turning kids into
nappy campers
W hen she turns in an outstanding
perform ance at work, Rachel Bredem us
doesn’t expect a promotion o r a raise. But
it is pretty cool when her job well done
results in a “Cook’s Parade”— her kitchen
staff m arching through the dining room
with colanders on their heads, beating on
pots and pans to appease the demands of
an audience of 200 raucous young eaters.
Rachel— co-owner of Camp Birchwood,
a girls-only sum m er cam p in northern
Minnesota— believes feeding cam pers well
is just as im portant as showing them a
good time. And for 10 years, the Red Plaid
cookbook has been a part o f that effort.
“ W e’re not a hot dog and baked
beans kind of camp,” Rachel says. “ I
insist on feeding o ur cam pers with the
same kind of love and care my m other
dished up for me in my lunch b o x -
goodies like pumpkin bread, carrot-
raisin salad, and snickerdoodles made
with freshly ground nutmeg.”
To Rachel, and to kids experiencing
their first trip away from Mom and Dad,
the recipes are com fort food in more
ways than one. W hen the newest group
of 200 cam pers ventures off buses,
th e /re welcomed by the arom a of Red
Plaid Sloppy Joes wafting from the
kitchen. And Rachel smiles. ‘T h ey know,”
she says, “they’ve found their home away
from home.”
I M U S
LAPORTE, MINNESOTA
RED PLAID COOK SINCE
1999
1 7 2
SEPTEMBER 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARD
