News from the Dining Hall
There are a lot of behind the scenes operations at camp– logistics that campers and counselors are not directly involved with, but are nonetheless essential to the Scatico experience. One of these key hubs of operations is… the kitchen! For most, the kitchen is a mysterious place glimpsed through the dining hall doorway, or overheard in the form of clamoring pots and music blasting from a wireless speaker. In this blog post, we are going to peel back the curtain a bit, and share information about two key people in the kitchen and the new sandwich bar for 2025!
Meet Head Chef and Head of Menu + Food Purchasing: Ricardo and Bri
In total, there are 30 people who work in the Scatico kitchen– from servers and dishwashers, to line cooks and salad bar preppers. There is even someone who’s job is just setting up food for Support Staff meals– a role fittingly called “Porch” as Support Staff eat on a side porch 45 minutes before campers.
While every kitchen staff is integral to Dining Hall success, no two people influence operations and food offerings more than Ricardo and Bri.
Ricardo is the Scatico kitchen frontman, ultimate vibe-setter, behind-the-scenes logistics coordinator, and (his official title) camp’s Head Chef. We like to say, no one in camp works harder or longer hours (ask him about his 5:30 AM coffee routine with head of boys athletics, Randy Au). In 2010 Ricardo was recruited to work in the camp kitchen by former Head Chef Jimmy Wexler, and has not missed a summer since (making this his 16th summer in the Scatico kitchen)! Ask campers what they know about Ricardo, and they will likely mention his huge smile, unwavering enthusiasm, and INSANE grilling skills (full camp BBQs are the consistent favorite meal of campers and staff alike).
A man of many talents, Ricardo is known to make appearances singing in staff cafe nights (and even once in a full camp talent show). He works as a chef year round, and spends most of his off-season in South Florida running his own catering and event planning business, A Catered Affair. When not in Florida, he’s in St. Thomas (we’re jealous!) where he is originally from and much of his family still lives.
Bri Cidras is the visionary behind Scatico’s menu redesign and new snack options. Though she only started in this role in 2024, her first job at camp was as a kitchen server back in 2011 (when she was just 18 years-old!). During the several-year gap in her Scatico career, Bri received her B.S. in Culinary Nutrition and M.S. in Leadership, and launched her now 10+ year career in school food services.
When not working at Scatico, Bri is the school food service director for the Auburn Public School district in MA, which serves a 2,600 student body (puts the 450ish person Scatico community in perspective)! Her focus is on Farm to School options, student/staff wellness, and student engagement with food (she always knows which snacks are popular with kids), and, of course, ensuring all USDA/ state requirements for school meals are followed. Bri also sits on the School Nutrition Association board, loves to be outside and garden, and has two children who make occasional appearances at camp (we don’t know how she has time for it all…). Additional fun facts: Bri is the daughter of Scatico’s Head of Security Anthony Cidras and older sister to member of the Office Team Marissa Cidras.
New Offering: Sandwich Bar!
From Taco Tuesdays to Bagel Sundays, there are many Scatico fan favorites and Dining Hall routines that our community has come to love and expect. But, as in all areas of camp, there is always room for improvement! In addition to greater variety at the salad bar, and some new “main courses,” perhaps the biggest change this summer will be the Sandwich Bar at lunch and dinner.
We’ll get straight to the point…
This is what the sandwich bar looks like! We just purchased two last week (one for each Dining Hall)!
The sandwich bar will always have…
Turkey cold cuts
Beef salami
Sun butter
Sliced cheese
Sliced tomatoes
Pickles
Mayo, mustard and occasional “surprise” condiments
Sliced bread
There will be a server manning the Sandwich Bar to ensure equitable and organized sandwich making.
The sandwich bar will be there every lunch and dinner… so no need for frenzy!
We’ll be tackling more behind the scenes news and FAQs in our new Instagram series, so check it out!