Welcome to Our New Food Service Director
By Judy Blase Woodruff
With more than 400 guests at Camp wanting meals during Friends Weekend recently, it was “baptism by fire” as Dominic Galaske became the new Food Service Director! This phrase is often associated with the idea of undergoing an intense experience that leads to personal transformation – and intense it was!
Sharing some of his background, Dom says, “I was born in a very urban part of St. Louis, Mo., but always craved to be outdoors. My sister, Angie, worked at Camp Ondessonk as the Range Director and a member of the Outdoor Education Team, and simply would not stop talking about Camp Ondessonk whenever she came home.”
He went on to explain, “When I was 11, my parents spent the summer travelling and sent me to a variety of camps…which I did not enjoy very much. That is, until my two weeks at Ondessonk. I was a two-week camper in Teondechoren, and had an absolute BLAST. I still vividly remember my unit leader, Pat Shea, the horses (especially Dude), and the awesome staff. I had always been fascinated by horses but rarely got the opportunity to even be around them. Camp Ondessonk had and HAS the most impressive horse program I have ever seen.”
“We did not have a lot of money growing up, so I was only able to attend that one year, but the experience had a lasting effect. When I was able, I joined the staff at Camp, and it changed the trajectory of my life. My focus was primarily on working with the horse program, and I was the Equestrian Director for a time. I also found that I enjoyed working as an outdoor educator and later worked in that capacity for the Wyman Center,” he said.
In addition, he said, “Throughout this time, I also worked in a variety of restaurants, catering services, and banquet halls, which I also enjoyed immensely. After 12 years of managing restaurants for NPC International, I opened my own pizza shop, Fuego’s Pizza. When we finally closed our doors, I realized I enjoy working in the food service industry, but not necessarily in the fast-casual field. After switching gears and selling electrical supplies for Metro Electric Supply in St. Louis, I learned of the Food Service Director position opening at Camp and jumped on it. It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Dom simply states, “I love Camp Ondessonk. I love the land it rests on, the people who work and care for it, and the wonderful culture that has been cultivated here. I feel a serious debt of gratitude toward Camp, and my goal is to use that gratitude as motivation to continue the great work done here by others, and improve however I can. I feel like I have finally come back home, and I will shout my mighty HEEPWAH from the hilltops at the very top of my lungs.”
Click here to learn more about Camp Ondessonk’s Leadership & Staff.