Kathy Dean, Chef
Kathy Dean
July 8, 2017
Interview by Cathy Eaton
Kathy Dean visited Thinkers Lodge on July 8, 2017, from Brookfield, Nova Scotia. Kathy is currently a nurse for an oral surgeon in Halifax. She and her husband have three grown children.
Her father, Selby Clarke, was the chef for Pugwash Conferences at the adjoining Lobster Factory for many years starting in the 1960s until his passing in 1998. Selby was born in Newfoundland and moved to Nova Scotia. He worked as a chef in many places around the world and also in places like Liscomb Lodge in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. When he came to Pugwash, he purchased all the food locally that he prepared. When not in the kitchen, he was a practical joker with a wonderful sense of humor.
In the kitchen, however, Selby was much more serious and demanded perfection of himself and his staff. He was a stickler for presentation, color, and taste. He insisted that each serving look alike. Kathy remembers sneaking an extra Brussel sprout on a plate. As soon as he noticed, without missing a beat, he threw the offending Brussel sprout to the side. He demanded that the kitchen be spotless. He wanted the food served hot and taken immediately to the guests. This may account for having a large wait staff.
His wife Myrna used to accompany him to Pugwash and began making peanut butter cookies for the coffee breaks.
Kathy first came to Pugwash in the 1980s and started washing pots for her dad in the Lobster Factory when he was chef for many conferences. Each time she came, Kathy was assigned more and more responsibilities. Initially, she began making delicious desserts, such as strawberry shortcake, a raspberry white chocolate delight, peach pie, maple ice cream with amaretto, apple pie, and raspberry swirl. She added baking the pastries for the coffee breaks to her repertoire, and then she was put in charge of salad making. In order to find time to work with her father, Kathy took vacation time or used overtime from her job as an operating room nurse in Truro, Nova Scotia.
After her father died, Kathy was asked to take over as chef for the Lobster Factory. Although she had no formal training, she had gained invaluable experience working with her father. Before she arrived at the conferences, she used to spend weeks looking at local recipes whereas her father did not have a plan when he arrived. Typical meals were lobster dinners, salmon, sea-food chowder (lobster, scallops, and haddock), pasta dishes for lunches, and stuffed salmon with spinach dressing with phyllo pastry with a lemon dill sauce. Kathy made sure the salad, meal and dessert worked together as a taste delight. There were many wait staff; it was almost like an assembly line.
Some summers Kathy slept in the Staff House (where her dad’s chef hat hung in the closet). Selby and Raymon Bourque stayed in the staff house, where staff could come relax between shifts. They also did the masses of laundry (table cloths, linen napkins, and sheets) in the staff house. Kathy rose at 5 AM to prepare breakfasts such as frittatas, pancakes, (things that could be prepared before the guests came and served quickly), and always fresh fruit. The conference attendees were ready for breakfast by 7 AM. Typically, 30 to 50 guests came. Kathy always brought a sou-chef (usually a friend) to help her. The chefs prepared all the food and then cleaned the kitchen while the wait staff poured the juice and coffee, set the table, served the guests, and cleaned the dining hall. Then they set up for lunch before their coffee break. Kathy made sugar cookies or oatmeal cookies or a lemon loaf for the staff to enjoy. She sometimes baked Cyrus Eaton’s executive assistant, Ray Szabo, an apple pie for himself.
The kitchen was set up differently in 1980s and 1990s than it is now. Kathy showed me around the kitchen and described how it used to be. The Lobster Factory was renovated around 2013. In those early days, there was an entry hallway just before the main kitchen with a freezer on right and a modern fridge on the left. Then you stepped into kitchen. That entryway is no longer there. Along the right wall was a sink for washing pots. A grill, a large oven and a stove top occupied the back wall. A microwave stood in the corner. In the center was a large green prep table with work stations, shelves, and outlets for mixers or other electrical kitchen gadgets. Selby always made sure everything was spotless. On the opposite wall were shelves with dishes. Around the corner was the magnificent oak ice box with real brass lever handles. The hinges were all brass. This antique piece could hold trays and trays of dessert dishes ready to be served. Past the ice box were more shelves for glasses and drawers for cutlery. The staff had access to a small bathroom with a toilet. The sink was just outside.
Leo Jamieson (the caretaker), Selby Clarke, and Ray Bourque, the butler, were like three musketeers who had a lot of fun and teased each other. Kathy remembers Ray as a sweet man who was almost like royalty. He would kiss your hand or bid you farewell.
Some staff that Kathy remembered were Ron and Jerry Jamieson, sons of Leo and Donnie Jamieson. Jerry was married to Eleanor, another waitress, and their duaghter, Patty, also waited tables. Ron was married to Mary Jamieson, who started as a waitress and eventually managed the Lodge.
Guests would come back to the kitchen to compliment the chefs. Kathy remembers mingling and talking to the scientists afterwards when she was a having a cup of tea on the west verandah. In later years, she stayed with Harold and Shirley Patterson who billeted scientists. One time there were two men dressed in suits outside their house waiting in a car. Kathy learned they were security for the Russian guest who had had a death threat. She remembers meeting conference attendees from Sri Lanka, Russia and the States.
She remembered Joseph Rotblat as quiet and sweet. He always came back to thank Kathy for the wonderful meals and complimented her cooking. He appreciated her hard work and talent as a chef. Kathy said, “He could promote peace without even opening his mouth. He had a gentle demeanor and was very approachable.” She remembered someone coming in a helicopter who needed to be addressed in a special way. Later he told her to call him by his first name. Kathy felt the wages were very good and fair.
Kathy likes history and enjoyed being in Thinkers Lodge, which felt to her like a well-kept secret. She was fascinated that the scientists in the early days could exchange ideas and then go home and make impactful changes when they returned home. She felt later scientists had less of an immediate impact when they returned home.
In 2017 Kathy hosted international high school students at her home in Brookfield for a year from Japan and Columbia. They loved her cooking. Clearly today she is still combining her love of cooking, her fascination with history and other cultures, and her welcoming heart.
Cathy Eaton
July 8, 2017
July 8, 2017
Interview by Cathy Eaton
Kathy Dean visited Thinkers Lodge on July 8, 2017, from Brookfield, Nova Scotia. Kathy is currently a nurse for an oral surgeon in Halifax. She and her husband have three grown children.
Her father, Selby Clarke, was the chef for Pugwash Conferences at the adjoining Lobster Factory for many years starting in the 1960s until his passing in 1998. Selby was born in Newfoundland and moved to Nova Scotia. He worked as a chef in many places around the world and also in places like Liscomb Lodge in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. When he came to Pugwash, he purchased all the food locally that he prepared. When not in the kitchen, he was a practical joker with a wonderful sense of humor.
In the kitchen, however, Selby was much more serious and demanded perfection of himself and his staff. He was a stickler for presentation, color, and taste. He insisted that each serving look alike. Kathy remembers sneaking an extra Brussel sprout on a plate. As soon as he noticed, without missing a beat, he threw the offending Brussel sprout to the side. He demanded that the kitchen be spotless. He wanted the food served hot and taken immediately to the guests. This may account for having a large wait staff.
His wife Myrna used to accompany him to Pugwash and began making peanut butter cookies for the coffee breaks.
Kathy first came to Pugwash in the 1980s and started washing pots for her dad in the Lobster Factory when he was chef for many conferences. Each time she came, Kathy was assigned more and more responsibilities. Initially, she began making delicious desserts, such as strawberry shortcake, a raspberry white chocolate delight, peach pie, maple ice cream with amaretto, apple pie, and raspberry swirl. She added baking the pastries for the coffee breaks to her repertoire, and then she was put in charge of salad making. In order to find time to work with her father, Kathy took vacation time or used overtime from her job as an operating room nurse in Truro, Nova Scotia.
After her father died, Kathy was asked to take over as chef for the Lobster Factory. Although she had no formal training, she had gained invaluable experience working with her father. Before she arrived at the conferences, she used to spend weeks looking at local recipes whereas her father did not have a plan when he arrived. Typical meals were lobster dinners, salmon, sea-food chowder (lobster, scallops, and haddock), pasta dishes for lunches, and stuffed salmon with spinach dressing with phyllo pastry with a lemon dill sauce. Kathy made sure the salad, meal and dessert worked together as a taste delight. There were many wait staff; it was almost like an assembly line.
Some summers Kathy slept in the Staff House (where her dad’s chef hat hung in the closet). Selby and Raymon Bourque stayed in the staff house, where staff could come relax between shifts. They also did the masses of laundry (table cloths, linen napkins, and sheets) in the staff house. Kathy rose at 5 AM to prepare breakfasts such as frittatas, pancakes, (things that could be prepared before the guests came and served quickly), and always fresh fruit. The conference attendees were ready for breakfast by 7 AM. Typically, 30 to 50 guests came. Kathy always brought a sou-chef (usually a friend) to help her. The chefs prepared all the food and then cleaned the kitchen while the wait staff poured the juice and coffee, set the table, served the guests, and cleaned the dining hall. Then they set up for lunch before their coffee break. Kathy made sugar cookies or oatmeal cookies or a lemon loaf for the staff to enjoy. She sometimes baked Cyrus Eaton’s executive assistant, Ray Szabo, an apple pie for himself.
The kitchen was set up differently in 1980s and 1990s than it is now. Kathy showed me around the kitchen and described how it used to be. The Lobster Factory was renovated around 2013. In those early days, there was an entry hallway just before the main kitchen with a freezer on right and a modern fridge on the left. Then you stepped into kitchen. That entryway is no longer there. Along the right wall was a sink for washing pots. A grill, a large oven and a stove top occupied the back wall. A microwave stood in the corner. In the center was a large green prep table with work stations, shelves, and outlets for mixers or other electrical kitchen gadgets. Selby always made sure everything was spotless. On the opposite wall were shelves with dishes. Around the corner was the magnificent oak ice box with real brass lever handles. The hinges were all brass. This antique piece could hold trays and trays of dessert dishes ready to be served. Past the ice box were more shelves for glasses and drawers for cutlery. The staff had access to a small bathroom with a toilet. The sink was just outside.
Leo Jamieson (the caretaker), Selby Clarke, and Ray Bourque, the butler, were like three musketeers who had a lot of fun and teased each other. Kathy remembers Ray as a sweet man who was almost like royalty. He would kiss your hand or bid you farewell.
Some staff that Kathy remembered were Ron and Jerry Jamieson, sons of Leo and Donnie Jamieson. Jerry was married to Eleanor, another waitress, and their duaghter, Patty, also waited tables. Ron was married to Mary Jamieson, who started as a waitress and eventually managed the Lodge.
Guests would come back to the kitchen to compliment the chefs. Kathy remembers mingling and talking to the scientists afterwards when she was a having a cup of tea on the west verandah. In later years, she stayed with Harold and Shirley Patterson who billeted scientists. One time there were two men dressed in suits outside their house waiting in a car. Kathy learned they were security for the Russian guest who had had a death threat. She remembers meeting conference attendees from Sri Lanka, Russia and the States.
She remembered Joseph Rotblat as quiet and sweet. He always came back to thank Kathy for the wonderful meals and complimented her cooking. He appreciated her hard work and talent as a chef. Kathy said, “He could promote peace without even opening his mouth. He had a gentle demeanor and was very approachable.” She remembered someone coming in a helicopter who needed to be addressed in a special way. Later he told her to call him by his first name. Kathy felt the wages were very good and fair.
Kathy likes history and enjoyed being in Thinkers Lodge, which felt to her like a well-kept secret. She was fascinated that the scientists in the early days could exchange ideas and then go home and make impactful changes when they returned home. She felt later scientists had less of an immediate impact when they returned home.
In 2017 Kathy hosted international high school students at her home in Brookfield for a year from Japan and Columbia. They loved her cooking. Clearly today she is still combining her love of cooking, her fascination with history and other cultures, and her welcoming heart.
Cathy Eaton
July 8, 2017