Oakcrest offers delicious, well-balanced, nutritious meals three times a day. For breakfast and lunch, several choices are offered: a hot bar, cold bar/salad bar, and cereal bar. In addition to our meals, peanut butter sandwiches are always available for lunch and dinner. Campers are also encouraged to bring their own snacks. These snacks should be labeled with the camper’s name because they will be stored in a sealed bin in her cabin to discourage “critters” from coming into the cabins. Snacks are also available for purchase in the Trading Post, but campers will not go to the Trading Post every day. Campers staying in the Nut Free cabin cannot bring snacks containing nuts.

For more information, see our online camp menus or download the Nutrislice App and search Oakcrest.

Kitchen Staff

Each member of the Kitchen Staff must get her Food Handler’s Permit. The Kitchen Director goes through additional training, which qualifies her as a Certified Food Safety Manager. Only those with Food Handler’s Permits may enter the kitchen.

Our kitchen is inspected on a regular basis throughout the summer. Because these inspections are unannounced, the kitchen staff is expected to be diligent in their cleaning and personal hygiene.

Dietary and Food Allergy Concerns

If you are a camper with food concerns, the most important first step you can take to prepare for your week at camp is to clearly indicate those food concerns when you register online. This way, we can work with you to make sure your concerns are met while you are at camp. If you happen to have food allergies that are diagnosed or develop after you have registered, you should notify your stake leader. She will then contact the Women’s Committee member over the Oakcrest kitchen and inform her of these changes. If a severe food concern is indicated on your online registration form, you will be contacted by a member of the Women’s Committee a few weeks prior to your scheduled week at camp in order to discuss your concern.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for that contact:

  1. Find the menu for the week you will be attending camp on the Nutrislice App or Online Camp Menus. (Menus are published two weeks in advance.)
  2. Go through the menu thoroughly with your parent/guardian, noting any food concerns you may have.
  3. Read through the standard accommodations outlined below that are provided by the kitchen staff at Oakcrest to accommodate your specific food concern.
  4. Decide what additional measures, if any, you feel you may need and prepare to discuss your plan with the member of the Women’s Committee member when she contacts you. This information will be relayed to the Kitchen Director who will help to implement your food plan during your week at camp.

After reading the standard procedures outlined below for each specific food concern, if you determine it would be helpful to bring additional food to supplement your food plan while at camp, you are free to do so. You may keep snacks with you in your cabin, but any other food should be prepared as follows:

  1. Food is to be packed in a container that will keep it cold for the bus ride to Oakcrest. (Coolers will be transported to camp in the bus’ luggage compartment.) Upon arrival at Oakcrest, the food container will be stored in the kitchen refrigerator.
  2. The container must be clearly labeled with the camper’s name.
  3. Food for the same meal is packed together and labeled with what meal it will be used for (i.e. Wednesday lunch, etc.), as well as with a list of items that are to be used for that meal.
  4. A detailed description of the camper’s special menu should be placed inside the cooler. The description should include any food preparation instructions, as well as which food items go with which meal. Campers will coordinate their food plans with the Kitchen Director through their counselors.

Below are the common food concerns and the standard accommodations that are made by the Oakcrest kitchen staff:

Celiac Disease

There are some common gluten-free options available at camp for bread, pasta, and cereal. We also offer a salad bar. Some meals may provide an additional gluten-free substitute that will be listed as such on the menu page.

Lactose intolerance

We do use cheese, butter, and dairy products in our cooking at Oakcrest, but most campers find that they can deal with their lactose intolerance with their own medication. Dairy free substitutes (such as lactose free cheese) will be used in individual meals when possible upon request. Dairy free milk is also available for the camper’s use.

Nut Allergies

We do not use nuts in our meals at camp. We do, however, offer a peanut butter and jelly station for lunch and dinner to accommodate those campers who are vegetarian, vegan, or have other dietary concerns. This station is located in the lodge where campers eat. If a camper is so severely allergic to nuts that they cannot walk by an open jar of peanut butter, she will need to avoid that area. For campers with severe nut allergies, we recommend that they request to stay in the “Nut Free” cabin (described below).

Nut Free Cabin

For those campers who are severely allergic to nuts of any kind, lodging is available in a cabin that is kept nut aware throughout the summer.  Campers and their roommates who wish to stay in this cabin should indicate this when they register online.  All campers in this cabin (even roommates without allergies) will need to bring only nut-free snacks and will be required to follow allergy-aware guidelines, such as not sharing snacks with each other and always washing hands after eating.  At times, campers who are not “nut free” will be assigned to this cabin.  They can be reassured that this cabin is just like all the others and is not separated from the rest of the camp.  The only difference is that products containing nuts are never allowed in or around the cabin.