Camp Bob or our story as camp cooks

August 28, 2019

It all started last May with a post on Facebook from our cousin Benj, who lives close to Campbell River on Vancouver Island. He and his family worked on a youth camp on Roberts Lake and were looking for camp cooks. We jokingly responded to him saying maybe we should come out this summer. A week later, we refreshed our food safety course and were hired on as summer cooks. We had two weeks to get there and set up camp.

Just go for it. Don’t be afraid of trying new things. You have absolutely no idea what’s going to present itself to you. Don’t be frightened. Just buckle down and do whatever your heart desires.
Phyllis Smith

We ran a restaurant for 15 years when we got first married and cooked for a week at a taekwondo camp when the kids were little. But other than that it was a jump into unchartered territories.
We also found out that the kitchen was an outdoor kitchen with generators and propane.
We would be feeding 120 plus people, three meals a day, five days a week for the next 11 weeks.
So as the ferry docked in Nanaimo BC and we rolled on to Vancouver Island and headed north to our destination we did not know what to expect.

A day at camp Bob

“This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
– Alan Watts

After a warm welcome at the camp and an orientation, we started our new endeavour. We had Donna to be our food order and menu planner, and 1 to 2 volunteers kitchen helpers per week. Wakeup call 5:30 am getting ready for breakfast at 8:00 am, the morning continued with more prep for lunch at 12:30 pm. Dinner scheduled for 5:30 pm and we would finish up by 7:00 pm. Even though it sounded like some long days, there was some time to play and lots of peals of laughter.

The Reward

“Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.”
– Thomas J. Watson

What we did not expect out of this adventure is the reward.
We are part of longterm memories or even a change of life in a young person.
We also got to know the very hard working people behind and in front of the whole operation. The passion, commitment and sacrifices each individual brought into this summer to make an unforgettable getaway for all the campers who were lucky enough to be part of this fantastic camp. If you like to know more about this tremendous camp check them out at www.campbob.ca

We were also lucky to make new friends throughout this journey. And even though our beliefs are somewhat different, we learned that we are not that different in so many ways.

Thank you to Camp Bob for embracing us and sharing your community with us.