Say hello to CHEF!

With the recent news of 56 students being hospitalized for food poisoning in KZN (read the article here), we thought it would be a good time to introduce the person in charge of our kitchen and understand the strict hygiene practices we follow to avoid such instances of food poisoning or contamination. When regularly feeding over 150 children and staff members, it's something that we take quite seriously.
But first...Time to see your silly side!

What's the craziest food concoction you've ever heard of? I have 2 that I eat regularly. Ready for this? Toast. Butter. Syrup. Aromat. Delicious! The other one is Toast. Butter. Tomato Sauce and Marmite. Don't worry though, I won't be serving that at any meal times!
What's your favourite camp meal? KFC-style chicken. Just like Colonel Sanders, I've got my own secret recipe of herbs and spices! And NO I won't tell you!

What's one food you haven't tried yet? Mopane worms!

Our beloved Chef comes from Krugersdorp and has been involved in the industry since 2007, having completed a number of Kitchen Management, Hospitality and Staff Management Courses. Before starting this career, Chef wanted to be a teacher, so working at a children's summer camp has become the perfect blend to combine his love of food and children.  

Together with his 5 lovely kitchen ladies - Shortie, Oros, Pumba, Smie and Mama, Chef runs a tight ship and produces excellent meals that cater for every tastebud, no matter how fussy. In fact, parents have even called us to ask exactly how we make our vegetables, since their camper would eat their veggies here at camp but not at home. Not only do we serve wholesome veggies such as roasted butternut and flavoursome green beans, but there is always at least 2 delicious salads to accompany each meal: Chef makes a mean pasta salad and his tomato, onion and feta cheese salad is simply scrumptious.

Main meals include kid-friendly options such as spaghetti bolognaise, fish and chips, lasagna, build-your-own pizza or honey-mustard chicken dishes. Each cabin has a designated table at the dining hall and counselors eat with the campers to ensure everyone has enough to eat. Sugar Bay's kitchen is extremely accommodating of all dietary requirements and will do our absolute best to cater for any dietary restrictions be they related to religion, allergies or intolerances or lifestyle choices. Our kitchen holds a Halaal certificate for all chicken served and upholds all SARA standards.

Ever the busy body and living by his motto "Don't expect someone to do something if you can't do it yourself", when Chef is not cooking, cleaning or mopping in the kitchen he spends his time helping out in other areas of camp. This past week he helped out a frightened camper on the King Swing and let the campers invade his kitchen to create a fabulous Sugar Boat cake to go along with our Rock the Boat theme. Of course we're sure he didn't mind being the taste-tester for this rocking creation, but guess that's one of the many perks of the job!
 
Want to find out more about the meals we serve or how we're able to cater for specific dietary requirements? Give us a call on 032 485 3778. 

For more information about school or holiday camps, visit our website www.sugarbay.co.za or check out our awesome Facebook page! You can even get a a sneak peek into what the camp experience at Sugar Bay is like!