Camp 2005 -- Daily Meeting with the Director

Communication is vital to any venture, including a camp. A schedule change that appears simple to the director can impact the kitchen, especially if it means moving the meal up 10 or 15 minutes. I resolve this problem by talking to the camp co-directors throughout the day. This is fairly easy in my camp since I see both directors at each meal.

Chef Steve on Sunday evening, running on about five hours sleep and 20 cups of coffee!

I am also on the director's calendar for 10 a.m. each morning. We usually meet for two minutes or so we can discuss the day's progress and the impact of the camp schedule on kitchen. The director is always interested in the performance of the K.P. cabins. Other questions that arise include new campers with unique health issues, purchasing trips to Costco or the local market and special events like picture day for campers and staff.

We have fun too! Last year, Tyler, a councelor from the Sacramento area, boldly announced during Fear Factor that he dislikes baked beans. I took care of his mis-guided adversion to Boston's culinary gift to the world by serving him a special bowl of baked beans for breakfast late in the week.

Since one co-director handles logistics at our camp, she's always interested in kitchen budgetary matters and the quantity of food on hand. I’m fortunate in that she doesn't micro-manage. Laura learned four years ago that I'm capable of handling food services for our camp.

I give her periodic updates on the amount of money spent. This is especially important because I need to arrange for reimbursement at the end of camp. The directors do want any end-of-camp budget-busting news.

Tyler's beans wait on top of the serving line each meal.