The top three times of the day at Skylemar: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To the kids, it’s magic. You show up when the bugle blows and poof! There’s an elaborate buffet of entrees and side dishes just waiting to be eaten. Of course we know where it comes from - the SkyKitchen that over the years has been recognized by the health inspector as one of the cleanest and most well-run in the state. Plus the food is delicious!
There’s a large kitchen staff, because we recognize how important food is to a boy. If we combine all the years that this group’s been working at Skylemar it comes to over 150! Head Chef Junior is in charge. He has three assistants: Juan Carlos, Superman and Mike, plus a crew of eight (Julio, Jonathan, Billy, Antonio, Avid, Byron, Jairo and Cesar) for food prep and cleaning. Rich is our Food Service Director Emeritus, who has trained Blake to handle the daily ordering, amongst many other tasks. RoseMaria, assisted by Jayde, are the dynamic duo of special diets, who make sure everyone with unique circumstances has exactly what he needs and enjoys.
For just one breakfast, the crew cracks 1,260 eggs. While most chefs use a liquid egg product for such a large crowd, Junior is a purist. He grew up on a farm, so only believes in the kind that you crack. Some chefs might use fruit from a bag, but Junior insists on cutting the cantaloupe and honeydew melon fresh daily. As for meatballs, most kitchens would buy them pre-made and frozen. Not Junior – he makes them from scratch. Before the kids even arrive, he and the crew spend days making 14,400 balls.
The quantities are staggering, and so are the costs. For one dinner it’s 23 turkeys, 100 pounds each of potatoes and stuffing, but only 20 pounds of peas (not a fan fav…). Served with that is 70 pounds of pasta for those who don’t care for Thanksgiving Dinner, plus 150 heads of lettuce, 200 each of tomatoes and cucumbers, plus more. $7K is the minimum cost per day to feed our guys.
Each year we get emails from parents asking for some of Junior’s cooking secrets. For one, he’s a big believer in slow, moist heat. For example, when he makes grilled chicken he undercooks just a bit, and then puts it in a warmer at 175 degrees for an hour. A warmer equates to a regular oven with a pan of water on the bottom shelf for added moisture. This way the chicken is never dry.
Here’s a few more tips:
Rice – Baking makes it perfect, and there’s far less sticky mess. Mix boiling water and rice with a 2:1 ratio in a baking pan. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Caesar Salad – Toss romaine generously with powered garlic. Add homemade croutons and Ken’s Pepper Parmesan or Ranch dressing. Toss in parmesan cheese. This is much better than Caesar-flavored dressing, but you’d think that it was.
Croutons – Cut leftover bread cubes from French bread or hamburger/hot dog buns. Toss with olive oil, and then powdered garlic and Adobo seasoning. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. The guys love to snack on these too.
Preparing three meals is long, hard and hot. In fact, it’s about 10 degrees hotter in the kitchen than whatever it is outside. Nevertheless, our dedicated kitchen staff makes it happen with a smile. They aim to please and we are grateful.
