YEA Camp is proud to align our values with our menu by serving healthy and delicious plant-based, vegan food.
Who's hungry?
One of the most common compliments that we get about YEA Camp is our food. And we admit it, they’re right! Our food is amazing! And our food is important.
As a social justice camp, we aspire to do everything we can to be in line with our values.
That's why all the food we serve at YEA Camp is vegan and vegetarian.
It's also delicious, healthier than your typical camp food, fair-trade, and organic and locally produced where possible.
We describe our food as "kid-friendly vegan" and we hire incredible vegan chefs who make food that year after year gets rave reviews, even from folks who typically eat meat.
But you definitely don't need to be vegetarian or vegan to attend YEA Camp -- or to love our food.
Learn why YEA Camp serves all vegan food!
As a social justice camp, we try to model and give campers the experience of living as sustainably and ethically as possible.
Raising animals for foods is terrible not just for animals but for climate change, workers, human health, global hunger, and more.
See what yumminess we might have on the menu
OK, let's get specific. What will we be eating?!
We can't confirm the exact menu for your session, but most of our food you wouldn't even know was vegan!
Check out some typical items we might serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and dessert!
Download our YEA Camp Cookbook!
There's no place like YEA Camp, but if you download our free YEA Camp Cookbook, you can at least eat like we do at camp!
This free cookbook offers some of our favorite kid-friendly vegan meals to keep you and your family healthy, happy, and full -- and to eat in a way that is better for the planet, animals, workers, and you!
We express our values through our food choices.
Most of us don't think much about how our food is produced. Some people don't even have enough food to eat.
At YEA Camp, we're fortunate to be able to make choices about what food to serve -- and that's why all our food is vegan and vegetarian.
When possible, we serve food that is organic, local, and fair-trade. We love showing that food can be all of these things AND be delicious!
We hope you're hungry!
DID YOU KNOW..?
Our food choices are one of the single most impactful decisions each of us makes each day.
The simple choice of what to eat has big impacts on animals, the environment, workers, and our own health. Research shows that if more people ate vegan more of the time, it would have huge benefits in our society. In fact, it could be the "single biggest way" to reduce our environmental impact as the need to take action on climate change grows.
We feel it would be hypocritical to work towards sustainability, well-being, and nonviolence at YEA Camp while serving food that undermines all of these values.
This means that we are doing good by eating well.
It also gives us a chance to practice living more sustainably during our time together.
And there are amazing vegan versions of just about any animal-based food you enjoy! Most of our food, you won't necessarily even realize it's vegan!
We're not here to tell you what to do or what to eat. That's not our approach at YEA Camp. But hopefully, whether you decide to go vegan forever or not, you'll enjoy this opportunity at YEA Camp to eat food that's better for all of us.
BREAKFAST
The most important meal of the day!
At breakfast, in addition to the main meal, we always have fresh fruit or fruit salad, cereal and soy or almond milk, juice, and hot water for tea.
Some of our breakfast menu items include:
- Pancakes
- French toast
- Hash browns or home fries
- Breakfast burrito
- Tofu scramble
- Cinnamon buns or blueberry muffins
- Bagels with Tofutti cream cheese, Earth Balance margarine, or PB&J
LUNCH
At YEA Camp, we work up an appetite!
Lunch always includes a salad and a side, like macaroni salad or French fries, and the option of PB&J or leftovers from a previous meal. Typically served with juice, iced tea, or lemonade.
Sample menu items include:
- Teriyaki rice bowls
- Barbecue tofu
- Burritos
- Veggie burgers
- Sloppy Joe’s
- Tofurky sandwiches
- Sushi
SNACK
All this world-changing is making us hungry!
YEA Camp serves two snacks a day — one about halfway between breakfast and lunch, and another around midway between lunch and dinner.
Some typical ones are:
- Fresh fruit (organic and local when possible)
- Pretzels or chips
- Freshly popped popcorn
- Chips and salsa
- Baby carrots with hummus
- Yummy leftovers
DINNER
What's for dinner?!
Dinner always includes a salad and a side, like garlic bread, mashed potatoes, or grilled vegetables. And there's always the option of leftovers or PB&J. Typically served with juice, iced tea, or lemonade.
Dinner might look like:
- Taco bar
- Veggie curry with coconut rice
- Stuffed shells
- Pizza
- Indian food
- Spaghetti
DESSERT
Don’t forget DESSERT!
YEA Camp’s food is way healthier than most camps’ or schools’ food, but it’s still camp and you gotta live a little!
Some of the incredible desserts our amazing chefs may be preparing:
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Brownies
- Ice cream sundaes
- Cupcakes
- Cinnamon rolls
- Rice Krispie treats
- Cake (especially if it’s someone’s birthday!! Be sure to tell us if your bday is happening during camp -- unless you want it to be a secret!)
Frequently Asked Questions
You might be wondering....
Oh, you'll be full!
Our meals are all-you-can-eat, so you can always go back for seconds (or thirds).
We're also basically feeding you all day (with some really fun and inspiring activities in between)! You'll have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert!
And if you ever feel hungry somewhere in between, we'll take care of you.
Not likely! But theoretically it's possible that there could be something our incredible chefs make that not 100% of our campers and staff like.
We always have lots of choices at every meal. There's the main dish, a side dish or two, along with a salad or fruit.
We'll also always have a bread and bagel bar available for peanut butter and jelly in a pinch.
If you really are not happy with a meal and can't figure out what to eat, you can check in with a member of our staff, and we'll hook you up with leftovers from a meal you liked or otherwise make sure you don't starve!
Our chefs are very familiar with preparing meals for people with allergies.
Before camp, we'll ask families to fill out a health form with details of any allergies a camper has.
The chef will have a list of these in the kitchen and keep it in mind in all of their preparations! If a certain meal has gluten or soy or another common allergen, our chefs will make sure that it is labeled and that there's an alternative.
Because meals are family-style and everyone serves themselves, we'll be counting on campers to know what they're allergic to and to look for notes next to items that have that allergen in them.
Yes!
There are a lot of myths about vegan food, and people sometimes worry if they will be getting enough protein or calcium or other nutrients.
Our meals at YEA Camp will have plenty of the nutrients that we all need to fuel our energy throughout the busy days and session of camp!
Note: While we do try to keep an eye on everyone to make sure people are eating in a healthy way, we can't monitor every item someone puts on their plate every day, so if you eat nothing but PB+Js and dessert all week, you will be missing out on key nutrients (and amazing meals!).
We will have amazing food for you throughout the week and you shouldn't need to bring anything from home.
To reduce the risk of critters, we do not allow any food outside the kitchen and dining area. It can also make for extra work and extra people in a crowded kitchen if people bring food from home and need access to the kitchen.
However, if you have a specific concern, like a very serious food allergy or very limited diet, please reach out to us so we can figure something out!
While our meals will not be officially certified, the only foods that are not considered kosher or halal are foods that come from animals.
Since we will not have any animal products at YEA Camp, there will not be any food at camp that someone who is kosher or halal would need to refrain from.
At camp they are!
Ha, but no, definitely not. There will be a good number of folks who are veg and may have found us by searching for a vegan or vegetarian summer camp. They'll be super excited and knowledgeable about the food being plant-based.
And then there will be some folks who are not veg and who might be nervous or not sure what to expect food-wise. (They probably aren't the ones reading this page on our website!)
Like in other issues as well, our campers and staff don't agree on everything, but, per our YEA Camp Honor Code, they are open and respectful of other people's points of view and are willing to have a positive attitude.
And to eat amazing food -- though that's not specifically in the honor code. Yet.
Have more questions?
Keep reading throughout our site or contact us here for more info!