Family Camp, Camp Family

Expectations seldom measure up to reality. Even if I try to go into a place with no preconceived notions, expectations always creep through. And once I found out I would be moving to Colorado, I definitely developed expectations. When I left South Carolina in 2015, my mom helped me drive back to Oklahoma where I spent two days visiting friends and family and switching out my belongings in my car with what I needed in the mountains. I committed to a 15-month stint serving as the food service intern at Horn Creek Camp in Westcliffe, CO. That commitment started with a busy summer serving alongside 60+ college students. Since I was getting ready to turn 28 that summer and had been out of college for a few years, I expected that fitting in would be challenging. In blissful disillusionment one always has before realizing how hard something is, I was excited for what was to come. I had only visited Colorado twice before, and I was looking forward to experiencing a new part of the state. I expected to love the setting - hiking trails at easy access, fresh mountain air, and the possibility of spotting wildlife. I expected to learn a lot. I had never cooked for 100+ people before, let alone had anything to do with ordering and receiving food to feed hundreds (a skill I learned from the previous food service intern and used during the “off-season” and the following summer). I also expected to grow in my faith. Horn Creek was a Christian camp, and I was looking forward to living and working with other like-minded people. But with all expectations, some fall short and reality sets in eventually.

Horn Creek is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in a small town called Westcliffe, population of just over 500. The next closest large towns are Cañon City, Salida, and Pueblo. Colorado Springs is two hours away, which was nothing when one wanted chain stores and more restaurant options away from camp. Horn Creek was one camp organization, but there are three camps on the property, each with their own lodging, kitchen/ dining room, and meeting room. Mountain Meadows was comprised of 15 mini cabins with a separate kitchen/ dining room and meeting room building. Lodge was one large “hotel-like” building with a meeting room and dining room in the lodge building. It also had four separate cabins. Both Mountain Meadows and Lodge were locations for family camps in the summer. Lastly was Ranch which had a stand-alone dining room/ kitchen, meeting room/ game room, two micro-cabins that were perfect for youth group leaders, and several bare-bones, rustic cabins that were mainly used for youth groups. Each of the camps was spread out along the side of Horn Peak mountain, with the trailhead to the top located a few yards and a short walk from Lodge’s property.

Horn Peak, as seen from Lodge's property - snow on Thanksgiving!

“Meadows” was at the lowest elevation, just over 8,000 feet, and Lodge was the highest at just over 9,000 feet. Ranch was in the middle. Visitors and staff alike got a good workout each day just by hiking over the property. A few other notable features were the water slides and a pool; a recreation gym with three bowling lanes, a basketball court, a climbing wall, a running track, and weight equipment; an alpine swing (think strapping on a harness and swinging from a rope); a low and high ropes course; a tubing hill for winter snow; and a barn and a horse stable full of horses for horseback riding in the summer. There was a lot the camp had to offer to guests, and summer staff had about two weeks of training to learn it all.

While most summer staff and the other three interns I would be serving with all year arrived in the middle of May, my first official day of work wasn’t until June 10th. My last day of work in South Carolina was on the 4th. So once I submitted my grades, my mom helped me pack up my classroom and apartment, and we made another drive halfway across the country. I was grateful to my new bosses for letting me start after the rest of the summer staff, but that meant I missed out on staff training and bonding that everyone else went through together. I already knew I would have a hard time fitting in due to being older, but it didn’t help me to come in after everyone already passed the early, awkward get-to-know-each-other stages. (Well, maybe missing that wasn’t all bad. 😅)

The following summer I was able to go on a trail ride with cooks during staff training.

Each person was hired for a specific position. These included manager positions that usually went to the previous year’s interns. They managed a camp or kitchen. Then there was the Hospitality Team. They served meals and cleaned everything except the kitchen (that was the cooks’ responsibility). The cleaning included “turning” the cabins/ camp when one group left Saturday morning before the next arrived Sunday afternoon. “Turn” day was a big ordeal since everything needed to be perfect for the next group, but everyone wanted to get done as soon as possible to have the rest of the day and evening off work. There were also wranglers who were in charge of horses and trail rides and Rec Team members. Their responsibilities varied from running one of the previously mentioned recreation areas to staffing the snack shop and gift shop in the Rec Center and leading different hiking groups around the mountain. There was also maintenance staff, since the camp was started in the ‘50s something was always breaking down, the worship team, who led music both for Sunday staff worship and groups that visited, and the cooks. I served as one of 10 cooks in the summer and managed in the off-season - another story, another time. During the two-week orientation, full-time staff trained the summer staff on camp rules, the staff handbook, cleaning procedures, job-specific rules and duties, recreation rules and safety, vehicle usage, etc. Over the course of the training weeks, cooks were assigned to work in the kitchen cooking for staff as part of their training. Additionally, rec staff trained in their areas during open-staff rec times. So, basically, I missed the practice training and received my training on the job.

Since my application and interview were good enough to obtain the position, I knew what I was doing …somewhat. I had plenty of experience cooking for myself, my family, and my friends. I knew how to clean as I went. I knew basic food safety and cleaning procedures before I took the ServSafe Manager course because a lot of it is common sense. There was still plenty for me to learn, though. I wanted to learn, and I was ready to learn. But, at the time, my Type A “teacher” personality got in the way.

I was the fourth cook added to Lodge’s kitchen crew. At this time (things have since changed some), there weren’t that many items made from scratch. And because of that, there were only so many jobs. I’m great at following recipes, but much of our cooking was large-scale preparation. Scramble six cartons of liquid eggs for breakfast. Bake four full-sheet pans of pre-cooked, frozen chicken breasts for sandwiches. Cook three bags of tater tots in the fryer. Pull two cases of hamburger buns to defrost. Steam two bags of green beans. Not a lot of science or skill behind those.

Me with two other Lodge cooks

Some things we did cook or bake from scratch were chocolate chip welcome cookies, lasagna, King Ranch Chicken (a southwest/ Tex-Mex casserole), chicken salad for croissant sandwiches, broccoli salad and grilled barbecue chicken for Western Night, cinnamon rolls for Friday brunch, and a “Banquet Night” meal with rosemary roasted potatoes, pork tenderloin, and apple crostata (made with frozen pie dough). The expectation was that no one came to camp with much restaurant or scratch-cooking experience, so the meals needed to be easy enough for college students to execute.

Families are messy, and camp family - who I lived and worked with - is no different. In less than two weeks at camp, things became more difficult. I discovered there was some magical balance that I hadn’t yet mastered. Our leadership staff encouraged us to be leaders and models of excellence. We should have good attitudes but feel free to voice our opinions since we’re part of a team. However, we also had to be good servant-followers and do what we were told. Since I came from being a teacher, in charge of a classroom and 100 students, this was a challenge for me to switch to a subservient role and take direction from college students who were six to seven years younger than I was. Since I missed training, my trainers were my lead cook and, when they were there, the camp manager and food service manager. My issue wasn’t that I didn’t want to take direction. I was happy to do what I was told. The problems came when I wasn’t told what to do. Then I felt like I had to guess, and I often guessed wrong. One person’s, or “the camp’s” way of doing something may be slightly different from what I would do, and it wasn’t for me to change it - which I didn’t know until I did something wrong. Boxes go here. This item can’t be above that one. This has to be cut that way in this many pieces. (I ended up really liking scoring. The perfectionist that I am tried to make sure every piece was equal in size.) That’s too much time to make that; it’ll be done too early. Or, that’s not enough time; you’re cutting it too close. (Timing was not my strong suit and took some practice for me to get right.) All of these things would have been helpful for me to learn during training. But I didn’t. Because I wasn’t there. And I didn’t always know what I didn’t know. And my lead forgot I didn’t know the things, so it was probably frustrating for him that I didn’t know. It was a long summer.

Another thing was that it took a bit of time for my lead to get better at delegating. Everyone wanted to feel useful. But, half of cooking is a waiting game where we’re not always actively “doing.” We waited for the timer to go off. We waited for time to pass because we were ready and were trying to keep the food warm, but we were a few minutes ahead of mealtime. We waited for the US Foods truck to arrive so we could unload the weekly shipment and then go back to our afternoon break. (It didn’t always arrive at a convenient time, either, sometimes it was in the middle of meal service, but thankfully receiving the shipment was a big part of our food service manager’s job, and she was on top of it, even if we were tied up serving food.) During meal times the waiting was more fun since the servers circled through the kitchen waiting for their guests to finish eating. They didn’t want to hover but needed to be ready to refill a glass or offer “seconds” if someone was still hungry. It was fun being with the whole group - servers, cooks, manager, and Crew Chief (in charge of the servers). Everyone had their own personality and quirks. Cooks liked to hide in the kitchen, and servers would be among the people. Then they’d come to the back with us and make jokes, share stories or complaints, and then race each other to clean up after their guests the fastest so they could be done.

One thing that I got used to volunteering for so it didn’t have to be delegated to me was washing dishes. Cooks washed the pots and pans while one of the servers was assigned to the “Dish Pit” to run all the dining room dishes through the dish machine after spraying off all the meal remains. Scrubbing the hotel pans, especially lasagna pans, became cathartic. Any time our manager was hard on us, or I needed space from someone for one reason or another, there were three options - going outside to the freezer or downstairs pantry to “look for something,” taking too long in the walk-in for a refrigerated item (the walk-in is for crying, as everyone knows), or scrubbing pots and pans in the cooks' dish pit. There was fun to be had in the dish pit, too, not just an opportunity for forearm muscle development from scrubbing. Since both sides had sprayers, an occasional water war broke out in the dish area. And since we mopped the kitchen floor every night, a little extra water didn’t hurt!

Besides fulfilled expectations about the beautiful scenery, another expectation I had was that everyone would be more mature and “nicer” to each other. We’d get along, live stress-free, and talk and act considerately towards one another. My expectation for all of this was based on the fact that Horn Creek was a Christian camp. If the interview process included questions about faith and how we live our lives, then shouldn’t staff members act like Jesus towards one another? The problem with this was that being a Christian doesn’t take away the fact that we still make mistakes. There is only one Jesus, and we’re all at different “levels” towards being like Him. And I couldn’t hold expectations for my managers or bosses to talk or act a certain way if they didn’t hold that expectation for themselves. At that point in my life, I didn’t know how to, or wasn’t comfortable enough, telling someone in a position of authority that I didn’t like the way they talked to me. It wasn’t my place to say, “Jesus would have done X better.” I made mistakes, too, so it wasn’t for me to point out anyone else’s. Everyone was learning, adjusting, and hopefully growing.

Eventually, the Lodge crew got into a better swing of things. We learned each other’s rhythms, pace, and skills and had more fun laughing while working than being annoyed with one another over something being different or not perfect. We learned about each other beyond small talk. We spent our Saturday nights off together before the next camp group arrived. We went to the movies, went white water rafting, went to Salida to see the fireworks for the 4th of July, and hung out around campfires. I made carrot cake cupcakes to share on my birthday. And everyone survived the summer plague. (One guest group brought a flu bug with them that quickly spread through Lodge. Thankfully I didn’t catch it since I lived in different staff housing than the rest at Lodge, but everyone else seemed to get it for 24 hours at one point during that week.) I may have joined later and was older, but I fit in the family. There were growing pains, and expectations were shattered, like they should be. At the end of the summer, I was sad to see people go. The camp family I gained was going back to school, and I and the other interns were staying to keep camp running with the full-time staff and Base Campers who would be arriving in a week. We would have to learn new rhythms and make new adjustments, all while giving grace and forgiveness to each other that we each needed for ourselves.

Lodge crew enjoying lunch after serving guests - Pizza Wednesday! (Photo courtesy of M.T.)

A favorite dessert Horn Creek served, besides the Pizookie on Monday lasagna night, was apple crostata served on the Friday banquet night. This was a flat apple pie (think pie dough folded over spiced apples) served with vanilla ice cream. Ken has four crostatas in The Harvest Baker. They are Fresh Strawberry Crostata, Three-Berry Crostata, Individual Cherry and Blackberry Crostatas, and Peach Apricot Crumb Crostata. Each used Ken’s crostata dough recipe (food processor version linked here) that was perfectly flaky and sweet since it uses powdered sugar in the dough. All are delicious, but the Three-Berry Crostata is a favorite. My mom usually isn’t a dessert person, but she questioned how well my dad knows her when he chose a smaller piece for her. Berries and pie dough win over cake for her anytime! If cake is more your style, Ken also has a Blackberry Upside-down Cake that takes advantage of summer fruit like the crostatas. I’ve included the Three-Berry Crostata recipe below. Share with your family - chosen or assigned!

Three-Berry Crostata

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• Crostata Dough

• 1½ cups fresh blueberries

• 1½ cups fresh blackberries (some raspberries are good, too)

• 1½ cups sliced fresh strawberries

• ⅓ cup sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest or lemon zest

• Pinch of ground nutmeg

• Heavy cream, for glaze

Directions:

1. If you haven’t already, prepare the dough, and refrigerate it for at least 1½ hours before rolling.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Have ready a large baking sheet, preferably a rimmed one. Combine all of the berries in a large bowl. Mix ⅓ cup sugar and the cornstarch in a small bowl.

3. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Lift the paper and dough onto your baking sheet, trimming the paper to fit the pan. (If you don’t have parchment, you can roll the dough on a sheet of waxed paper and invert it onto your baking sheet. Peel off the paper, and you’re ready to proceed.)

4. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture to the fruit; mix well. Mix in the lemon juice, orange zest, and nutmeg. Scrape the fruit out of the bowl and into a mound in the center of the dough. Spread it out evenly to create a 9-inch circle of fruit, with a 2-inch border of dough all around. Using the parchment itself or a spatula to help you lift, fold the edge of the pastry over the filling a few inches at a time. As you make your way around the dough, the border will sort of self-pleat as you go, enclosing a lovely circle of fruit in the middle.

5. Lightly brush the dough border with cream, and sprinkle it with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for about 30 minutes more. When done, the edge of the crostata will be golden brown and the filling will be bubbling. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and cool the crostata, directly on the sheet, for at least 30 minutes before serving.

The Harvest Baker (c) by Ken Haedrich, recipe excerpted with permission from Storey Publishing.

Fresh Strawberry Crostata

Three-Berry Crostata

Individual Cherry and Blackberry Crostatas

Peach Apricot Crumb Crostata

Peach Apricot Crumb Crostata

Blackberry Upside-down Cake