Ina, the camp cook.

It never fails. Any time a bunch of camp people get together, we start talking about our favorite topics, which inevitably include the "dream camp."

We all have our ideas of the perfect camp, a place where all the children are always safe and happy, parents only send thank you letters, and the budget is better than balanced. Between the lot of us we have the answers and the expertise, and have tasted enough of the camp dream to know that our thoughts are not just the result of inflated egos floating around in our heads.

Where do we start? Not so surprisingly, one of the most important elements of the dream camp is food service. The happiness of campers, parents, and staff is directly proportional to the quality of food service. In fact, we dare to say, we can even deal with a not so perfect program in just about any other area as long as kids continue to be well fed and the kitchen is considered and treated as a program area.

It makes me remember Ina, a woman who used a kitchen to cook and care for kids for many years.

Just when Ina was thinking of retiring from her career as a bookkeeper, we began to think of her as a full time camp cook rather than just a weekend volunteer. Ina taught me more about the intricate part that food service plays in the whole scheme of camp than any seminar could attempt. I never articulated the program aspect of food service at camp before Ina demonstrated the simple success of a camp kitchen. I had to get over the misconception that the kitchen is not a program area. When Ina pointed out the social dynamics that happen during a family style meal, it made sense to cultivate the age old "look what happens when we all sit down together" model. It was then that I learned that many youth, from all socioeconomic mixes, do not sit down for meals with their families on a regular basis.

Ina let me discover the idea of the captive audience. "Feed 'em lots and feed 'em easy," she used to tell me. "These kids and staff go hard all day long; if you're doing your program right, the last thing you want to do is have them go through the day hungry."

But, easy? I didn't get it. "KB," she used to say to me, "You're not going to change their acquired tastes in a one or two week session. So, keep it simple and feed them kid food. You know, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, tacos, pancakes, KID food."

"But Ina," I argued, "part of camp is trying new things!"

"Right," she said, "so let them try it on a cookout and not on a meal-after-meal menu."

So we did, and it worked. It was varied so that the staff was not held hostage to a repetitious menu, with meals repeated after six weeks, except for foods the campers and staff really liked.

The term comfort food is relatively new and certainly not one that Ina would have considered applying to her meals. But they were just that. I can remember many campers comforted at the brink of homesickness by a kindly women walking through the dining hall to make sure that the kids liked what she cooked.

I learned about caring for every part of camp from someone who cared so much about camp and who will always be the highest standard of food service.

RELATED ARTICLE: Today's Camp Chef

Doug Jann, chef at Catalina Island Marine Institute, shares these thoughts about the role of today's camp chef.

Life in the kitchen is not easy, but I enjoy being a camp chef today.

Today's campers are more widely traveled than ever before. They have had increased exposure to other countries and foods. Their growing interest in grains, fish, vegetables, and fruits, along with their desire to decrease consumption of animal fat and sodium have helped popularize nutritional cooking in camps. The role of the camp chef is evolving as these trends become more apparent.

Chefs in the camp industry are responsible for organizing and training a crew, creating menus and recipes, controlling costs, solving problems, and ensuring that regulations are followed. They must pay increasing attention to OSHA standards and guidelines, general nutrition, and special dietary needs. At the same time, they must maintain relationships with campers and staff, guarding the kitchen's place as an important camp experience.

Kathy Buss is the resident camp director for Mittleman Jewish Community Center. She serves on the American Camping Association Oregon Trail Section board as ambassador, public relations, and camp fair chair.