Our Tents (10th graders) were treated to an incredible lunch and outdoor cooking lesson today from Chef Darin! Darin is the Head Chef at Whole Foods in Atlanta. He not only cooked an unforgettable meal on an open fire but taught the boys many tips and skills to use during Frontier Week when they have to prepare a multi-course meal at their campsite.

He started the meal off with a fresh Tomato, Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Salad with fresh mint and a pinch of salt. He taught the boys that when you use really fresh ingredients that have various flavors, you don’t need to use dressings. Let the natural flavors and juices come out with a pinch of salt. They devoured this in seconds! Next came preparing the fire to grill and a quick lesson in marinades and rubs for meat, chicken and fish. The Chicken was marinated in Sriracha, Honey and Soy Sauce for about an hour and the Boneless Rib-eye Steaks had a dry coffee and pepper rub. He created a beautiful Thai Chicken dish with a salsa made with cucumber, red peppers, red onions, soy & cilantro. Delicious!!! Next, he pulled the Steaks off the grill and let them rest while he cooked up some black beans, zucchini, sweet onions and corn. The corn was grilled right on the fire…mmmmmm! He grilled the tortillas and made mouth watering Steak Tacos that the boys could not get enough of! They ate them so fast, we couldn’t get a photo!

Time for dessert. Darin told the story of how during holiday season they had a ton of left over pumpkin ravioli in Whole Foods that was not selling. Part of Darin’s job is creating new dishes and overseeing their catering. He decided to fry the ravioli and TADA! The Mini Fried Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Sauce and  Whipped Cream was a hit! Sold out the Pumpkin Ravioli and we got to try it today. Happy Dancing all around!

After the class was done, they headed out to play Flag Football…”Only at Owego”