FRANKLIN TWP — Michael Pattillo, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh and is the former assistant chef at Lautrec in the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, is not content serving up sloppy joes and fish sticks to campers at Camp Lutherlyn this summer.

The chef and food service director at the 660-acre summer camp has been introducing new items such as pot roast, slow-roasted pulled pork and baked cod to the campers' menus.

Pattillo started in January and served meals to Camp Lutherlyn's winter and spring clients such as quilters and camp donors.

“We did a winter tea with fancy finger foods and different teas, canapés and crudités,” he said.

The camp also hosts birthday parties, confirmation retreats and retirement parties in the colder months, he said.

“It's a pretty even business,” said Pattillo, “not anywhere what we have here in the summer.

“Summer camp starts in June, but between April and May school groups use the camp,” said Pattillo.

Pattillo and his staff have to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a nighttime snack, for up to 220 campers and camp staff each day.

“Every year we have a themed meal (once a week). This year it is 'Christmas in Summer,'” Pattillo said. “For dinner we are doing turkey with Italian sausage stuffing, kale greens and rice pilaf,” he said. “And we'll do an apple crisp or a variation like peach apple or cranberry apple.”

“It's not typical camp fare anymore,” said Pattillo. “We take pride in what we do. 'Simple done right' is our theme here.”

Randy Gullickson, the camp's executive director, said Pattillo has made some changes.

“After he was hired, he was working early on putting Roma tomatoes on a baking sheet,” said Gullickson. “I'd never seen that before.”

“He was cutting off the stem ends and putting X's in the other ends,” said Gullickson. “He said 'I'm going to blister these tomatoes for the smoky aoli I'm going to make.'”

“That was the first time I heard the word aoli,” said Gullickson.

“I noticed right off the bat, there's a way to make a grilled cheese sandwich and there's a right way to make a grilled cheese sandwich,” Pattillo said. “You have to toast the bread crunchy. You have to use enough butter. You have to use enough cheese,” Pattillo said.

“These are the kind of things you learn. This is the training they teach you,” said Pattillo of Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh where he studied 18 months (15 months of classes and three months of extern practical experience).

“It's like my mother taught me to fry chicken,” he said. “They teach you to fry chicken at any given time and under any condition and end up with the same result.”

“Whether you are cooking for two people or 300, it should make no difference if you have the concept right,” Pattillo said.

Pattillo said he completed his studies in the kitchen of Lautrec in the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

Lautrec is only one of 28 restaurants in the world to hold both a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond award simultaneously, he said.

After working there for nine months, Pattillo said, “I discovered that while it's some people's dream — high end, fast-paced, meticulous detail situation — I didn't feel I could express myself in that kind of environment.”

Pattillo said he wanted to cook a more homey, nostalgic fare.

“One thing that drew me here was the faith aspect of it all,” said Pattillo, who is minister of music at the Victory Temple Original Church of God in Pittsburgh. He cited Lutherlyn's motto: “Life-changing Adventures in Faith.”

“The food service industry is notorious for a stressful work environment. It's a great relief knowing that I can come here and pray with someone,” he said.

“I was concerned because he's such a high-caliber chef, he'd get bored here,” said Gullickson. “But he said the challenge for a chef is to make food that satisfies and delights the diners.

“I always hear words to this effect: 'I don't like fish but I like the way Mike makes fish. I don't like zucchini, but I like the way Mike makes zucchini,'” said Gullickson.