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A Summer at Camp (freckled_beauty and Josu_T)

Josu_T

Supernova
Joined
Oct 14, 2009
Location
B.C.
Kelsey Andrews was desperate for work. He had spent thousands of dollars on culinary school and he'd recieved a great education. He could cook and run a kitchen. He could do it all. He had worked in restaurants since his early teens and had learned a lot. Yet now that he had finished his education he couldn't find a job. He was starting to run out of money and he would soon have to take anything. There were a number of low level jobs available, but nothing that would pay enough to both pay his rent and help him pay off his loans.

He put his resume everywhere, hoping to find somewhere to work. The twenty-three year old man was getting frustrated. When he got an email one day from a camp that mentioned a job in the title he felt a rush of excitment and relief. He didn't really look at the details of the camp, he only looked at the specifics of the job offer. He was being offered the position of head cook for the large camp. He would run the kitchen, organising the meals and ordering the food as well as doing a few other tasks. But most importantly the pay was great. The camp was a long way from the city so he would have to move there for the summer, but he would get free room and board because of it. That meant not having to pay rent. He could save all his money. It sounded too good to be true. He quickly sent a message back accepting the offer. A few days later he was faxed a contract which he signed and sent back in.

He was due to be at the camp in a few weeks and he took that time to prepare himself. He packed all he would need for the summer, including many of his own personal kitchen tools so he could feel comfortable in their kitchen right away. He packed enough clothes and all the other neccesary items and then he packed all his other things into boxes. He put it all into storage just a few days before leaving. He was leaving his apartment while he was gone and he'd find a new place to live at the end of the summer. When it was time to leave he printed off directions and packed his things into his car. He wasn't travelling up with the rest of the staff because he needed his car for the job and he had a lot he was bringing with him. The first two weeks there would just be the staff for the camp as they received a little training and bonded as a group. He would have plenty of time to set up the kicthen and get ready for cooking for hundreds of people every night.

The drive took quite a long time and it was very dull driving alone. The scenery was beautiful and he got more and more excited for the summer ahead. He still didn't know much about the camp, but he figured he'd learn quickly. When he arrived on site he drove along a long gravel road from where the property began to where the main camp area was situated. He had arrived a few minutes before the main group of staff were meant to get there. The 6'4", broad shouldered man stepped out of his car and ran a hand through his short brown hair. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, his blue eyes surveying the landscape. It was a beautiful place. He hoped that he would have enough time outside of the kitchen to keep his level of fitness and to keep the light tan on his skin. He stood there by his car in the parking lot, waiting for the rest of his coworkers to arrive before wandering around the rest of the camp, not wanting to get lost before anyone else was there.
 
Genesis Jones was the niece to the owner of the all girls summer camp. She didn't exactly want to be there. The seventeen year old would have rather spent the summer with her Dads in Italy. They where always going to nice places and she hoped this would be the summer they would finally get her a passport and her take her with them, but to her surprise her mom believed it would be good for her 'rebellious' daughter to spend her summer at camp where there where 1.no boys, and 2.under the watchful eye of her strict but loving aunt.

The night before Genesis had spent her time packing all her shorts and t-shirts and the best fitting swimsuit she could find. She had bought one monokini but in her mind that was for lying on the shore not for swimming and getting in the water. Her Aunt Jill had risen early, two am to be exact, and awoken her niece so the two could get to the camp early. Jill was the owner and therefore had to make sure everything was in order before campers began to arrive. Genesis had slept the whole way since she didn't even bother going to sleep until they where on the road.

To Jill the drive was nothing since she made it two or three times a year. It was a nice place and she really enjoyed it. This summer though her previous chef had left since she was due to have twins at the start of the season so she had hired a new one. Jill had yet to met the woman but hoped that she would get along with the rest of the staff. She parked her car and shook her niece awake.

"I'm up. I'm up!" Genesis said yawning and sitting up. "Where are we?" She asked rubbing her eyes trying to mositen her contacts again since she made the choice of sleeping in them. "My cell phone won't work will it?" She asked seeing the tress and dense forest surrounding her. "No darling it won't now come on." She said looking around pulling the keys out of the ignition. She frowned seeing a man standing by his car. "Odd." She said getting out of the car and heading over to him a smile on her face. "Hello." She said greeting him.

Genesis frowned getting out of the car behind her aunt. She wore shorts and an old Jimi Hendrix t-shirt with black vans. She walked around the truck seeing the tall man and smiled to her self. maybe this summer won't be a complete bore. she thought to herself joining her aunt.
 
Kelsey heard a car approaching and turned to look down the road. There he saw a truck as it approached. He smiled, glad that someone else was there. He had been getting a little bored on his own. It hadn't been that long, but there wasn't much to see in the parking lot. Through the windshield he saw an older woman and a girl who appeared to be slumped over, possibly sleeping. He leaned against his car until they had parked and got out. The older woman greeted him and he had a feeling she might be the owner or at least the manager.

He walked toward her, smiling back at her. He held out his hand for a hand shake. "Hi, I'm Kelsey Andrews. I'm the new head cook here. You must be the one who hired me. Thank you for the job opportunity. I don't know much about this place, but from what I've seen already it seems like a great camp. I guess I'll learn about it soon enough. So, where should I take my things? I've also brought a bunch of stuff for the kitchen, so I guess it would be nice to get that set up as well." He glanced past his new boss at the girl who had emerged from the truck. She was young and attractive. He didn't have much time to look at her though since his focus was on what the older woman might tell him.
 
"Jill Kramer" She said as an introduction. she nodded listening to him and then looked at him. Jill's smile dropped as they shook hands and he introduced himself. "You're Kelsey?" She asked in shock looking him over shaking her head. "This is a problem." She said folding her arms and her left hand resting under hear chin. "I sincerely apologize for the confusion but I can't allow you to work here. I run an all girl's camp, with promise of a full female staff." She explained turning away thinking. "I'll have to find a new chef."

"Well Auntie he drove all this way. Let the man work until you at least find some one else." Genesis said speaking up seeing his expression drop and his heart break at her words. "You never know you might like his food."

Jill turned to her niece with a death stare. Genesis opened her mouth then closed her mouth. "Or not."She said running her hand over her hair. Jill thought for a moment and then looked over Kelsey again. "I suppose she's right. Until I find someone new I guess you'll have to do." Jill said "Come this way I'll show you to the kitchen."She said
 
Kelsey smiled as she introduced herself. Yet as he spoke he had noticed her expression change. He wasn't really sure why. Then she started to explain. At her statement that he couldn't work there he was stunned and extremely worried. He had only a few hundred dollars in his bank account and he had nowhere to stay. He had left his apartment for this job and he had stopped looking for work. He had no options. He needed this job. He couldn't say anything at first. He was at a complete loss for words. As he was about to protest the girl, who was apparently the niece of the owner, spoke up for him. He nervously waited for a response from Jill.

The expression on the aunt's face was not what Kelsey had hoped for. He was ready to leave and find a friend to stay with when suddenly she said he'd have the job until there was a replacement. Relief washed over him. He would be able to make a little money and could hopefully find another job before he had to leave. He smiled at the girl who had helped him and followed her aunt.

They walked a short distance before turning around a corner in the road. Then he could seea number of the camp buildings. They looked very nice and the cabins seemed comfortable. He also saw the dining hall and the kitchen building. It was large and from the look of the building he felt like it would be a fairly good kitchen. Not quite restaurant quality, but good enough. They went inside and he looked around. They had a bunch of equipment that looked good with a few things that seemed a bit older. Still, he'd be able to work with it. The walk-in fridge and the walk-in freezer were great assets. Jill gave him a tour of the kitchen and then the dining hall. It looked like a lot of people could fit in there and that meant he would need to make a lot of food. He looked at his temporary employer. "Will I have any help in the kitchen? Is there another cook or maybe some volunteers? I'm not quite sure how one person could make enough food for so many people three times a day."
 
Jill smiled turning to her niece. "Since my niece is so eager to help you, she can be your assistant, and she's not a half bad baker either." Jill said with a nod. This would be the perfect job for her niece it would teach her responsibility, and a bit of discipline. "No being lazy by the lake dear." Jill said smiling sweetly at Genesis.

Genesis frowned at her aunt. "I don't think I want to do that Aunt Jill."

"Your mother didn't send you here to think." Jill said with a nod. She clasped her hands together "You two can get to know each other. Kelsey please make a list or menu of the ingredients you'll need for meals as well as snacks. I'll have your things brought over later today, and the cabin in the back will belong to you for your stay here." She finished explaining before leaving the dining hall to tend to the others who she knew would arrive shortly.

"Mother didn't send you here to think." Genesis said mockingly as her aunt left. She then turned to look at Kelsey who towered over her. "I'm pretty sure others will help. I hope, it wouldn't be above Jill to make me work here all summer." She said running her hand across her hair. "So what now?" She asked
 
Kelsey liked the idea of having an assistant and Jill's niece seemed like a nice enough person. Even if she didn't know a lot he could teach her what to do. The girl didn't seem pleased by the situation, but that wasn't his problem. He simply needed someone to help him run the kitchen. He nodded when a list was requested. He had a lot to do and a lot to think about. He watched as Jill left. Then his attention was on his new assistant. She asked what to do and he shrugged. "I'm going to take a look to see if there are any instructions or tips. I might not do things the same as always, but I need an idea of what to do to run this place."

He returned to the kitchen and found a desk with a computer at the back of the kitchen. Next to the computer there was a note adressed to the new head cook. He smiled and read over it. The old cook had left a description of how things have been done in the past. He took a little time to read over it. He was really happy to find out that with each group of campers camp a number of volunteers and some of them helped out with the kitchen. It was with the volunteers that they would be able to feed so many people three meals each day. Still, they needed two people to run it to avoid getting completely exhausted. With the two of them working they would be able to take turns and wouldn't have to work every meal. Kelsey also got some suggestions for meals, but he had a lot to do to plan meals. Fortunately they already had an order of food coming in for the two staff weeks before campers arrived.

With a better grasp on the situation he found his assistant again. "Looks like you'll be my assistant cook at least as long as I'm here. I hope that isn't too disappointing. I'll do the planning and a lot of the harder parts. You don't need to worry about too much other than cooking. I look forward to working with you. It is nice to meet you. I guess you already know my name. May I ask yours?"
 
Genesis sat on one of the counters peeling the polish off of her nails while he familiarized himself with the kitchen and how things where run. She had been to the camp once before.

"Oh my name is Genesis." She said swinging her feet. "No. I love being in the kitchen honestly, but I'm a quick learner. So you don't really have to worry about me to much." She said smiling at him
 
He smiled at her, glad she seemed a little more positive. He also thought she had a nice name. He leaned against one of the counters and glanced around the kitchen. "Great, I'm sure you will do really well. I know a little more about this place now and I'll run it somewhat similar to how it has been run before, but I'll also make some changes. You can suggest ideas too. I want to run this place really well as long as I'm here. Well, I should probably go get my things out of my car and into my cabin." He smiled at her and gave a slight wave.

He left the kitchen and quickly found the small cabin that Jill had said would be his. It was very close to the kitchen and out of the way of other staff and campers. It was perfect for the only male on site. It was usually meant for the kitchen staff anyway since they needed to be near the kitchen and being away from other staff let them sleep early since they often had to wake up early as well. While Kelsey was there he would be the only one in that cabin. He went to his car and got all his things and carried them back to the cabin. The inside was quite nice. He smiled as he took some time to get settled. He figured he would be there for a couple of weeks at least.
 
Genesis nodded "Alright see you around." She said waving to him as he left the kitchen. She gave a sigh looking around the place. It would be interesting getting to work in the kitchen and bake whatever she wanted. Hopping off of the counter Genesis went to find her aunt. She smiled walking in to her aunts cabin. It was the second largest building since it also held the main office and infirmary. She looked around waving to a few women who where settling into their jobs.

Genesis climbed the stairs to the second floor and looked around seeing her aunt had already put her things in her room. She then began to unpack before doing anything else.
 
Kelsey took some time to unpack his things. The cabin was quite large for one person and fortunately he had a bathroom to himself. It was just a toilet, a sink, and a shower, but it was what he needed. That was great because He had a feeling that there were no other bathrooms on site for him. He could be very independant in his cabin and stay out of the way. Sure, part of him liked the idea of being the only male around a large number of women, but he also knew that he would likely have some strict rules about not being inappropriate. He knew that Jill would probably be watching him closely, he just hoped he would be given at least a little freedom to spend some time having fun during the summer.

When he had finished unpacking he sat on his nice comfortable bed. That was something he had worried about and he was pleased that he had a nice bed and not just a small bunk. He'd be able to sleep well at night and get a good rest which was important if he needed to get up early. After a while he got up and left the cabin. He started to walk around, looking at the camp and searching for Jill. He felt a little awkward being there on his own when no one else knew why he was there. The first person who saw him looked very surprised and confused. He smiled nervously at them and really hoped Jill or Genesis would be somewhere near so he didn't just look like a creepy guy there on his own where he wasn't supposed to be.
 
Genesis finished her unpacking and didn't bother to look around her room to much. She sat on the bed looking around the room it wasn't very large but neither was it to small, and the bed was a decent size. The room was nothing that she was use to.
"Like it?" Jill asked appearing in the door frame giving her niece a smile.
"Yeah it's smaller than my room at home." She said with a shrug standing up and walking over to her aunt who nodded. "Kelsey. You think he should stay?" Jill asked walking along side Genesis as the two left the upstairs going out into the camp. Genesis turned and looked at her aunt as they walked.
"Well I think you should give him a chance. At least see how it goes until the girls get here." She said with a nod and pointed to him and the two walked over. Jill greeted the woman who was very confused and slightly hysterical.
"This is Kelsey our new chef for the summer." Jill said looking at the woman then up at him. "At least until I can find a replacement for him, of course there are strict rules he'll have to follow for his time here." She said looking at him for his understanding.
 
Kelsey was relieved when he saw Jill and Genesis explaining his presence to one of the other women. He got there just in time to hear her say there would be rules for him. Those had been expected, though he wondered about the details of the rules. He'd have to ask her about them and get them all marked down so he wouldn't forget.

A look at the parking lot told him that the rest of the staff had arrived, many of them travelling together. There were a number of staff back from the previous year with about one quarter of them being new staff members. Though only a few people had never been to the camp before. Kelsey would meet them soon, most were getting settled. There was a large building where many of the staff stayed and a few got other rooms.

Kelsey looked back at the three women standing there and smiled weakly. He wasn't sure what to say and wasn't sure how involved he would be with the rest of the staff. After a few seconds he just looked at Jill. "I was going to wait, but maybe we should talk about the rules and other details now. If you don't want me to do certain things with the staff or if there are other things I should know before I meet everyone, I think now would be the time. Also if I'm not doing things with the rest of the staff I could take my time setting up the kitchen."
 
Genesis glanced at her aunt and led the woman away making a light conversation.

Jill nodded "Let's walk." She said waving her hand as he began to walk and followed alongside him. "Before I state my rules, I know my niece."She began "Full of hormones, rebellious, and over all still young.Since you'll be working so close with her under no circumstances are you to have any kind of relationship with her." She said folding her hands behind her back and glanced up at Kelsey. "No relationships with campers, or married staff. The kitchen is yours and you can run it how you see it fit. If ever you need anything you are to come to me and me only." Jill said turning to look at him. "Think of these next two weeks as a probationary period alright? You're expected to attend staff meetings, and camp wide events. Next week I'll have a list of allergies for you to be aware of, but for today your free to do as you please." She said turning to him with a freindly smile.
 
Kelsey walked with the older woman and got ready to be restricted to his room whenever he wasn't in the kitchen. She started off in a surprising way and spoke about Genesis. He nodded, wondering if she really thought that would be an issue. She seemed like a nice girl, but he wasn't one to rush into anything and from the way Jill spoke he didn't expect to be there too long. Jill continued and he made mental notes. Apparently he was free to have relationships with single members of staff as long as they weren't Genesis. He was pleased to have full control of the kitchen.

When she finished with the rules he nodded. "Those sound like very reasonable conditions. Thank you for letting me stay at least until you find someone new. I'll make sure to follow every one of your rules. Now I'm going to move my things to the kitchen and start setting it up as well as getting something going for dinner. I'm sure the staff will be hungry. If you could send someone in with the exact number for dinner that would be very helpful. For tonight I'm going to plate the meal for everyone, before there are too many to do it that way."
 
Jill smiled and nodded "I will send the number over to you." She said with a smile waving as he walked off. She turned to look at the camp and the lake not to far off in the distance. She stood there for a bit longer before heading back to the main part of the camp. She easily found Genesis and had her take a head count and then giv the number to Kelsey.

She walked into the kitchen smiling as the smells of dinner hit her nose. "Smells good. Whatcha making?" She asked wandering further int ote kitchen but was sure to stay out of his way. "You'll be plating for 27." She added watching as he cooked.
 
Kelsey smiledand went to his car. He got his kitchen tools and carried them to the kitchen. It took a few trips, but he soon had it all there. He had marked all his things with his initials so when he left he could make sure he had all his tools. He got a few things out of a box and grabbed a bunch of the tools already there. Then he went and looked at the ingredients they had there already. He started to think about what he could make over the next week. A menu started to form in his mind. He knew that for a number of meals it would need to be simple since they likely had a number of things to do as a staff and he wouldn't have a lot of time in the kitchen.

He took an hour to prepare the meal for that evening and he had it in the oven and cooking when Genesis arrived. He was busy making a dessert and a snack. He smiled at her and stopped what he was doing for a moment. He made a note of the number and then returned his attention to her. "I'm making mousaka, it is like a lasagna, but instead of noodles it uses eggplant. The meat is lamb. It is a greek dish. I've also made a greek salad to go with it. Dessert is going to be creme brulee and I'm making cookies for this evening as a snack. I figured tonight we would have a fancier meal since it is the first night here. If you don't have anything else to do and want to help I could use a hand with the greek salad and the cookies. But you don't have to help if you don't want to."
 
"Mooska." Genesis tried to repeat it but was certain she said it all wrong. Her smile grew listening to him talk. "No I'll help. Any particular cookie you had in mind?" She asked walking across to the sink. She scrubbed her hands and dried them. Genesis looked around and smiled seeing a black apron that would fit her perfectly. She grabbed it and tied it around her waist enjoying the fact it was not to long.

She began to gather the materials and ingredients she needed to make chocolate chip cookies with a caramel dipping sauce. Genesis started by measuring the flour and other dry ingredients for the cookies.
 
He just smiled at her attempt to say the name of the dish. He was sure many people wouldn't know what it was. He just hoped that they would all be willing to try it. He had made a vegetarian version of it in case there were any people who didn't eat meat. He didn't want to cause problems. Since he hadn't been told of allergies yet he had to assume no one had any serious allergies within the group.

She asked about the cookies and he shrugged. "I hadn't planned that far ahead yet. Make whatever you feel like making." He watched her put on an apron and thought she looked nice in it. He was wearing the jacket he had received when he graduated from his cullinary school. As she got to work on the cookies he continued preparing the creme brulee. When it was ready he found the perfect dishes for it and put it in the walk-in refridgerator. He then worked on finishing the greek salad.

He moved around the kitchen a little slowly, still trying to get used to it and trying to figure out the best way to do things. He was sure that by the end of the week he would be flowing through the kitchen with ease as he cooked. One thing he noticed was that the counters were lower than he was used to and that meant he would have to be slouched over to use it. Fortunately he had brought a tool to help him with that. A raised cutting board that would allow him to work easily with a comfortable counter height.
 
Genesis turned to look at him when he gave her the 'okay' to do whatever she wanted. Her eyes roamed over the chef jacket. She had never seen one before and thought he not only looked nice, but very professional in it.

She mixed the ingredients and soon enough she was scooping the cookies on to sheet pans lined with parchment paper. The oven was still hot since his other dish was cooking and choose to wait to put them in the oven and set them in to the fridge to keep. She placed all of the dirty dishes into a bowl and then walked over to the sink with them dropping them in. "Before I was the dishes need me to do anything else?" She asked leaning against the sink turning to Kelsey.
 
The camp's kitchen was quite large and had a lot of equipment. There was a massive mixer for making a lot of dough for baked goods all at once. They also had a flat top grill, a number of burners for cooking on stovetop, ovens under those, as well as some convection ovens for other things. Kelsey still needed to learn a little more about the convection ovens before using them, so they weren't on yet. Ususally that would be where baked goods would go. He had the main dish for dinner in the other ovens. They also had plenty of counter space where they could work on preparation and plating.

When Genesis was done with the cookies he looked over at her and smiled at her offer. "Thank you for asking. We still need to wait a few minutes for the meal to finish cooking, but we could start plating the greek salad and we could get some of the pre-made buns out of the pantry and get one on each plate as well. We also need to get something to drink for everyone. Setting the tables would be good too. Maybe if you could run and ask your aunt where she wants us to eat tonight, since she might want somewhere less large and open than the dining hall, and then get a couple of other people to come help us. We still have some time, but if we want it to be nice then having some help would make it so we don't have to rush as much." He was feeling a little annoyed with himself for forgetting about things like setting tables, as well as needing some kind of carbohydrate with the meal. He'd also forgotten about drinks. He really needed to figure it all out and think about everything.
 
Genesis smiled at him. "Sure thing." She said leaving the kitchen "Oh and I think there might be some tea in the pantry." She said turning to go find her aunt quickly. It didn't take her very long before she had sent three women to the kitchen to help Kelsey.

"Auntie!" Genesis called running over to her aunt interrupting a conversation which seemed to be at it's end.
"Did you want everyone to eat in the dining hall, or somewhere else?" She asked smiling at the woman who simply rolled her eyes at Genesis.
"Oh umm? No the dining hall is fine." She said with a nod sending her niece back to the kitchen.

Genesis nodded and returned to the kitchen seeing that the other women were being helpful.
 
Kelsey smiled at Genesis as she left to do as he had asked. Three other staff members arrived shortly after and he got them to start plating some of the food for the meal. He also had one work on getting drinks. He focused on the main dish, making sure it was going to be perfectly cooked. The three other women were a great help and working with them they were getting stuff done. When Genesis returned with the news on where they would eat the group set up tables with some tableclothes that one of the women had found for him.

When the food was ready he got it out of the oven and started to plate it. A quick taste test told him it had turned out very well. They still had plenty of time so he was careful with the plating. He rang the large bell to indicate it was time for dinner before they were actually done since someone had mentioned it usually took a little time for everyone to get there. While people were still getting to the dining hall they took the meals out and set them on the tables along with drinks. Everything was ready as the last few people entered the room. Kelsey felt a little strange being the only male in a room full of females and when he found a seat at a table he barely looked around. Some people didn't know about him yet and were obviously confused by him being there.
 
The group enjoyed the food praising the chef, though still were some confused as to Kelsey's presence. Jill stood after finishing her meal and smiled moving to the front. Everyone gave her attention with out her even having to ask.

"Welcome back to another summer, and hello to those of you working with us for the first time." She said "Now these next two weeks are time for things to get in order, for you to make me aware of anything you need, and for you to set up any of your plans." She raised her hand and waved for Kelsey to come forward. "This is our new chef Kelsey. He's in a trail period and under a strict set of rules, but do please make him feel welcomed at the very least. Thank you Kelsey for the wonderful dinner." She said with a smile at him.
 
Kelsey tried to focus on the meal after explaining things to the people at his table. He didn't want to have to explain everything to everyone. He thought the food had turned out very well. He enjoyed eating it and thanked people when they praised it. The bun was a bit dull and bland and he knew that in the future he needed to remember carbs and not just toss something on the plate. He figured that the job would be a great learning experience. If he was there for a decent length of time he would hopefully come out of it as a better chef.

After the main course he looked at Jill as she got up. Her first little speech was nice. Then she waved for him and he nervously got up and walked over to her. He faced the group and smiled weakly. Jill explained a little about who he was and what he was there to do. Most people seemed ok with it, but a couple of women were not impressed. Fortunately he didn't notice them. Jill thanked him for dinner and he smiled at her. "You're welcome, but the meal isn't over. I have dessert prepared as well. I just need to go get it and I can finish it out here. If you give me a minute we can get it served and you can continue explaining things if you need to as we all eat dessert."

With her approval he went to the kitchen and got the dessert out of the fridge. He used a cart to get it all into the dining hall with a torch. When he got out into the large room everyone saw what he had made and they seemed to be happy. He started up the torch and finished all of the creme brulee. When each one was done he got a volunteer to serve it to someone. It took a couple of minutes, but soon each person that wanted one had an individual portion of creme brulee. Kelsey finished his last and took his seat. With that done Jill was able to continue with any announcements she needed to make or anything else she needed or wanted to say to the group.
 
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