• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

304.645.1316

Contact Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo
Camp Alleghany for Girls

Camp Alleghany for Girls

A Summer Camp for Girls in Lewisburg, WV

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Alumnae Hub
    • COVID & Camp
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Request Information
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
    • Term Camp
    • Leaders-In-Training
    • Is Camp Alleghany Right For You?
    • Family Camp
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
  • Blog
Register for Camp

Dining Hall History: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Camp Alleghany for Girls seeks a new Head Cook and/or Prep Cooks for Summer 2016.

December 7, 2015 By Elizabeth Shreckhise

Head Cook Job Camp Alleghany
Graphic: Curren Media Group. (Click to enlarge.)

I know that there are many decades of Camp Alleghany Alumni who will join me in acknowledging that for over 30 years we were spoiled with the wonderous Dining Hall stylings of Ms. Hazel.

Ms. Hazel, Ms. Hazel, we know you’re nearing 80 but why, oh, why, did you have to retire? 

Okay, question here for the fact checkers: Was that the single most selfish thing I have ever written in over four years of blogging?

Of course Ms. Hazel had to retire — she cooked for us from the mid 1980s until the middle of this decade and YES, when you’re in your 70s it is right and good to hang up your oven mitt and wooden spoon and call it a day!

But we were so sorry to see her go after her last summer with us in 2012! And it certainly hasn’t been easy trying to fill her shoes.

Not only did Ms. Hazel set the bar so high that Chef Jamie Oliver himself would barely be able to cross it, but like anything at camp, including trying new cooks and food services, we sometimes just have to take that “taste” to see if we are making the right choice, finding the right “fit.”

And try we have.

New recipes

After Ms. Hazel we used one of her assistants, Alene, in 2013, which worked well, but Alene’s other job at home changed and didn’t allow for summers off to work for us.

Then we tried a new hire for Summer 2014, and a turn-key camp-oriented cooking service — KANDLE — for Summer 2015. All allowed us to try or to meet new people, try new food, and explore new styles.

So I guess you can say that we’ve had a “serving” here and a “tasting” there of different cooks and kitchens.

But to use the old school language of camp from long ago, some of it turned out to be a “no thank you” helping.

It’s not that anyone did anything wrong. No!

But when you’re hungry you’re looking for just the right meal for you. We did try getting Alene back for Summer 2016 but she’s still not free to return for the summer.

And so you have to work with what you’ve got. We have to pull up our sleeves, put on the apron, pre-heat the oven, and take out the cookbook again to try something that we hope this time will “wow them!”

Home skillet

I’m sure you know that if there was a clone for Ms. Hazel, we would want her.

Ms. Hazel, Ms. Hazel, we know you’re nearing 80 but why, oh, why, did you have to retire? 

We are looking!

And that’s my announcement today.

We are actively seeking a Head Cook for the summer of 2016. We’re also interested in Prep Cooks, and we may look into hiring internationally for some of the prep cooks as well.

We are still “tasting.”

Indeed, we are committed to a quality of down home food that would make Ms. Hazel proud.

So we’re asking you to not only be patient with us, but to work with us, too — maybe you have a person in mind? A reference to add? A suggestion to make? A direction to look?

And keep this in mind — today’s families look for a cook who understands food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Job opening

We ask you to please share the details on that job opening eitherfrom our Website or from a posting we listed on the American Camp Associations (ACA) website.

If you have any questions you can also call Garrett at (304) 667-2851or e-mail him.

So there you have it.

We have the highest hope for finding that “perfect fit,” that “perfect taste” — and maybe you are just the person to help us make that connection!

I remain confident that Summer 2016 will be full of good taste — foods from the past to stir our memories, foods from recent years to nourish and fulfill us, and foods into the future to keep us connected to our roots.

In the meantime, let’s take a bite of Carrie’s Yeast Rolls and keep on keeping on!

— Elizabeth Dawson Shreckhise, Assistant Director, Camp Alleghany for Girls

Filed Under: Directors Tagged With: Dining Hall, food, food allergies, job openings, staff

About Elizabeth Shreckhise

Elizabeth is the Director of Camp Alleghany for Girls, the third generation member in her family to hold this position. But she also spent her childhood (ages 7-16) as 'Ghany camper, then held various counselor positions, and spent a decade here as the Assistant Director. She has a Masters in Education and Human Development and is a former School Counselor. Elizabeth lives in Staunton, Virginia during the "off-season" with her husband Matt and sons Mason, Ellis, and Noah. In addition to staffing, enrollment, program planning, outreach, and camp management duties, she helps keep the website current, writes and updates camp literature, and oversees the blog.

Primary Sidebar

Download Our FREE E-Book

Is your daughter ready for sleepaway summer camp? Our E-book offers insight into this and more!
3 Reasons to Send Your Child to Camp.

Recent Blog Posts

  • TBT: The Alleghany Rattler, May 1946: Twenty-Fifth Season
  • TBT: The Alleghany Rattler, July 1962: Camp Spirit
  • TBT: The Alleghany Rattler, July 1929: The Blessing of Rest Hour

Get Our Blog Updates

Get our latest news. No spam -- Your e-mail is safe with us.

Footer

Contact Us

304.645.1316

304.362.0134 (fax)

Info@campalleghany.com

Camp Alleghany for Girls
428 Camp Alleghany Road
Caldwell, WV 24925

Main Pages

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Alumnae Hub
    • COVID & Camp
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Request Information
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
    • Term Camp
    • Leaders-In-Training
    • Is Camp Alleghany Right For You?
    • Family Camp
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
  • Blog

Other Pages

  • Alumni Hub
  • Request Info
  • Job Openings
  • Families Log In
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo

Copyright © 2022 Camp Alleghany for Girls. Website by Curren Media Group.