Cooking for 350

Story time!

So back in the day, when I was around 18 (One year ago), I decide to become the head chef at a summer camp called Forest Cliff Camp. This amazing place of camping genius is located in Forest Ontario, and has been my summer home for the past, oh say...12 years.

The atmosphere is phenomenal, and the people there are even better. I have made more friends there than I have, anywhere else. But to the point, this last summer the camp director inquired if I might be interested in cooking for the summer. My first response was to laugh. I thought, Cook!? For 350 children? I don't think so. But after spending a long time in prayer and after realizing that this was a great way to grow and to glorify god with my summer, I decided to go for it.

The job went a little something like this:

I would wake up each morning, and head over to a giant (new and very expensive) kitchen, where I would begin preparing breakfast. I had on average, 5 other cooks who worked with me, though they changed each and every week. In the morning we would prepare anything from muffins to my self titled, "Bench Bars." (I will post the oh so secret recipe later!) It took on average 2 hours to do breakfast, and when it was done, lunch would begin! Well...that is a slight exaggeration. I did have an hour of break in between. But sometimes our delivery truck would arrive RIGHT during breakfast. Those were fun days:)

Lunch was hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, chicken burgers, or chili dogs. All classic camp food. And it was served along side desert, each and every time! My cooks and I would usually eat about 30 minutes before the kids did, which was always such a special time. It wouldn't appear to the average person to be very special, but sitting out on our back porch, relaxing in the sunlight, and taking a breather with my hard working cooks was SO much fun. (Side note: The cooks were for the most part all mothers, so I got to hang out with the gals and learned how to speak mom! SCORE. Seriously though, huge blessing.)

Dinner came after a much needed rest in the afternoon. We would serve tacos, spaghetti, ham, pizza, and on Thursday night...a roast beef dinner! (Desert also included). It never ceases to amaze me that I made it through this summer without any serious meltdowns. We had our problems of course, like the time our spaghetti turned to mush 30 minutes before we had to serve it. But God got me through, and each and every meal was served on time.

Some of my favourite things about the summer included: the rare, but occasional good cup of coffee (generously made by my best friend Leah), breaks on the beach, putting my name tag from Sunday nights up on my wall, signifying another week's commencement, walks to the mailbox, pogos, pasta salad, bench bars, trips to Sarina, sleep, the amazing thank you card I got at the end of the summer, accomplishment, the little girl who wanted her picture with me because we looked identical, the oatmeal lady, giant boxes of cauliflower, delivery trucks, crying in the pantry, my office, and finally...seeing how much can happen when you put your trust in God. He saved me this summer, no doubt about it.

So in case anyone anyone ever asks you to become the head cook of a summer camp, let me give you a piece of advice. Do it. And push yourself to your limits. I did, and I've never been the same since.