KITCHEN STAFF AND PIZZA!

I just posted some pictures from the kitchen. Our Kitchen is not staffed by “Professionals”. Sure, we have some professionals working in the kitchen (Gervais has done food service work for 20 plus years) but the staff is mostly 15 to 17 year olds. How do you convince a 16 year old to park the car, work 6 days a week cleaning dishes and scrubbing floors for $75 a week? Provide much more than a pay check. These “kids” work hard and have fun. They play together, worship together, have DMC’s together, stay up late at the movies, and get a taste of what “Work” means.

Work is not a punishment; it is a blessing. This attitude is, unfortuneately, not widely held. Most teenagers think that it is something that you “have to do”… so they enter into it with a sullen attitude. We don’t allow that attitude… it is fun to work at camp… a blessing… what we look forward to for a full and rich life.

Adam and Eve worked in the garden prior to the fall (tending the garden was easier before the fall). We will most likely have work to do in Heaven… imagine what our kitchen crew looks like compared to the kitchen crew of some restaurant or cafeteria! The crew is dancing around, laughing, and PUMPING out the food! They are amazing… especially on Pizza night!

We are eating Pizza for dinner… and our pizza is not just good, it is AMAZING. I will take some pictures of the process and post later on today, it is quite a process. It all started with a trip to New York a couple years ago. Gervais and Laura were eating at a great pizza joint and took the time to ask the owner about the secret. Why is it so hard to make good pizza? Well… the answer led to a chase for the perfect pizza, a chase that ended last year. We have nailed it! The secret’s are now out there for all to know (but let me warn you, it is not easy nor cheap).
1. The Oven… must be a “deck” oven capable of very high temperatures and must have steam injection. This is true for artisan bread as well… we bought ours from an outfit in Brooklyn that imports these massive ovens from Italy.
2. The Flour… Caputo “00” pizza flour. This is the secret. We never found another flour that could be worked to the super thin “perfect pizza” thickness. It has a crunch and a chew that is sublime.
3. The Sauce… we use San-Marzano Plum tomato’s as the base and letting the sauce gradually mature in the cook pot all afternoon.
4. The Cheese… We use two cheeses, which combine to make for a perfectly balanced topping: Grana-Panado Parmesian Cheese and Bufala Mozzarela Cheese… both imported and shreaded just prior to use.
5. The Finish… as the pizza is about to be served, we top it with fresh Basil and a light drizzle of Sol-De-Lamacha Oilive Oil.

To spend this much time and money on pizza is a bit crazy… but it is worth it!

All winter I dream of pizza at camp. It is that good.

So Hats Off to the Kitchen… they are doing an amazing job and have earned our highest respect. Some of you have children working here… thank you for sharing them for the summer. Prepared to be impressed with their capacity to contribute to the family dinners this winter!