Letting Go of the Spatula

Letting Go of the Spatula CCCA Philadelphia 11/29/06 Joe K. Wilson joekwilson@msn.com

Letting Go of the Spatula • Why you might want to consider turning over your kitchen to a guest group that is interested in doing its own cooking, and how to protect property, inventory, and people in the process. • Reactions & testimonials • Why some camps have “let go” • Safeguards needed • Examples of forms & policies • Weigh pros and cons

Letting Go of the Spatula: Reactions • Once when a group was renting the kitchen, I came in and they had cardboard spread out over the floor near all the ovens and fryers (gas flames and all). They were preparing some sort of cabbage based concoction on the floor (on the cardboard). The same place they were walking through. When I tried to inquire what exactly was happening, no one in the kitchen spoke English or French or any other language that I could try. I had to leave, write it down, and hope for the best. • Mike, LA

Letting Go of the Spatula: Reactions • “Health department frowns” • “Preserve your reputation” • “Lots of liability” • “Can only house one group at a time” • “Need a licensed cook overseeing group” • “Dangers of poor food prep skills” • “Differing Definitions of ‘Clean!’” • “No control over food quality and safety” • “Lock the pantry!”

Testimonials: New York • Testimonial 1: • “We don’t allow our retreaters to use our kitchen. The NY State Health Dept. states that no food can be prepared and served on our premises other than by our own staff. Our groups aren’t even allowed to bring food prepared at home and brought here to be served and eaten here.” • Sue, Camp Pinnacle, Voorheesville, NY

Testimonials: New York • Testimonial 2: • “All camps must hire our head cook to be present in the kitchen but not necessarily to cook. We place a “Covenant Acres” label on all our stock. We post a blank paper to list items used from our stock. All camps must purchase the three soap and rinse containers for the dishwasher. We tell each camp they are renting our facility, not our supplies. Our county health department will be notified and they will inspect the kitchen during the week for all children’s camps.” • Tom, Pike, NY

Testimonials: Indiana • Testimonial 3: • “We give our groups the options to cook for themselves. And most of them do. We don’t have problems with groups stealing our food. And we haven’t had any trouble with broken/damaged equipment.” • Mike, Ray Bird Ministries, Indiana

Testimonials: Idaho • Testimonial 4: • “We are just getting started in rental and allow guests to use our kitchen. Right now we require a food handlers certificate and try to orient the rental cooks as to equipment and food storage.” • Ed, Shiloh Bible Camp, Donnelly, Idaho

Testimonials: California • Testimonial 5: • “In California with all the regulation on health standards we do not rent out our kitchen. The liability of untrained people using our equipment, and bringing in food is not worth the risk.” • Tom, ECCO, Oakhurst, CA

Testimonials: California • Testimonial 6: • “We are a small camp in the Sierra Nevadas. We rent the kitchen, which is a full commercially equipped facility, for $75 per day or $5 per camper per day. My wife has her safe serve course, so she is the one who makes sure that they are observing the basics. The kitchen can serve about 200 at a time. We have not had any major problems and many groups like to have their own ethnic food.” Tom, Pilot Lake, La Porte, CA

Testimonials: Texas • Testimonial 7: • “…NO GO here in Galveston County. We are informed by the local and state health board inspector that our kitchen can’t be used for cooking without a current health licensed cook.” Mr. J, Camp Good News, TX • Testimonial 8: • “The state regulations state that they must be licensed by the health services, supervised by a licensed person, and must be a camp employee.” Camp Arrowhead, TX

Testimonials: Texas • Testimonial 9: • We are a bit unique in that we make our facilities available free of charge to guests groups. We have five different sites, each with their own commercial kitchen which we allow groups to use. One group per site. We require each group to give us a Certificate of Insurance documenting that they have named us as “Primary Additional Insured” on their Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance policy and we require each group to give us a certificate of insurance documenting that they have a camper accident/illness policy in force for their event.” • John Worden, H.E. Butt Foundation, Kerrville, Texas

Testimonials: Texas • Testimonial 10 • We do allow other groups to use our kitchen. We charge a $200 kitchen use fee and it must be left clean. We have never had a problem with anything. The other groups bring their own inventory. They may use some of our seasonings, but have never used enough to notice. It just hasn’t ever been a problem for us. • Donna, Camp Peniel, Marble Falls, TX

Testimonials: Minnesota • Testimonial 11 • All groups have to prepare their own food. We have a capacity of 180 beds. • We also will have a cook supervisor to oversee the use of the kitchen. This person supervises the use of the kitchen and will help with the cooking. You will still need people to help with kitchen duties. The camp does not provide any food. • Doug, Grindstone Lake Bible Camp, Sandstone, MN

Letting Go of the Spatula: Reaction Summary “Don’t Go There!”

Why Some Camps DO Go There • Residential Kitchens • No Year Round Kitchen Staff • Groups “Grandfathered” In • Ethnic Groups • Camps With “Old” and “New” Kitchens • Unusual Meal Situations • Financial Motivation • By Choice

Safeguards: Health Department • Certification • Your staff supervise the 4 S’s* • Service • Safety • Security • Sanitation • Require certified guest leader *Greg Hodgson, InterVarsity @ Toah Nipi, Rindge, NH

Safeguards: Health Department • Varies by jurisdiction • City, County, State may all differ • Conflicting CCCA responses within a state • Do your homework • Separate kitchen may negate the issue

Safeguards: Liability • Require Certificate of Insurance • Camp named as “Primary Additional Insured” on CGL • $1,000,000 liability • Medical insurance proof • Denominations share • Require Cleaning Deposits • Health Department Certification • Clear Rental Contracts • Spell out specifics • No surprises

Safeguards: Testimonial Email

Safeguards: Testimonial Email Dan Hamilton here at Pleasant Valley Christian Camp. We are one of the few camps in the State of Washington who still allows groups the option of doing their own food service. The different county's health dep. Require that the kitchen be run by a certified cook who is under the supervision of a lead person for the facility. In some county's the health department also requires the camps to submit there menus for revue. The governing officials seam to need a job telling everybody what to do and how to do it for the "public good". Our county officials seam to be under funded and have enough on their plates to keep them busy. So for now we can still offer the choice to the different rental groups. Joe, I have been here for 21 years and in those years I have never had to worry about a group damaging the equipment or running off with the camp's goods. The groups we rent to are Christian and besides a mess of two, have conducted themselves with honesty. I even offer the groups the openness of our supplies in case they have forgotten anything. I just ask that they keep a record of it and let me know after the rental and it will be added to there bill. Now and then you may get a broken plate or two but that is to be expected in any commercial kitchen. We want the group's return business, for many years, so we open our house and treat them like we would want to be treated. We have had groups return here every year that I have been here and in the long run that much return business more than pays for anything that may have been forgotten or broken. I bill for vandalism and destruction but not for where and tear. Most kitchen equipment can take whatever can be dished out. It is built tough to last and that is why it cost so much. If equipment keeps braking with use then it is time to get good new commercial equipment and leave the donated cast off's behind. Your donor base will pony up for good kitchen equipment. Now I know that doing the cooking for the different rental groups makes good money, but we have found that one of the attractive draws to this camp as opposed to the "carpet on the floors" camps down the road, is the option for them to do their own cooking. We got to pay for keep this place open year around and we can not do that very well if no one is renting. Groups want options and that is what we give them. Thanks, Dan

Safeguards: Testimonial Email

Safeguards: Liability • Post Rules • Kitchen equipment operation • Age requirements • Commercial strength & speed • Basic food handling requirements • Gloves • Hair restraint • Food storage • Hands-on kitchen tour • Demonstrate equipment • Review posted rules • Checkout walk through

Examples • 1. Dishroom procedure • 2: Coffee machine • 3: Shiloh page 3 Part V Rental Payment • 4: Shiloh Camp rental rates • 5: Camp Phillip retreat group checklist • 6: Kitchen inventory • 7: Kitchen orientation for cooks* • 8: Rental group cleaning for kitchen* • 9: Standards for sanitation at NGYC* • *David Green, Northern Grace Youth Camp

Examples: Forms & Signs

CCCA Camp Resources • H.E. Butt Foundation • http://hebuttcamp.org/FoundationCamps/UseRequirements.asp • http://hebuttcamp.org/FoundationCamps/SuppliesCKList.asp

CCCA Camp Resources • H.E. Butt Foundation • http://hebuttcamp.org/FoundationCamps/UseRequirements.asp • http://hebuttcamp.org/FoundationCamps/SuppliesCKList.asp • CCCA Kitchen Use Data Base • Internet • http://www.fightbac.org/ for free posters

CCCA Camp Resources

Cons of “Letting Go” • Health Department • Liability • Can only house one group at a time • Sanitation • Food quality • Theft and breakage • Income loss from prepared food sales • Managing and enforcing contracts

Pros of “Letting Go” • Keep historical group relationships alive • Fewer kitchen staff needed in off season • Give staff holiday weekends off • Increased housing sales • Increased ethnic group use • Encourage smaller groups to attend • Groups minister to each other by cooking • Reduce money tied up in food inventory

Letting Go of the Spatula: Summary • Individual camp’s choice • Sound reasons on both sides of argument • Might consider “old kitchen/new kitchen” model • Realize the limitations • Consider the advantages

Don’t Be Afraid to Let Go of the Spatula!

Letting Go of the Spatula