Have you ever had a meal that was just wonderful but you are surprised to find such good food in an unexpected place? A dingy diner, school pot luck, cafeteria or casual backyard party? These are some of the best meals of my life. When I do not expect good food and I get great food. Where you just want to corner the cook and find out exactly how they made those cookies, melt in your mouth smoky bbq brisket, fluffy mashed potatoes, spicy sweet pad thai etc… I have been to many fine dining restaurants, trendy cafes and gourmet shops but often it is that simple and perfect meal in an unexpected place that really stands out in my mind.
As a Chef with many years of experience behind me I find that creating this experience for others is the most satisfying part of my career. I could make gourmet meals or work at a renowned eatery creating food for critics and gourmets but that is not what interests me because I have done that. What interests me is when a person comes back to the Cal-Wood lodge exhausted after a long hike and sits down to dinner to enjoy a perfectly cooked meal. The best street style chicken tacos or tender roast beef with sweet and garlicky mashed potatoes. When a meal includes organic collard greens with aged balsamic and slow cooked red onions as a side dish when most people would expect some frozen veggies warmed up is when I really feel my experience is best put to use.
I am frequently trying new techniques like brining, salt baking, slow roasting and dry aging to make sure each meal is delicious and made the best it could be.
My goal is to build a data base of recipes that are the best ever. I have an advantage of being able to make a dish many times and in large quantities to test and tweak each one to result in a perfect dish.
There are a few rules that I employ in cooking for my clients. I believe food should be clean, made with the best possible ingredients and when possible made with local and/or organic ingredients. I never cook with hydrogenated oils, added preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. Nearly everything that comes out of my kitchen is made from scratch. In my kitchen we make stock, salad dressings, baked goods, breads, sauces and seasonings from our own recipes.
We never buy pre-made frosting or salad dressings. There is no chicken or beef base. Never will you find a store-bought muffin or dinner roll. We make all our breads from scratch with organic flours.
It is a lot of work and lots of dishes. Just ask Mike my wonderful assistant and dish jockey.
In this section I will include recipes that serve 20-50-75 people. Great for schools, camps, churches, pot luck dinners or just serious large batch cooking.
This is very cool. I’m looking forward to future updates.
Thanks Alice. I was working through a lemon cup cake recipe today and will be adding it tomorrow. I am really working on the big batch section during the holidays when I have not kiddos up here at Cal-Wood.
love this idea! I can’t wait to read more
I have a huge family reunion coming up next month. Everybody from the Caribbean at Park City ski and summer resort (we voted not to be on a beach this year) so I need some big batch recipes. I have the brownies book marked. I need some healthy hiking snacks. Any ideas?
This summer I will be cooking all meals for 40 people for a whole week ON A BOAT. Everything will be made fresh. I will have help, luckily
Oh my friend you will have so much fun. Let me know if there are any recipes you would like me to post for you. I need to build up this part of the site and literally have hundreds of recipes. I specialize in this sort of cooking. Keep me posted.
If you have anything on grilling whole chickens or whole suckling pigs, that would be great
We will have an open wood fire.
Also planning to make stuff for which I already have recipes: paella, chicken fajitas, smoked mackerel (doing our own hot smoking), Indonesian fried rice with chicken skewers and peanut sauce, freshly made meat ravioli, beef brisket, and pizza (from scratch). Not to mention baking our own bread. As you can see, not ambitious at all
Can I come? That menu makes me drool. I am posting on whole wheat bread loaves later today. I think you will like it. Your menu sounds great. Make sure you post about the trip on your lovely blog.
Oh you can count on it
Another thing I like is that most of the group will be in their early twenties. Hopefully I can get most of them interested in cooking fresh food 
Have some of your easy recipes ready and printed out and add your blog url because they will ask for recipes. I loved it when some at-risk teenage boys clamored for my strawberry shortcake recipe after a retreat last summer. They also sent me pictures of the versions they made at home and follow my blog. Much better than being on the streets…The thought of these rather large teenage boys with some serious criminal records making my shortcake makes me so very happy.