View From the Kitchen

From my desk at home I look out my window at a village shaded with old apple trees, doug-firs and vine maples, and adorned with unique porches. Beyond that, I see the majestic peaks of Devil’s Ridge. In an hour I will cross the footbridge over the raging Breitenbush river and head to the kitchen to cook dinner for sixty folks. What I will face when I get there, in my book, is nothing short of a vegetarian cook’s dream. The walk-in cooler will have a colorful array of organic produce, cheeses, eggs and tofu. The pantry is well stocked with organic beans, grains, and anything needed to turn out warm loaves of fresh bread. The kitchen is amply equipped and creative freedom is encouraged.

It really doesn’t matter who is helping me prepare dinner tonight. All of my fellow kitchen team members are fantastically talented cooks, as well as being some of the finest friends and neighbors a guy could ask for. The end result of my labors today will be sixty bellies full of the most delicious and lovingly prepared organic food our green earth has to offer. As I look out the window, past the cozy village, over the foaming river and up to the forested ridge, I realize that life here couldn’t be much better.

- Tucker Newell