By Cynthia Bachman
c am p
Insurance agent, Kelly Woodman (upper right) was recruited by the Bachmans as their bear camp chef. She was joined for a weekend visit by husband Jeff and sons. Below left: Kelly in the kitchen, far right, Jeff at the grill.
What do you do if you own a hunting lodge and your cook quits just before the hunting season? You ask everyone you know if they know a cook. That’s how we found Kelly Woodman, our Minnesota bear camp chef. My husband Brian and I own and operate a lodge near Brimson for guided bear hunts called Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters. We’ve gained international recognition with hunters from seven countries. Before the 2003 Minnesota bear season in September, our cook had to quit because of family issues. Suddenly we were scrambling to replace a chef with-in weeks of the arrival
36
FALL 2011 | her voice
of our clients. That very week Brian sat down at the Baxter Caribou Coffee with our insurance agent to review our coverage and mentioned to our agent, Kelly Woodman, of our need for a chef. Her response, “I love to cook.” She agreed to take on the three weeks of cooking for 30-40 people per meal for the season. Every year since, Kelly has created meals and memories for our guests. Kelly continues with her full-time job but takes her vacation every September to be our chef and to fill her passion to create meals. She reports that the time she spends preparing for and cooking at camp gives her a yearly fun break from her everyday routine.
Kelly says ideally she would like to be a professional chef, but with a blended family of six children that does not currently fit her life. Together, Brian and Kelly plan the main courses that repeat every five days as new hunters arrive. Kelly completes the meal by incorporating side dishes and desserts using family recipes, ideas she researches from books, cooking shows and the Internet. The foods are prepared from scratch. As an example, she bakes 30 loaves of bread for the three weeks of camp. She must also focus on a budget and be creative, for example, by creating bread pudding from cinnamon rolls not eaten at breakfast.