Culinary club keeps Camp Sherman feeling full

The long days of winter in Camp Sherman brightened up when the Metolius Culinary Club formed two years ago. When new arrival Frank Conte searched around for ideas to get involved in the community, food and books were at the top of his list. His home lends itself to gatherings, and Conte loves being a host.

The book club idea didn't really fly, but local foodies have happily gathered around Conte's table. They also cluster in his spacious kitchen prior to dinner for tips on preparing the delicious repast set before them.

The club, which meets monthly on (generally) the first Wednesday from January to June, has a flexible number of members. Between 20-25 diners show up and club members become volunteer chefs, with the team approach proving successful several times. Menus have included Italian, Mexican, Scandinavian, Moroccan and wild game dinners, exotic soups and tempting desserts.

Membership is free, but the month's chefs foot the bill for the food they prepare. There's no pressure to be a chef. Munchers are welcome, said Conte. At 5:30 p.m., those interested in learning how to prepare the evening's offering meet to start the socializing and listen to the chefs share their secrets. At 7 p.m. the dinner is served, allowing those unable to make it to the earlier session to partake of the dinner. Members bring their own drinks and Conte supplies all the cooking implements, dinnerware and utensils. Dishwashing is on a first come, first serve basis.

Conte's home can seat 35 comfortably around the tables, and so far they've not exceeded than number, but they'd sure like to try. "We'll worry about where to put people when it happens," said Conte. Table decorations are provided by the chefs-of-the-month.

When The Nugget visited in early May, the theme was Mexican, in honor of Cinco de Mayo. Carolyn Allen and Jake Willoughby, ably assisted by their husbands Chuck and Vaughn, decided to work together to create a social meal. Instead of a teaching time, they put out an array of appetizers to get conversations going. Each month, the recipes used are printed and distributed to diners.

The May menu included layered Mexican dip, chickeritos, tortilla soup, King Ranch enchiladas, Mexican salad, citrus salad and a three-layer milk cake with fresh fruit, which looked much too lovely to cut into.

The recurring comment of members is that the act of gathering around a table with friends and neighbors, cooking and eating together, builds a sense of community.

Denise Opsahl and her husband Dave created a Scandinavian dinner last year and this year teamed up with Heidi Fernandez and Chris Patrick to take members on a culinary trip to Morocco. Her favorite part of being a chef is researching the recipes, learning more about the culture of the food she's preparing.

The club winds up with a potluck dinner on June 15, and reconvenes in December with another potluck to plan for the coming year. Potential chefs and munchers are most welcome to attend. Contact Frank Conte at [email protected], 541-595-0107 or Jake and Vaughn Willoughby at jakeand

[email protected]