I grew up at Jacobs Camp, and there’s no question that shaped my life in more ways than one. As a camper, the things that seemed like “big” life-changing events often ended up being quite small as life played out. On the other hand, the things that seemed like everyday “small” occurrences ended up being rather significant in my own life.
I’m thinking specifically about those three-meals-a-day moments in the Dining Hall. Yes, most days of each summer I sat down with my cabin in the Dining Hall for meal after meal after meal. I had no say in what I was going to eat. I realized during my first summer at camp that I could either eat the food offered, or I could choose to be hungry. So…that first summer I tried so many different foods I had never had before. From then on, I was actually eager to expand my palate, and I even realized eventually that I wanted to work with food in my professional life.
Even after all these years, no matter the meal in front of me, no matter where I am in the world, I still remember there is nothing quite like that “first night of camp”. The crispy golden fried chicken, the cloud-like rolls, and the banana pudding. I even still think to myself, “SAVE YOUR SPOONS!”
After one of my summers on staff I came home and started playing around with the Banana Pudding recipe from camp. After learning about how it was made and then tweaking it a bit, I developed my own recipe. I am excited to share this and other recipes with you as we spend some time talking about one of our collective favorite pastimes from Jacobs Camp. Join me in our virtual Chadar Ochel at 7:30pm CST on Monday, May 10th on Facebook Live!
Daniel Conroy is a camper and staff alum from the 90s and early 00s. Daniel transformed his love of camp food into a career where he currently is the Director of Events are Congregation Anshai Torah in Plano, TX.
