Interview with Gourmet Backcountry Chef Jennifer Scism
Have you ever mashed a mediocre meal together in the backcountry and wished that your companion were a gourmet cook? Well, you probably weren’t hiking with Jennifer Scism.
After a day of backpacking, even a can o’ beans takes on a prolific flavor profile. No one knows adventurous cuisine like Jennifer, a renowned New York chef, dedicated backcountry explorer and co-founder of dehydrated meal maker Good To-Go. We chatted with the culinary maven about Good To-Go, what makes a solid recipe for dehydrated meals and her favorite excursions (epicurean and otherwise).
Active Junky: What does it take for a recipe to make the Good To-Go cut?
Jennifer Scism: In order for a recipe to make the cut, it has to be yummy – comfort food you want to eat again and again. Next, it has to dehydrate well. We only make meals that will dehydrate and rehydrate just the way our customers expect. If those factors are in play, I send out my recipe for nutrition facts. Since we don't use additives, preservatives or 'natural flavors,' it's pretty easy for me to achieve the nutrition levels I want by only using fresh, quality ingredients. I have particular calorie counts as well as daily nutritional values that must be met for a recipe to become a GTG meal. It's important to properly fuel your active body with real and delicious food to achieve the performance and general wellbeing you require. All our ingredients are pronounceable, recognizable and probably in your fridge or cupboard right now. That's the big difference between Good To-Go and other brands.
AJ: What’s the most exotic dish you’ve ever served?
JS: “Exotic” is very subjective; what may be commonplace to one diner is weird and off the charts for another. For example, back in the 90s, I was the sous chef of The Lobster Club, a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side. A customer was thrilled to be served a plate of skewered and grilled duck hearts over a bed of lentils with bacon lardoons. Not that this is the MOST exotic dish ever, but impressively the diner was a 7-year-old boy.
AJ: Your food is adventurous. What’s the biggest adventure you’ve taken it on?
JS: Good To-Go traveled with us a lot more before we actually started GTG – we just called it “Jen's Dehydrated Meals.” We took it to the BVIs sailing for a week. It's been to the Grand Canyon, the Adirondacks, Mt. Tremblant, Zion, Bryce and Canyonlands National Parks. Now that Good To-Go has been introduced to the public, we spend most of our time making sure we have enough to share with our friends and customers (although I do end up eating it for lunch most days). We'll get back out there soon, but not until I have a few more recipes under my belt.
Active Junky put the fork to four Good To-Go meals and enjoyed each and every flavor we tried (Thai Curry, Marinara Penne, Smoked Three Bean Chili and Herbed Mushroom Risotto).
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