Foodservice Management Support for Residential Operations

I help Owners and Directors in any residential foodservice setting manage their operations with greater confidence, control, and clarity; whether that's a children's summer camp, a seasonal camp, a hunting camp, a construction camp, or any other operation where people are fed on-site, in a residential setting. There are other chefs who specialize in restaurants, hotels, and resorts, but summer camps, hunting camps and schools often have unique needs. Further still, many such kitchens have been turning away from catering vendors in recent years due to rising costs, and face a knowledge vacuum upon the incumbent’s departure.

When you need to know why operations and systems are not working, call me! I normally assist via:

• Director Advisory Meetings

  • Regular one-on-one meetings with you, the Director, to work through anything related to your foodservice operation. Sessions are agenda-based or free-form, whatever works best for you. This is your dedicated time with an experienced foodservice professional who is entirely on your side.

• Call-A-Chef Hotline

  • Direct access to an independent chef's expertise, available to you and your senior leaders. This is separate from our weekly meetings; this is an actual hotline you can call throughout the course of your work to seek independent operations insight. Available any time you need a second opinion, a sounding board, or urgent support.

  • Whether you're navigating a staffing crisis, troubleshooting a service problem, managing rising costs, or preparing for a difficult conversation with kitchen leadership and need to talk it through, the Call-A-Chef hotline is there to support you.

  • 24 hrs, 7 days/week, 365 days per year

• Menu Planning & Development

  • Menus designed in collaboration with your Executive Chef and grounded in your operation's food culture and traditions. This includes:

  • Cyclical menus planned across the full year, with special attention to:

  • Allergen and special-diet strategy, including reviewing opportunities to simplify complex special-menu requests

  • Volume planning support for quantity cooking

  • Order planning and streamlining of your ordering process

• Executive Chef Support

  • Independent support for your kitchen leadership. This includes orientation support, check-ins through the transition period, and the option for group discussions with the kitchen team where an outside perspective may help. One week-long on-site visit per year is included for direct observation, operational review, and debrief.

• Budget & Financial Analysis

  • A thorough review of your foodservice financials, including staff costs, food costs, contracts, supplies, equipment, and capital investment. This is combined with forward-looking budget planning, forecasted food and labour budgets, and planned capital investment. Once you have a complete financial picture of your operation, it is easier to fine-tune the budget to engineer more predictable results.

• Hiring & Camp-Wide Food Strategy

  • Advisory support for your kitchen hiring process, including review of job postings and applications. This is not a staffing placement service. It is support for your own hiring decisions. Also included: development of a broader food strategy that connects kitchen operations with food-related programming and activities across your whole operation.