“Welcome to the Buffalo Pass Deli!” Cook and crew leader Leigh Harrington welcomes a young man, dressed smartly in a poop emoji style onesie, to the ramshackle, yet charming, kiosk in the pines. A sumptuous spread is laid out on a long table. On it, anything a dirtbag deep in the woods could desire: a cylinder of oatmeal, cups of applesauce and boxes of nature valley granola bars (two per person per day!), jars of jelly and peanut butter and Nutella with knives scraping the sides to fill in that slightly smushed wheat bread. And that essential vat of cowboy coffee, boiled to bitter perfection. All this for the low price of a week in the woods toiling on trails and putting up with crew leaders yelling “Respect PONY” at you (and you’re not sure why this time...). Today is a special day at the Deli. It’s breakfast time and the rain is pitter-pattering on the lacerated tarp. “Waffles!” A damp and bleary crewmember exclaims. The members filter in slowly, taking a load off after a restless night’s sleep on the setup of coolers and warming their hands over the boiling water. “Woah!” A crew member cries. “You can feel the warmth on the bottom of your hand from the steam and the cold of the rain on top! Weeeird!” Another member walks in and stares despondently at the stove, saunters off to stare at his tent, then comes to and returns to ask for seconds. It’s not just about the cuisine here at the Buffalo Pass Deli. It’s a home away from home: a respite after a long day (even if the cooks miscalculated how long eggplant parm might take. Worth every famished minute!), a collection of colorful characters, and an essential stop in the unreasonably morning. Five stars. Reservations (and background check) required.
(Story from the Community Development Crew Session 4!)
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