Kersten Rettig: Camp Food Fuels Adventure and Memories
The first Sunday in June marks the start of camp season.
The signs are everywhere: SUVs painted in camp colors declaring the occupants are “Ozark or Bust!” Counselors with clipboards, harried parents lugging trunks and pillows, and sometimes eager, sometimes apprehensive campers swarming around rows of white motorcoaches lined up in Neiman Marcus’ parking lot, ready to roll south to the many camps in the Texas Hill Country.
It’s a ritual that plays out week after week until mid-August.
Summer sleepaway camp is a rite of passage for many kids, and for generations, Texas camps have hosted boys and girls for weeks of living off the grid.
With prices for overnight camps in the Hill Country ranging between $1,500 and $2,200 per week, the experience is costly, but many parents believe it’s a sound investment in a child’s development.
My own children were longtime campers at Camp Balcones Springs, where they enjoyed team competition (go Lone Stars!), the Ted 10, and the Pazookie.
The what, you say? The Pazookie — a culinary creation that involves undercooked cookie dough, ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles. It’s the thing CBS campers keep talking about.
And at Camp Longhorn, generations of campers recall fondly the Apple Crisp, the creation of Barney Baker, the aptly named Chow Hall director and beloved full-time member of the CLH staff. Barney’s worked there for 69 years and knows what generations of campers like to eat: chicken fried steak, fried chicken, and pizza. It’s straightforward. Attawaytogo, Barney!
Over at Camp Champions, culinary director Travis Mouser serves between 1,200 and 2,100 meals daily and says campers clamor for corn dogs and mac and cheese, so much so that commemorative T-shirts help celebrate the one day of each two-week session that he serves it. Mouser also touts the popularity of the camp salad bar, with more than 50 freshly prepared items for campers to choose from.
“We make homemade pasta, tuna, and chicken salads,” Mouser said, “and most of our dressings are all made in-house.”
Camp Waldemar’s campers praise the food of legendary Chef Lucille Smith, who made Blarney Stones, cake squares with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with salted peanuts, and coffee ice cream. Miss Lucille, as she is still known, and her husband were responsible for the cuisine at Waldemar for nearly a half-century, and many of their recipes went into a camp cookbook. Her grandson, Chris Williams, is an award-winning chef/owner of Lucille’s in Houston and features some of her recipes.
Over at Camp Mystic, campers swoon for the chocolate mousse bowls that have been a favorite for generations.
Children go to camp to live in the great outdoors, play all day, and learn valuable skills. Sure, there are lots of hamburgers, hot dogs, and mac and cheese served, but camp directors and chow hall bosses like Barney Baker put great thought and effort into serving healthy-ish foods to fuel camp adventures all summer long.
