Chef Karen Nelson

08/08/2026

When I’ve got big things to think about, I make comfort food. Fried rice with grilled chicken and tofu is doing the trick today.

08/01/2026

Note the message in the left bottom corner. My staff thought it was hilarious I was wrong about something so they decided to make note of it. Don’t tell them I’m wrong a lot 😂😂😂 and yes that is a list of special diets we manage every day during camp.

07/18/2026

The Food Source Foundation silent auction is open. Bid on these awesome items if you’re local and if you’re not, ask how you can start a Souper Sunday group in your area. We’re all in this together friends!

Welcome to The Food Source Foundation's Silent Auction 🍲Your bids help keep good food moving directly to neighbors who need it most. We believe that access…

07/17/2026

Hello new friends! Lots of traffic on this page lately, I think it’s time for a check in. For those of you who don’t know me yet, I’m currently in the Olympia area working for a local retreat center. We are very busy May-August so I don’t do a whole lot outside of working those months. April and September weekends fill up fast and the rest of the year is pretty quiet. It’s an interesting thing to work seasonally like this, time has nearly no meaning in the summer months and the rest of the year is paced how I see fit. In those slower months I try to travel, get the the gym more often, and add to my culinary repertoire by taking a class or experimenting in the kitchen. I have the opportunity to cook for people in the community by volunteering or donating to organizations that build community through food during that time which brings me immense joy. The other fun activity I get to do is take on private clients for celebrations anywhere you want to enjoy a meal with friends or family. The next time you book a vacation, gather together, or even want a special date night, connect with me on how I can help you create memories for a lifetime. Thanks for visiting my page, you’re always welcome at the table.

07/10/2026

Chicago beef, camp style. My team did an amazing job making my idea come together. Over 300 people enjoyed these (I made a tofu version that was a big hit too), I’m not sure I’ve seen so many kids come back for seconds! Slow braised beef with sautéed onions and peppers, topped with house made giardiniera (or as the entire kitchen kept calling it, gardenia). No one knew what it was before we made it, but everyone enjoyed it!

07/08/2026

Just ate the first tomato from the garden, it won’t be the best one, but I’m excited how good they look this year. Last year was such a bust for tomatoes. Raspberries are coming on with a vengeance, time to get the neighbor kids to come help eat them. And the little dog is being naughty by coming in the garden, hard to be too mad when he’s so cute…

07/02/2026

Taking a few days off from work for health reasons and after 12 hours of sleep Pete and I went to Glowies for amazing breakfast sandwiches. We had a delightful conversation with a family passing through our beautiful city. Because we can’t get enough of Oly on a summer day we hit the farmers market for more berries, because one can never have too many berries. I got some gorgeous greens just to balance out the upcoming meal prep I’ll dig into tomorrow while my sweetie is off enjoying a birthday motorcycle ride (yes, please do start inundating him with messages). And I decided the oats in the pantry needed to be turned into granola. It’s one of those batches I won’t be able to duplicate because the other random pantry items that needed to be used went into it as well. Jar of marmalade, some dried bilberries and lingonberries sweetened with a bit of simple syrup that’s been kicking around the fridge for a hot minute. Finished off a bag of h**p seeds, threw in some black cumin seeds, et voila! Feeling grateful for a well stocked pantry today. Take care of yourselves friends!

06/28/2026

Because a day off is never really spent in bed, we hit the Olympia farmers market for all the berries we could find. Then I was craving Chinese food and Yummy Panda in Lacey did not disappoint. It reminds me of snappy dragon in Greenwood (iykyk). I think we might top this off with cake from Tender Velvet Rebel Oven because eating is nice.

06/28/2026

Sweet lil pups so happy to have us both at home today. I might just drink coffee and eat toast in bed all day, or who knows what shenanigans we might get up to. Hanging with the cutest dogs in the world and my favorite human with no obligations. What a glorious way to spend a day off…