Summer Camp Foodservice

I found a web blog recently by a Chef Steven Karoly called Round the Chuck Box. Chef has 35 years in the business and is looking towards retiring and running a camp kitchen in the mountains. His blog addresses the challenges and the solutions that he has found to dealing with the hectic nature of camp foodservice.

Having provided food products to summer camps for the last seven years I thought I had a firm grasp of what the challenges were for my customers. However this year I got to be on the

Clayton Isaeff Arrives At Camp

other side of the equation as in June the Isaeff family went to summer camp with the White Stag Leadership program. This youth program started in 1958 has evolved and challenged thousands of Boy and Girl Scouts in their personal growth.



Ditto Wearing Pancake Batter After Turning On The Mixer On High Speed

We arrived at the Camp Cutter Scout Reservation in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Boulder Creek on Saturday June 24th. The Kitchen Director, Chris Balog, had already been on site since Thursday and the delivery of the week’s food had taken place on Friday. Volunteers receive and store the products.

Staff turnover is high as the kitchen here is run entirely by volunteers who come up for as little as one meal service up to the entire week. The challenge then is delegating manageable tasks to the good folks that wander in looking to help out.

Chef Karoly’s has had some repeat staff which helps in continuity, but according to his blog he schedules in training on food safety, job assignments, and to orient the staff in the kitchen.

Our week at Camp Cutter had us serving 130 people 3 meals a day Saturday morning through Saturday morning and culminated with



Madi Isaeff, Johan, And Lettie On The Cafeteria Service Line

graduation lunch on the final Saturday for about 400. Our Graduation lunch was a resounding success with a tip of the hat to Chef Steven Alton King of David Walley’s Resort in the town of Genoa, who provided the recipe for his almost famous Cowboy Sirloin Steaks!

Final lunch offering was a choice (or combo) of Cowboy Steaks, Oven BBQ Chicken, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Garden Burgers, Pasta


Lettie, Ditto, Larry, Brian & Madi

Primavera, and a salad bar. Fresh baked chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert.