A Morning in Tawonga’s Kitchen

By: Avi Paulson, Kitchen Staff 

Day in and day out, the Tawonga Kitchen churns out delicious, nutritious meals for our entire community. Unlike a lot of camps, many members of the Tawonga Kitchen staff are “homegrown” camper alumni. Working in the kitchen is a ton of fun, and campers often cite the food at Tawonga as one of their favorite things! Below, enjoy some behind the scenes magic from our kitchen staffer, Avi Paulson. 

6:30am

All hands on deck. The day begins with all of kitchen staff ready to receive a new shipment full of organic and sustainably sourced foods for Camp to enjoy throughout the day. We handpick all of our food from a variety of local vendors throughout our surrounding area, as the quality of the food that the Tawonga community eats is of utmost importance to us as kitchen staff, and central to Tawonga’s mission as a whole. 

7:00am

After refrigerating and stowing away the morning’s shipment, we begin work on breakfast. Whether it be cooking eggs for our signature mouthwatering frittata, or baking our camper-favorite banana bread, we take great pride in crafting meals that are both healthy and tasty for the campers and staff members alike. One aspect of our food-making process that we take special care in is recording every ingredient that we put into the food that we serve. This is to ensure that every member of the Camp community is nourished with the foods that make them feel the most healthy and ready to enjoy their day. We also prepare alternative food options for every meal, so that those with dietary restrictions are able to enjoy the same culinary Camp experience as their peers. 

8:00am

After we cook breakfast and restock the cereals, milks, oatmeals and other breakfast accoutrements, it is time for the best part of any member of kitchen staff’s day: serving the meal at the window. The kitchen window is an iconic part of any camper’s Tawonga experience. It is quite literally a window into where they get their food, and it is where they go to refill the dishes of food for their tables, and at the end of the meals, clear away all of their leftovers and dishes. Kitchen staff love the opportunity to interact with campers, and it never fails to brighten up shifts. 

9:00am

After the meal, it is time for dishwashing. What may sound like one of the most tedious parts of the job is actually one of the most enjoyable. We make sure to have fun while washing the dishes, listening to music and pausing for the occasional dance break. Once everything is washed and put away, and the kitchen is cleaned, sanitized and ready for the next meal, we take a short break, and then get started on making lunch.

Seeing the campers and staff members enjoying the food that we cook makes all of the long shifts and early-morning wake-ups well worth it.

 – K Staff ’23 

P.S. Enjoy this recipe for Tawonga’s challah straight from our kitchen! 

Check out today’s Tawonga Tidbit!

Below, enjoy photos from the past few days at Camp!