Camp chef

My lovely bride and I have been working out of town for the past 11 days. I'm employed as the chef for Oakland Feather River Camp on Spanish Creek for the summer. In addition to the challenges of opening a kitchen that's dormant nine months of the year, I've been training a new crew, writing the menu and buying food.

I'll try to post recipes and menus throughout the summer as I can. When the blog is slow, please be patient! It's going to be a busy summer. Long hours, slow Internet connections and the need for sleep will restrict my time on 'Round the Chuckbox. In the nmantime, I'll post photos to 'Round the Chuckbox on Facebook a couple times each week.


The cooks came in Thursday and cleaned the kitchen. It's been a busy three days. They completed the kitchen after lunch on Saturday. The next task is to get the dining hall -- called The Chow Palace at Oakland Camp! -- up and running.

Meals for staff began on Friday with breakfast and lunch. Our first test comes next weekend. A large group is coming in to enjoy the camp in wonderful Plumas National Forest.

I'm incorporating training into the summer routine. Yesterday, I gave an impromptu bread baking lesson. After a 48-hour ferment in the refrigerator, we will bake bread boules on Monday for the crew's lunch.