Good To-Go Chef Jennifer Scism Dishes on Camp Meals—With Bonus Kebab Recipe!

Just a few years in the past, anyone stashed a pair baggage of Good To-Go meals in my backpack at Out of doors Retailer. As a devoted shopper of dehydrated backpacker meals, so devoted actually I’ll often eat them at house, with a full kitchen at my disposal simply because I take pleasure in them, I used to be intrigued. The Thai Curry was glorious. Kale and White Bean Stew — surprisingly vibrant and engaging. The backstory to Good To-Go was additionally attention-grabbing. The founder, Jennifer Scism, was a NYC-darling chef/restauranteur who as soon as defeated Mario Batali on the Meals Community’s Iron Chef, moved to rural Maine, fell in love with backpacking, and determined she’d abandon the restaurant scene for the backpacker meal world of excessive sodium and lengthy shelf-life. It could actually’t be straightforward to maneuver from contemporary substances served at their peak to planning recipes that might be cooked then dehydrated and saved for who is aware of how lengthy.

We talked about what really goes into more healthy dehydrated meals and the way one goes from slinging plates to stocking hiker’s cabinets.

AJ: What do the present massive backpacker meal manufacturers (Backpacker’s Pantry, Mountain Home, and so on) get proper about dehydrated meals?
To be clear, at Good To-Go, we prepare dinner after which dehydrate our meals and the businesses you talked about primarily use freeze-dried substances and should or could not prepare dinner the meal earlier than packaging. The 2 processes produce completely different outcomes. Each corporations have been round for a very long time, have nice model recognition and broad product strains.

What prompted you to attempt to fill the void with more healthy, good meals dehydrated meals?
Earlier than beginning Good To-Go, I had been working as a chef for 20 years and created my very own distinctive recipes. I had no thought why meals producers used fillers and components, the one preservative I used was kosher or sea salt. I attempted the opposite manufacturers, however wished clear substances and complete meals. Additionally, I wished my tried and true consolation meals recipes. I cooked and dehydrated my do-it-yourself favorites; Thai curry, mushroom risotto, marinara with pasta, and used these for our tenting journeys.  We shared my meals with fellow hikers and have been urged to begin promoting them. After a yr of analysis and model improvement, Good To-Go was born.

Did your previous as a chef imply you had connections in provide that may assist, or different benefits coming from a foodservice background when making an attempt to develop more healthy dehydrated meals?
My enthusiasm for yummy meals drove me to all the time seek for the right substances, tirelessly journey to essentially the most wonderful eating places, and plan lunch and dinner as you sip your morning espresso. I dwell and breathe meals. You may’t educate that, you’re both meals and cooking obsessed otherwise you’re not. My dad all the time joked after I was just a little child, “Jennifer, you reside to eat, I eat to dwell.” No more true phrases have been spoken. That obsession drove me to alter careers in my mid-twenties, from a designer for an architectural agency to attending culinary faculty and finally chefing in New York Metropolis eating places. That’s my benefit, an absolute ardour for scrumptious meals.

What are the challenges relating to dehydrated meal manufacturing on a large scale?
We’ve been cooking and drying utilizing the identical course of from the start. It really works, so scaling has simply required extra space and bigger gear.

How vital is sustainable manufacturing and logistics to you and, assuming the reply is ‘very,’ how do you
implement that? 
We’ve labored with native farmers for a few of our substances. It’s powerful being in Maine. There’s a brief rising season so we do supply our greens on a extra national degree. Final yr alone we went by means of 50,000 lbs of diced onions. That’s a complete lot of onions! So far as our packaging, in the meanwhile it isn’t compostable. It’s comprised of a proportion of post-consumer recycled product. A salesman walked in our door yesterday making an attempt to hawk his packaging wares. I advised him if he had a bag that may be capable to maintain boiling water for 20 minutes with out decomposing, I’d purchase it on the spot. Sadly, that doesn’t exist proper now. I imagine educating hikers and backpackers in regards to the shelf lifetime of actual meals and the method of rehydration would go a good distance. If we have been to promote our meals in compostable baggage, the shelf life could be shorter and the meals would have to be rehydrated in one other vessel, like a thermos.

What’s your fave meal within the backcountry? Dehydrated or in any other case?
S’mores.

Is there a meal you want you possibly can make as a dehydrated meal however simply can’t?
Sushi.

Recipe is beneath

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I’ve been to Athens Greece, two occasions in my life and each occasions I’ve had essentially the most wonderful Gyro Lamb Kebab sandwiches. It is a tremendous straightforward recipe and most of it may be ready forward of time. I do know after I’ve automobile camped, lots of the campsites have grills at every website. If a grill is on the market, your dinner might be much more scrumptious.

Read more:

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