from NAYA. Their continued partnership means a great deal to us, and we’re excited to keep collaborating with them to bring unique and meaningful art programs to the community."

For more information and to purchase tickets for the workshops, visit darienarts.org.