MEET OUR KITCHEN STAFF
We welcome back Dudley Williams to our 2012 staff! Dudley was a counselor for our 12 year old boys in 2006, 2007 and 2011. Now, Dudley is taking on the role of Kitchen Facilitator. During the past few years, Dudley has been cooking for Sendik's during the school year.
Dudley loves to coach sports and has recently has been coaching high school boys basketball in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also has his own regularly featured call-in segment on a sports radio talk show. Recently, Dudley has also been doing stand-up comedy.
Dudley spent several months in the Dominican Republic working through an orphanage teaching English, coaching baseball and leading trips.
Dudley says that some of his favorite things to do at camp include: Capture The Flag, cleaning the showerhouse, basketball, sumo wrestling, making friends, "sweating creativity" (arts & crafts) and golf. Dudley says that he's looking forward to "being able to give to others what camp has given to me: a stronger sense of self and others."
Keegan Byrnes has been a part of Camp Eagle Ridge since 1994. This summer, Keegan will be our Assistant Cook. Keegan has been working for Perkins restaurant in West Allis, Wisconsin for the past three years. Keegan currently attends the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, where he is studying Political Science. He also founded and runs a student organization, "The Gaming Group of Whitewater".
Keegan says his favorite parts of camp are "the activities, the leadership workshops, and especially Capture The Flag and the overnight tent trip". Keegan's favorite things to cook are "spaghetti, meatloaf, corned beef hash and grilling steaks, burgers and hot dogs."
This will be Alex Paris' 6th year at Camp Eagle Ridge. Prior to joining our kitchen staff, Alex was a counselor-in-training. He is currently a senior at Denver Academy in Denver, Colorado. Alex is a varsity captain on the basketball team. He enjoys playing and talking about all sports.
Alex plans to attend University of Colorado at Colorado Springs next fall and major in Sports Management. His favorite things to cook are desserts, especially cakes and cookies!
Melanie Kohls joins our kitchen staff this year! Melanie has been a part of Camp Eagle Ridge for the past 9 years and was a counselor-in-training last summer. Melanie is currently a senior at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin and plans to attend college next fall either on the East coast or at UW-Madison. She is planning to study either conservation biology or environmental science.
When Melanie isn't at camp, she enjoys listening to music, biking, analyzing movies with her friends, downhill skiing, reading, and cooking (and eating) delicious food.
Melanie is a vegetarian and she says that "this has allowed me to learn a lot about food, nutrition and good cooking practices and has deepened my appreciation for good food. I love Jay's green bean casserole and I'm excited to learn more about cooking for large groups."
This will be Daniel Andersen's 4th year on our kitchen staff! Daniel is graduating this spring from Mellen High School and is the class valedictorian! He plans to attend UW-Parkside this fall to major in Sports Management or History. Daniel also played basketball and baseball for Mellen. Daniel loves to play sports, hike, play games, get outside, and, in general, do all things athletic. He says "I have always had a great time out at Eagle Ridge. I've made so many friends that I will never forget and its a wonderfull experience. My favorite things to make are hamburgers and fries. If you ask any of the kids who makes the best fries, they'll say 'Oh Daniel by far.'"
This is Jenna Young's FIRST year at Camp Eagle Ridge. Jenna is originally from Franklin, Wisconsin where she attended Martin Luther High School. She ran track, was actively invovled in choir, and participated in the drama and musical programs.
Jenna grew up in her mother's dance studio, surrounded by teaching, dancing and performing since the age of 2. After high school, she moved to Southern California and joined a performing group called the Young Americans. For the past five years, Jenna has been living out of a suitcase, traveling around the world, working and performing with kids, teaching them that music is a very important part of life.
Jenna is extremely excited about joining the camp team and cannot wait to meet everyone. She is counting down the days to the start of the most incredible summer ever!
RECIPES FROM CAMP
Camp Eagle Ridge's Food Revolution
It’s been interesting watching “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” (ABC). For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it focuses on the eating habits of our nation and in particular, our kids. Part of the goal of the show is to change our kids’ school lunch program and to feed our kids much healthier meals.
At Camp Eagle Ridge, we’d like to think we’ve been ahead of the curve on this one. We’ve had a long history of preparing our meals mainly “from scratch”. We only serve water, milk, ice tea, and 100% real fruit juice. Our salad bar is available at every lunch and dinner and everything on it is fresh and full of color. We don’t serve soda, nor do we have vending machines. All in all, every meal is packed with healthy, delicious choices.
We have three main goals at Camp Eagle Ridge: develop leadership skills, develop a sense of community responsibility and develop healthy living skills. By offering healthy choices at every meal, we’re teaching our kids to enjoy a rich variety of foods. Our kids are learning that food is better when its not processed, fried and “golden brown”. Food is wonderful when you see a rich variety of colors…yellows, oranges, reds, etc.
Now we’re taking our goal of teaching healthy living skills two steps further! Last summer, we planted a garden at camp. Amanda Brown, a camp alumni, has developed a wonderful garden plan. Our kids will be learning to plant, weed, fertilize and harvest. They will have a great understanding our where our food comes from.
At Camp Eagle Ridge, our kids have the opportunity to learn to cook! At every choice activity period, cooking is offered. Our campers will be able to work in the kitchen with our staff and learn to prepare healthy, nutritious meals. They will also learn about sanitation, food safety and composting.
Many of our families are familiar with staff member, Jason Davis. Jason has been a part of Camp Eagle Ridge for 10 years. He was a boys’ counselor and then, our Waterfront Director. When we decided to involve our campers in food preparation, it was important to us that the program was headed by someone very skilled in working with young people. Now, Jason Davis is our Kitchen Facilitator. Jason trained with two chefs in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and has earned his Serv Safe certification in food safety. Last year, the introduction of our new cooking program was very successful. We’re very excited about these new additions to our already excellent food service program. We believe that it is very much in line with our camp’s philosophy and goals.
Typical Meals
Breakfast: Fresh Fruit, Oatmeal, Yogurt, Pancakes, French Toast, Cereal, Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Toast
Lunch: Baked Potato Bar, Pita Sandwiches with Chicken Salad, Egg Salad or Tuna Salad, Enchiladas, Grilled BBQ Chicken, Fresh Soups, Chili, Salad Bar is always available
Supper: Baked Chicken, Spaghetti, Make Your Own Burritos, Baked Ziti, Meatloaf, Pasta Primavera, Salad Bar is always available
Snacks: (available all day) Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Fresh Fruit and Fresh Vegetables
We offer vegetarian options at every meal.
