Kitchen work
Work in the massive, industrial NELP kitchen technically falls under the category of Maintenance work, but it takes up so much specific time and space in NELPer's experiences and journals that it merits its own category. All NELPers experience the sorrows and joys of cooking and maintaining a kitchen for 50+. Food and cooking become their own sort of language on the program, and nearly always find their way into students' writings and reflections.
A student work group prepares food in the goliath NELP kitchen.
Black and white film photo of students working in the NELP kitchen, reprinted in the 2002 student anthology. From the NELP Archive at the Bentley Historical Library.
Work becomes play in the 2005 NELP kitchen.
Photos from the 2005 NELP kitchen, including the meat slicer and a student in a trash can. Reprinted in that year's student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.
Emblems and symbols from the NELP kitchen are present everywhere at camp and beyond. In this journal entry, the sound of the dinner bell, rung by student work groups when they complete that night's meal, finds its place next to a sketch of Mount Washington.
Sketch and letting from a student journal referencing the NELP dinner bell, copied in the 2007 student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.
The meat slicer, used to produce cold cuts for trip-ready sandwiches, surfaces frequently in student journals.
Student journal entry describing use of the meat slicer at NELP, typed up and reprinted in the 2005 NELP student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.
The sharing of personal or favorite recipes is inevitable at NELP, as food becomes a sort of love language and shared experience among students and staffers alike. In 2007, NELPers decided to add a recipe book to the end of their shared student anthology.
Collection of recipes from NELP 2007 appended to that year's student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.
The NELP kitchen becomes an iconic setting for action and drama alike. In 2002, a student wrote about the politics of the kitchen in a documentary writing workshop: "I was standing in a factory."
Student-written documentary about the NELP kitchen for a 2002 workshop, reprinted in that year's student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.
Cleaning proves to be as inspirational as cooking. In 2002, a NELPer composed a 2-page poem about their personal relationship to the industrial dishwashing machine in the NELP kitchen, known as the Hobart.
Student-written poem about the Hobart dishwashing machine at NELP 2002, complete with reprinted film photos from the 2002 kitchen. Reprinted in that year's student anthology. From the NELP Archives at the Bentley Historical Library.