When I signed up for CLTC right after Fall Convention 2025, I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a Jewish camp or even a sleepaway camp. Naturally, I had a lot of questions like, "What should I pack?" and "What if I don't make any friends?" But mostly I wondered what the food would be like. So if you are already signed up, or just looking into the idea of spending summer at CLTC, here's a definitive guide to all the food offered, ranked by me and fellow campers and coordinators (Keep in mind these ratings are on a scale of camp food).

First off, the basics, staples that are available at the dining hall and throughout the day, every day.

Salad Bar: There is always a selection of fresh fruits and veggies to choose from, such as watermelon and assorted greens, and there are always apples and bananas. Also in the morning, there is always a great selection of fruits to eat (my personal favorites are the strawberries and grapes), as well as a yogurt bar with granola and other toppings.

Gluten Free: Secondly, and a personal favorite of my gluten-free and picky eater friends (shout out Rachel), there is always some variation of gluten-free pasta available at lunch and dinner, often enjoyed with a few margarine packets and some salt and pepper.

Snacks: Teens are often very active during a day of CLTC, walking everywhere and participating in many high-energy activities. So snacks are handed out at least once a day to provide a boost of energy, usually between breakfast and lunch or later at night. Bags of pretzels, Chex Mix, and animal crackers are all common, though sometimes rare gems like Oreos or Fruit by the Foot are available.

Now for the main meals of the session: can't-miss food highlights of CLTC and some days that you might want to load up on extra snacks.

Breakfast: Mornings at CLTC often consist of one of three things: a mediocre plate of eggs with some crispy hashbrowns or potatoes, waffles (which pair very well with the fresh fruit), and bagels with cream cheese as well as the occasional cinnamon roll. Breakfast is often the safest bet for a day's meals as the bagels and waffles are often quite good (scoring a 7-8 regularly) and on any day the cereal packets available never disappoint. 

Standout Breakfast Items:

1. Bagels and Cinnamon Rolls (8.5): A personal favorite of mine, with a self-serve bar of sauces, veggies, and obviously cream cheese to put on your bagel as well as a warm, sweet cinnamon roll that is always a treat.

2. Waffles and Ice Cream (8): Served to our session on the second-to-last morning of CLTC, pretty self-explanatory but very delicious, especially with strawberries and grapes.

3. Eggs and Hashbrowns (7): A classic breakfast that you can expect to see every few days, regular hotel-style scrambled eggs with crispy, warm hashbrowns that are always good. 

4. French Toast (6): Soggy little French toast that left a little to be desired that morning; definitely load up on fruit or yogurt that day.

5. Eggs and Potatoes (5.5): Those same, quite mid, scrambled eggs, but without the saving grace of the hashbrowns; potatoes are ok but nothing to write home about.

Lunch: Serves as a welcome break for teens between chapter meetings and kavanah, and just before the long-awaited chofesh, but lunch at CLTC is often unpredictable. Some days you’ll get some all-time favorites like pizza rolls and Caesar salad, and others you'll become very familiar with the sandwich buffet. Lunch is regularly a solid meal, nothing too amazing, but the energy and laughs around the tables make up for the sometimes questionable food.

Standout Lunches:

1. Lunch at Kalahari (11): After spending a few hours on the waterslides, lunch at Kalahari is absolutely amazing. There are tons of great options to choose from at the food court, from mac and cheese bowls to burgers and giant milkshakes. Plus, the Starbucks there is always a favorite. It's easily one of the highlights of the session and definitely earns its scale-breaking score.  

2. Pizza Rolls, Caesar Salad, and Sodas (10): A great meal with a fun outdoor setting. The warm pizza rolls were really good, but the Caesar salad was definitely the highlight of the meal. It was fresh, crisp, and honestly better than expected. The CLN fundraiser sodas were also a nice addition, adding a refreshing sweet drink that made this meal even better.

3. Deli Buffet (7.5): A classic CLTC dining hall lunch that usually appears two or three times during the session. It includes your choice of white or whole wheat bread, turkey or roast beef, plus a variety of veggies and condiments to build your own sandwich. It's consistently solid and hard to complain about, a reliable lunch option.

4. Chicken Nuggets and Fries (7): Regular chicken nuggets and fries, nothing special but not bad either. Sauce combos like ketchup and mayo can really help with flavor and dryness.

5. Taco Bar (4): Ground beef sludge with grey bean goop, decent taco shells and toppings but overall pretty disappointing.

Dinner: After an action-packed afternoon, dinner brings everyone back together. The day's heartiest meals are also often the best. From cookout burgers and hot dogs to the usual Shabbat meat and soup, many of the highest-rated foods of the session came at dinner. Also, after every dinner comes a dessert that most teens greatly enjoy; brownies, cookies, and ice cream are all commonly enjoyed, and let’s just say that only a few desserts have ever reduced a meal's score.

1. Falafel, Hummus, and Ice Cream (10): A delicious hummus made by campers with the help of a celebrity chef visitor, paired with a warm pita and some solid falafel, makes this a dinner that is about as good as it gets at camp. As always, the ice cream at the end was the perfect finishing touch to the best meal (in my opinion) at CLTC.

2. Lemon Pepper Chicken, Rice, Brownie (9.5): Lemon pepper chicken was an unexpected gem after a long day; the chicken was salty and delicious. Paired with rice and some veggies, it became a seriously great meal, and the brownie at the end rounded it all off.

3. Lo Mein, Dumplings, Ice Cream (9): Another shockingly delicious entree was the Lo Mein; the noodles were flavorful, and with some soy sauce or sriracha, made for one of the best dishes of the session. The dumplings were pretty mid, but the Lo Mein and ice cream carried the meal and made it a really solid dinner overall. 

4. Creamy Coconut Pasta, Watermelon (5.5): This underwhelming dinner on day 2 of the session started things off on a rough note, but thankfully the better meals later on made up for it. Regular pasta with a weird, flavorless coconut cream sauce was not a great combo, and while the watermelon was good, it wasn’t enough to save the meal.

5. Fish and Chips, Cherry Sponge (5):A strange, almost chalky fried fish fillet paired with mediocre fries and a cherry sponge cake that isn't much better. The dessert does little to improve what ends up being one of the weaker meals at CLTC. 

No dinner at CLTC is really complete without dessert, and it's usually the deciding factor in how a meal gets ranked. A pretty mediocre entree can get saved by a good dessert, and a great one can get knocked down a peg by a bad one. So here are the highlights (and lowlights) of my favorite part of dinners at CLTC:

1. Ice Cream (10): Either vanilla or chocolate swirl; we were all excited for ice cream whenever it was on the menu.

2. Banana Spoon (9.5): A little serving of some banana bread-type mixture topped with chocolate; sounds weird but tasted so good.

3. Brownies (8): Regular store-bought brownies that were a delicious classic, always a nice treat after any dinner.

4. Cherry Sponge (4): A flavorless cake with cherry syrup on top and frosting that couldn't save the dish.

5. Jello (2): A weird-tasting orange kosher jello, topped with frosting in what became the most bizarre combination of flavors and textures that was very unappetizing.

Final Thoughts: Meals at CLTC aren't just a chance to replenish your energy after a long day of having fun and growing as leaders. They're a time to chat and connect with friends, enjoy some great food, or at least laugh together about the meals that weren't so great. At CLTC, I had some of the best times of my life. I made friendships that will last far beyond this session, and even beyond my time at BBYO. So if you're thinking about attending but hesitant because of the food, or because you don't know anybody yet, let this be your push to take the leap and sign up. Because trust me, the food isn't that bad, and even when it is, the memories you’ll make are worth eating all the taco slop in the world.