1. What position will you be in at camp this coming summer?
I’m the chef for a family camp in Northern California.
2. Is there anything that you are anxious or nervous about for camp?
This is my second year at this camp, so I know what to expect. My concerns are different than most program staff as they relate to my role as a leader and kitchen manager. I’m always nervous about the kitchen staff, especially since I had a nearly perfect team last year. I know several won’t be returning for the coming season. Yet, this gives me a challenge and goal to work toward when my cooks and dishwashers report to camp. I need to mold the 2014 staff in the same manner as I did in 2013. Another of my concerns related to the US Foods-Sysco merger and how it will impact prices and customer service.
3. What are you hoping to get out of camp?
A great summer. The best aspect of being a chef is watching smiling faces as campers enjoy their meals. I’m looking forward to my second year of providing great meals.
4. What do you expect from the support [leadership] staff (camp director, assistant camp director, etc.)?
I want a camp director who gives me the authority to do my job and step aside and let me do that job. I’m the culinary expert at camp, and as such, I have the expertise and tools to provide three wonderful meals each day to campers. This includes giving me an adequate budget and purchasing authority.
5. If you're feeling stressed at camp, what is something that support [leadership] staff could do to make you feel better?
Let me say that stress isn’t always bad. In the kitchen, we experience three stressful periods each day. They are called breakfast, lunch and dinner. While personal stress levels may be high for the hour before meal time, it pushes me (along with my staff) to get the meal out on time. For the cook, the feelings of accomplishment (and reprieve) are incredible when you meet the goal of putting a meal out on time, however short lived. The process begins anew as soon as you get a bite to eat!
When warranted, give me the tools I need to work through the stress. Honest feedback is a big plus. While I generally enjoy working with little direct supervision, I ask that my boss let me know how I’m doing. To this end, my manager and I meet formally each week. We also talk frequently throughout the day, often at meal time.
You may ask, what does feedback and meetings have to do with stress relief? A lot. Making someone ‘feel better’ doesn’t cure stress. It masks it. The best way to relieve stress is to give someone the tools he or she needs to perform in his/her position. Through proper leadership, training and empowerment, you help a person develop confidence in his/her ability to perform the job.
6. For returning staff - do you have a positive experience with your support staff you could share?
We have a great leadership team at my camp.
7. For returning resident staff - what do you find to be the most challenging part of your job?
8. What do you like to do to relax?
Read, walk, take pictures and watch trains (the tracks run by the camp). My wife and I go into town two to three times each week to get away from camp and relax over a meal cooked by someone else.
