The Zen of the Kitchen
The alarm goes off at 5:15 in the morning. I am out of bed at 5:30, in the shower a few minutes later, and am trudging towards the kitchen by 5:50.
At 6:00 sharp we gather, hands washed, aprons donned, and eyes half open. The head chef, Mitchell Tufts, greets us with a warm smile and various jobs–assembling pans of bacon, cutting fruit, preparing the eggs–and I garner the honorable task of brewing coffee. I don’t drink coffee. So, I ask Steven how to operate the percolator and wait for the brown liquid to finish dripping into its pot while wondering what the world would look like without caffeine. I decide it would be a much simple and calmer place. With the coffee brewed, I join Stephanie in the dining room, where we place fourteen pitchers of water on the fourteen tables and set each with eight forks, spoons, and knives.
By now it’s 7:00. I return to the kitchen and set the biscuits out to defrost. Courtney starts making the eggs, and Stephanie takes the two hundred and twenty pieces of bacon out of the oven. This is when my morning really picks up. As someone who has chosen a life in education, scrubbing ten large pans scorched with bacon grease was never one of my career goals. But, here I am, happy as can be, scraping steel wool across aluminum pan, getting lost in the zen of scrubbing and grinding, leaving each pan as clean as polished silver.
Mitchell cooks a final batch of eggs while the first round of dishes comes in. I move over to the Hobart and start running through hundreds of dirty plates, cups, bowls, and utensils while Courtney puts the cleaned dishes away.
Well before the students are dismissed from breakfast–returning to their cabins to pack bags with everything they need for a day of outdoors school: extra layers, filled water bottles, and the ever-helpful positive attitudes and empty bladders–the kitchen crew has begun lunch. Stephanie finishes her batch of one hundred and ten cookies, and by 8:30 Carla and Curtis are well on their way to making one hundred and ten wraps. Courtney and I finish the breakfast dishes then return to the dining hall to prepare for dinner: setting out plates, cups, and utensils.
At 9:20 the students return, picking up the wraps, cookies, and apples for lunch. With the students gone, we sit down for a well-earned break. Much remains…preparing vegetables for dinner, making banana bread and two salads, taking the meat out to thaw, and washing the ever-present dirty dishes. But, for now we sit, resting our feet and enjoying a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit, and biscuits.
Experiential Educator
Phone: (775) 355-1688
Email: jamie@sierranevadajourneys.org
Background: University of Phoenix- B.S in Elementary Education; work in progress- M. Ed in Teacher Leadership.
Something you should know about me:
I was first introduced to Sierra Nevada Journeys as an undergraduate student. I participated in several workshops during my time as a student. After graduation I was hired to work on our campus in Portola, CA. At the end of the summer I joined the staff in the Reno office as an Experiential Educator. I enjoy working with SNJ for the opportunity to work with a variety of student populations and the chance to teach curriculum focusing on scientific concepts. The work environment is always positive and encouraging. My role at SNJ is providing me with numerous opportunities and tools to accomplish my personal and
caeegoals.