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How are you different from the food packing services?
CDR is not just a food packing service, we cater to river rats! Instead of getting boxes and coolers of groceries and then having to prep everything, CDR does as much precooking as we can to make your trip's meals simple to prepare and delicious. With CDR you'll get:
- Less cook duties
- Simple preparation
- Easier clean up
- Hearty meals but not a bunch of throw-away food that makes trash stinky
- Comparable price to other outfitters with less work
- Well organized, logical packing system for freezers, coolers and rocket boxes
- Complete instructions and menu guide including what to take out of the freezer for the next day
What else do we get?
CDR provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner has appetizers included as well as delicious home-baked (not pre-packaged) desserts. There's lots of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the trip!
Do you pack meals by the day or by category?
By day.
Can we create our own menu?
CDR puts together a menu for the season based on river tested recipes with years of trial and error and what works best on extended river trips. For this reason, the menu is set, and while some accommodations may be made, we hope you'll find our menu tasty and delicious!
Coolers:
For an 18 day trip, we estimate that you will have 3 160+ qt. freezers and 2 160 qt. coolers plus you'll need space under hatches for items that need to be cool, but not be on ice in a cooler. These are things such as melons, tomatoes, onions, etc.
Cooler and rocket box rentals:
Ship your stuff to Cocina or rent our coolers and rocket boxes, either one! We pack in 160qt. coolers and regular 20mm rocket boxes. Probably 5 160 qt. coolers and 15 rockets for an 18 day trip.
Some of our boats require a specific cooler size and many people prefer to have their own cooler on their boat .
If you want your cooler instead of ours (we pack 160 qt. Igloo Marine coolers) you can ship them to Cocina del Rio in Taos , NM .
How big are your 160 qt. Igloo marine coolers?
The 160 qt. Igloo Marine coolers are 44”long x 20” wide x 18” tall.
Do we go through one whole cooler before we go onto the next?
Yes. The freezers will be packed in order for the days they are serving. For example, day 1 freezer will contain all the frozen items for day 1 – 5. Everything is clearly marked with what it is, what day and meal it is for. On day 5 the first freezer should be empty.
How does this work? Are we in every cooler all times of the day ?
No. The freezer and it's cooling capacity must be guarded with special care and not be opened more than once a day, twice at the most. At the end of the day, the last item on the instruction sheet for the cook crew is to pull out any frozen items for the following day and put it in a cooler for the next day's use. This allows the food to defrost as well as provides cooling power for the items in the cooler. Breakfast, lunch and dinner items are all noted clearly and should be moved.
Are the coolers pre-packed before delivery?
Yes. We pack them by day, in reverse order so that day 1 is on top of the first freezer and day 5 is at the bottom. Once they are packed, the freezers are placed in a walk-in freezer at subzero temps for a few days before they are ready to be delivered. The #2 & #3 freezers are packed w/ dry ice and sealed closed with tape. They should not be opened until the day assigned.
What about dry food?
All dry food is removed from excess packaging, labeled with day and meal, and packed in a rocket box by day. If your trip wants to use dry boxes, you can ship them to CDR, or we'll pack in cardboard boxes for delivery and you can transfer food to your dry boxes.
What about trash?
All CDR rental rocket boxes are packed with a trash bag liner so that you can start using them for garbage as soon as it is empty. CDR also provides dry bleach to help with bacterial growth. You are expected to put some on the bottom of the bag before you put trash in, then on the top before you seal it up, not to be opened until the end of your trip.
Rocket Box & Cooler maintenance:
CDR expects that coolers and rockets will be returned clean and dry. There is a deposit to assure this. If these items are not returned clean and dry the deposit will be used as a cleaning fee. Coolers are completely inspected before they go out, and if they are returned with broken latches, hinges or damaged, you will be assessed a repair fee.
How much is it?
The base price is $25/person/day. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner also includes appetizers and home-baked desserts. This is an estimate only . If someone has special dietary needs or restrictions, it is a winter trip, or special requests (such as steak every 4 nights), this will be factored in.
What are my delivery options?
CDR will deliver free within roughly 100 miles of Taos , NM . Delivery to Flagstaff is $300 , Marble Canyon is $350 with NO stop in Flagstaff (This means that someone on your trip will pick up the produce and dairy at the Flagstaff Farmer's Market, in Flagstaff , AZ ) or Marble Canyon with a stop in Flagstaff is $450. CDR cannot deliver to Lee's Ferry as we do not have a concessionaires permit to operate within the park itself.
What about produce?
CDR orders produce from the Flagstaff Farmer's Market.
Can we purchase dinners only?
Yes.
Our trip prefers to have lighter, easier breakfasts, with a few cooked breakfasts thrown in for layover days. Can we make this change?
Yes, breakfasts are easy for us to change and we can do this kind of change in the menu planning stage.
How's the coffee? I'm kind of a coffee snob…
To avoid the Starbucks vs. Folger's conundrum, CDR offers a specialty coffee upgrade if desired. The upgrade includes Fair Trade certified French or Me dium Roast coffee.
We have a vegetarian on our trip, can you pack special food for them?
CDR can accommodate almost any dietary need, please contact us for details.
Are there Dutch Oven meals?
Well, if you want them, CDR can plan them. But in CDR's opinion, they take a lot of time and time is precious in the canyon. So, let us know and if you are just dying to bake, we'll make it happen.
What about snacks and beverages?
Because every person on every trip is different, CDR does not provide snacks. If you opt for beverages on your trip, CDR will provide juice at breakfast and powdered drink mix for daytime consumption.
What kind of special equipment do we need in our kitchen box?
Not much, really. 2 large pots to heat large quantities of food or to boil water in, a dutch oven is nice for keeping things warm while other things are finishing cooking. You'll need a large skillet or two, and a fire pan with a grill. My suggestion is that you have at least 2 burners and a blaster, 4 burners will make your life easier! We also suggest a small aluminum steamer basket to make steaming vegetables easier.
What if a raft flips and ruins a whole cooler of food?
No problem. You can choose to have CDR pack emergency box of dry food. This is several meals that you can prepare quickly and easily in case of an emergency. Basics like rice, oatmeal, soup mix etc. just in case!
Do you provide shuttles and gear rentals?
Nope! We specialize in catering and making the very best food we can for your river trip. However, we work in partnership with Brady Black at Moenkopi Riverworks and we'll be happy to coordinate with him on all gear and shuttle needs. Please contact him at: www.moenkopiriverworks .com or call 928-856-0012. A sample instruction sheet is attached so you have an idea of what to expect. If you give us the names of cooking crews, we can include them in the daily instructions!
Moenkopi Riverworks (www.moenkopiriverworks.com)
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