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FOREST FALLS, Calif. — A transformation is under way in the Forest Home kitchen. Baby spinach greens with apple chips, almonds and “one mile nearer heaven” honey chipotle vinaigrette is hardly typical camp fare. Neither is pan-seared fillet of Atlantic salmon on barley risotto with handcrafted cranberry onion relish and caramelized baby carrots nor handmade cinnamon ice cream crepes with raspberry coulis.
These gourmet creations and many more are in store for those headed to a week of family camp at the historic Forest Home Ministries Conference Center in Mill Creek Canyon in the San Bernardino mountains.
In his second year as Executive Chef for Forest Home Ministries, D’Arcy Letorneau has transformed more than the menu. He has eliminated prepackaged food, mixes and instant foods and replaced them with fresh ingredients. Guests can now expect real mashed potatoes—meals are made from scratch.
What may be a radical change for the camp kitchen is old school for Letorneau, who formerly owned his own restaurant and worked as executive chef in a number of upscale hotels before a board member discovered him at a private fly-in lodge in Canada.
“I came here for God, not my career,” Letorneau said as he explained that he was ready to retire from the culinary field and become a teacher before joining the mountainside ministry. “I am the lucky one to be at Forest Home. Coming here is the only thing in the world that would make me want to stay a chef.”
To say the Canadian native is passionate about Christian camping is an understatement.
“A Christian camp helped save my life,” the chef said, explaining how people at a Christian camp in Alberta befriended him and introduced him to Christ. “Professionally my life was brilliant, but morally it was corrupt.”
The 40-year-old chef now uses his culinary skills to bless conference guests of all ages. In fact, he considers planning healthy snacks for children a very important part of his ministry assignment.
Letorneau’s commitment to do away with pre-made and prepackaged foods has required additional staff to help prepare made-from-scratch meals. But lower food costs have offset the increased labor expense.
“Pre-made food is very expensive,” Letorneau said.
Muffins made from a mix, for instance, cost 18 cents apiece while muffins made from scratch cost just six cents.
“The (additional) labor is still cheaper, but the quality is so much better.”
So long, Home Camp Buffet
Last summer saw an end to standing in a buffet line at family camp while trying to corral a toddler. The change to serving plated meals for dinner has cut down on food costs and surprised staff members who were initially skeptical of whether the new plan could work.
This summer the camp will produce its own ice cream and sorbet made on the premises with help from a newly purchased ice cream machine.
The innovative camp chef has plans to offer a cooking class for family camps. He has started an apprentice program drawing culinary students from the Cordon Bleu and other schools.
“It is a good way for them to grow in their culinary skill and to grow spiritually as well,” he said.
Letorneau characterized the culinary industry, which is often competitive, indulgent and fast-paced, as a mission field that can be a very dark place.
While Letorneau has been transforming food service for the ministry, Stan White, president of Forest Home Ministries, has been working to help the 70-year-old conference center redefine camping.
White, a Southern California native who decided to follow Christ while a camper at Forest Home’s Indian Village in 1964, said his new assignment feels like coming home. He spent 16 years on the Forest Home program staff and then worked for several other camping ministries before taking the helm at Forest Home 18 months ago.
“There are significant, life-impacting things that happen at camp,” White said of the 10 weeks of Forest Home family conferences that begin June 15th. “We’re about building stronger families. Through a variety of programming and experience we help strengthen family relationships under the lordship of Christ.”
White acknowledged that the ministry faces the challenge of convincing families to carve out time for a week at camp.
“We are competing for their discretionary time, dollars and values,” the ministry executive said.
Building up the family
Each summer the conference center hires 160 college-age students to fill the ranks of summer staff positions needed to run the facility during its high season.
The family-friendly environment at a weeklong family conference provides a feast of quality time on Forest Home’s storied grounds. Conference guests participate in a family pilgrimage activity and an afternoon of family competition during “Lake Day.”
Parents get a break in the mornings while kids attend age-graded day camp programs. During the evening, trained baby sitters care for children in individual cabins during the summer conferences that accommodate about 100 families each week.
“We recognize the need to have adult time alone,” said Kent Kraning, Family Ministries director for Forest Home.
Kraning said that the 10 weeks of family camp are programmed to encourage parents to slow down, connect with their kids and discover some new tools for parenting.
“We call it a vacation with a purpose,” he said. “It is amazing what one week can do.”
For more information visit, www.foresthome.org or call (909) 389-2300.
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