Oakland Feather River Camp needs cooks and dishwashers for 2015 summer season

Oakland Feather River Camp posted this job advertisement for summer food service staff yesterday. To apply, follow the link to the SF Bay Area Craigslist post and click the 'reply' button in the upper left corner of the page. An application can be found on the camp website. A companion ad has been posted to the American Camp Association job board.

I am returning to the camp in April as the chef and food service manager.


Oakland Feather River Camp is looking for skilled, flexible, friendly, accountable and mature summer staff for our Family Camp. The staff of Oakland Feather River Camp creates the atmosphere in which campers develop memories that will be treasured for a lifetime.

We will be hiring the following positions: Head Cook, Prep Cooks, Vegan/Vegetarian Cook, and Dishwashers. Ideal candidates are energetic and enthusiastic people who like to connect with others in an authentic way have experience camping or living out of doors, are friendly, helpful, organized and safety focused. All camp staff must have a desire to serve people while living in a rustic, natural environment.

Under the direction of the Food Service Manager these staff will prepare food for to ensure the timely service of quality meals with ample selection and nutrition for 250 - 300 campers daily. All cooks must be safety oriented, friendly, helpful, organized, knowledgeable about food and cooking and have experience working in a commercial kitchen.

Kitchen staff must be considerate of individuals with special diets and/or food allergies and will participate cooperatively as part of a supportive and cohesive team. Knowledge of a commercial kitchen and the health and safety procedures and regulations associated with food preparation is a priority.

Oakland Feather River Camp is located in Quincy, California, approximately 250 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area. The camp is located at 3,500 feet in elevation on 65 acres in the beautiful Plumas National Forest. In this pristine environment we provide family and youth campers with exciting and fun activities as well as opportunities for laid back relaxation. We offer rustic cabins and tent-cabins on platforms with nearby restrooms and hot showers, and three healthy meals a day. Campers come for as short or long as they like.

All camp positions require a combination of education and relevant experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, certifications and abilities to successfully perform the duties required. Applicants shall be at least 18 years of age, have a valid drivers license and submit to required background checks.

All staff work six days per week. Salary is $325-$340 per week. Room and board are provided for duration of the summer season. The season for the cooks is May 7-August 15, 2015. Dishwashers work June 6-August 9, 2015.

Oakland Feather River Camp needs cooks and dishwashers for 2014 summer season

Oakland Feather River Camp posted this job advertisement for summer food service staff today. To apply, follow the link to the SF Bay Area Craigslist post and click the 'reply' button in the upper left corner of the page. An application can be found on the camp website. A companion ad has been posted to the American Camp Association job board.

I am returning to the camp in May as the chef and food service manager.


Oakland Feather River Camp is looking for skilled, flexible, friendly, accountable and mature summer staff for our Family Camp. The staff of Oakland Feather River Camp creates the atmosphere in which campers develop memories that will be treasured for a lifetime.

We will be hiring the following positions: Head Cook, Prep Cooks, Vegan/Vegetarian Cook, and Dishwashers. Ideal candidates are energetic and enthusiastic people who like to connect with others in an authentic way have experience camping or living out of doors, are friendly, helpful, organized and safety focused. All camp staff must have a desire to serve people while living in a rustic, natural environment.

Under the direction of the Food Service Manager these staff will prepare food for to ensure the timely service of quality meals with ample selection and nutrition for 250 - 300 campers daily. All cooks must be safety oriented, friendly, helpful, organized, knowledgeable about food and cooking and have experience working in a commercial kitchen.

Kitchen staff must be considerate of individuals with special diets and/or food allergies and will participate cooperatively as part of a supportive and cohesive team. Knowledge of a commercial kitchen and the health and safety procedures and regulations associated with food preparation is a priority.

Oakland Feather River Camp is located in Quincy, California, approximately 250 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area. The camp is located at 3,500 feet in elevation on 65 acres in the beautiful Plumas National Forest. In this pristine environment we provide family and youth campers with exciting and fun activities as well as opportunities for laid back relaxation. We offer rustic cabins and tent-cabins on platforms with nearby restrooms and hot showers, and three healthy meals a day. Campers come for as short or long as they like.

All camp positions require a combination of education and relevant experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, certifications and abilities to successfully perform the duties required. Applicants shall be at least 18 years of age, have a valid drivers license and submit to required background checks.

All staff work six days per week. Salary is DOE. Room and board are provided for duration of the summer season.

Camp 2008 -- Notes on Sunday, June 29

I've written more about the opening meal than any other at camp. My mind is fresh on Sunday, and I still have lots of energy.

By Thursday, my desire to blog wanes. I often rest for a week before I pick up my blog pen. So, it's time to pick up where I left off last weekend.

I noted in an earlier discussion that the director's decision to eliminate Saturday camp pushed the arrival of kitchen staff back 24 hours.

Allen and Alisa had just finished setting up their tent as Debbie and I pulled in from worship and a Safeway shopping trip. By 2 p.m. -- the start time for kitchen staff on opening day -- the four of us were ready to start dinner prep.

After unloading the Safeway purchase, I immediately put Allen and Alisa to work. Allen scrubbed and cut 40 pounds of russets for roasted potato wedges. Mixing three five-pound packages of brownie mix fell to Alisa while I sliced onions and red and green bell peppers for the tomato-basil sauce.

In the next hour we panned the chicken tenders, sliced tomatoes for a salad and panned and seasoned the potatoes. My immediate goal was to get the time-consuming and time-sensitive tasks done. I was confident that the remaining staff would arrive around 3 p.m.

I put Elisa, Helen and Carol to work as they walked in the kitchen. Dave and Phil were able to set up tents. I wouldn't need their services until it was time to serve the meal. Around 3:30 p.m., I briefly lost Elisa and Helen while they registered children for camp.

In the next hour and a half, Elisa and Helen built the salad bar while others got the dining room tables ready (we don't have K.P. help until Monday morning), mixed beverages (punch and iced tea) and set up the vegetable.

By the time we walked out of the kitchen for 5 p.m. worship at the amphitheater, the meal was in good shape. Dinner was ready with brownies were cut, salads in the walk-in and chicken sandwiches fixin's ready to go.

The nine of us returned to the kitchen just before 6 p.m. This year we assembled the sandwiches instead of serving each item on the steam line.

Elisa watched the front of the house and assigned duties to the line servers (staff on opening night). Allen and Dave set up the dish machine while Debbie filled drink pitchers.

In the back, Carol and I made sandwiches with the tomato-basil sauce. Phil and Elisa (she's a busy woman!) made the barbecue sandwiches. Alisa ran the oven while Helen started working on salads for Monday.

Although I missed having all the kitchen staff report to work early Sunday afternoon, we put the meal out on time though superb teamwork. I was able to get all menu items prepared on time because of a dedicated staff that's flexible and willing to work.

In the photo, Alisa (left) and Elisa prepare pizzas Monday night.

Camp -- First Meal Coming Up

The crew is hanging around the kitchen right now, ready to go to work. EM and AK were reading over the menu and production worksheet a few minutes ago. AK is scrubbing the potatoes for dinner (one of two meals with fresh spuds).

In the meantime, the other AK (husband and wife!) set up the dirty dish area with soak tubs for the silverware and dish racks for the plates. He took 15 minutes to explain operation of the dish machine to DB, who mainly worked in the kitchen last year.

The good news is that we've found an additional worked to help from Monday afternoon on to the end of the week. LG (our third Lisa -- from this point on their nicknames will be M, K and G!) worked as my third cook during our third year in 2004. And she come with skills -- LG has restaurant experience in the family business.

It's time to go to work. I'll post late tonight.

Camp -- Dealing with a Suddent Reduction in Staff

Everything was all set for camp staff-wise this week. I had nine kitchen volunteers lined up for the week, including myself and my wife.

Even though two less volunteers would staff the kitchen this year, I was confident we could do it. This was going to be the third year for this crew. And four staff, including myself, had been on board since the first year.

Sometime before 9 a.m., my lead cook left a message on my cell phone (I missed the call because it was set on silent). CD said she would only be at camp Saturday and Sunday, but expected her husband to be there all week. She was leaving the state Monday to unexpectedly attend to a relative. By early afternoon, both were flying out tomorrow and wouldn't be able to help this year.

I called my camp director mid-morning to tell him the news. At our last communication, he was going to locate an additional volunteer for the kitchen. Then three male counselors backed out and Joe had to focus on replacing them, which became more critical when more boys than girls signed up.

This presents a challenge for Camp 2007. We have become very comfortable during the past two years with 10 and 11 kitchen workers. Although seven is not a critical shortage of workers, it does set us back a few years in terms of progress.

Our first task is to locate one or two additional volunteers. This is a difficult task since most people have made plans for the holiday week -- or are working all week -- and can't take the time off on short notice.

From here, it's a matter of digging into our phone books and contacting potential volunteers. EM -- my dining room host and chef-in-training -- Joe and I each know a person who may be able to volunteer on short notice. At this point, we're each waiting for answers. (It looks like we need to establish a list of alternates for 2008.)

I also plan to discuss the following strategies with kitchen staff tomorrow during in-service training:

1. Part of the answer is we're going to have to work harder and smarter. This is where training for the past two years is going to payoff. The reality is we may need to work longer hours (a concern for the few with health issues). I plan to pay more attention to prep work and will encourage all staff to help with pots and pans throughout the day.
2. It's too late to re-design the menu. The food has been purchased and Sysco is set to deliver our big order tomorrow afternoon. But I'll look at the menu each afternoon and simplify production any way possible.
3. I will reorganize work assignments to better use talent and work habits. EM will replace CD as the morning cook, an obvious choice since she is being trained as my replacement. In the process I loose the best dining room host I know. I have few worries with EM at the helm in the front of the house.
4. We will look for volunteers from the counselor corps and senior campers (high school age) to operate the dish machine. This may help fill the gap and give my main dishwashers a break.
5. Purchasing more paper- and plasticware to reduce the load of the dish machine. The down side is the increased load on the garbage stream. This is problematic for the facility we rent, however. The dumpsters are always full when we arrive and garbage service doesn't arrive until Tuesday morning. EM and I have found one compromise -- purchase paper bowls for soup at lunch each day and for ice cream.

I sure my staff will have more ideas when we meet for in-service training tomorrow evening. I'm ready to present the challenges before us and to get them involved in finding answers.

As EM said over the phone this evening, "We'll make it." She's right. And that's a testament to a good crew.