Picture this:  At Hi Desert Round-Up base camp, you're miles from civilization in some of the most inhospitable country the Mojave Desert has to offer.  Cooking can be a chore, as you must pack the food in, keep it cold, cook it under extremely primitive conditions, not to mention the clean-up with the added hassle due to the scarcity of water and the need to conserve.  Of course you could eat canned food, but... Arghhhh!  However at Hi Desert Roundup, you can leave all that consternation at home and patronize Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe.

 

Left:  Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe, at Hi Desert Round-Up, 2005.  Right:  Inside Chef Andy's customers wait to have their orders filled.

Chef Andy's Cafe has become a fixture at Hi Desert Round-Up and Panamint Valley Days.  Andy, his wife Barbara, along with many of their children and grandchildren operate the Cafe, and they serve great food at excellent prices.  The Cunningham family has been doing this for a number of years, and they have perfected their operation and operate in perfect synchronization, like a well-oiled machine.  Each person seems to have a primary job to do, yet anybody can, and does, anything on an as-needed basis.  Andy learned his trade as a Mess Specialist (cook) in the Navy, so he knows the techniques on how to prepare quality food for the masses.  (Note: Your reporter spent 6 years in the Navy and absolutely loved the food, ashore and at sea.)

 

Left:  Chef Andy always has a big pot of coffee ready to go, and these guys are taking advantage of it and the relaxed dining, at Hi Desert Round-Up, 2005.  Right:  Early Saturday morning finds Chef Andy's helpers busy with the breakfast meal.

The Ruff Rock Run Cafe is a big operation, as it takes Andy and his crew an entire day to set the whole thing up. The cafe is enclosed under a tent and has all of the equipment that you would expect to find in a restaurant that serves hundreds of meals a day.  Behind the cafe, there are grills, smokers and a large generators that provides electricity for the operation.  Of course there's the 6-foot deep pit used for the Saturday night barbecue dinner.

 

Photos:  Andy shows us how he cooks eggs on the griddle, at the Ruff Rock Run Cafe at Hi Desert, 2005.

You walk up to the counter and Barbra  greets you with a friendly smile and takes your order.  You're served cafeteria style, similar to a serving line in the Navy, but without the wait.  Chef Andy cooks your eggs on the griddle right before your eyes, with a lot of friendly banter and conversation.  Behind the counter, Andy's crew is busy cutting vegetables, cleaning putting things away and doing all the things necessary to keep the operation running smoothly.  These folks do an outstanding job, they take pride in what they do and it shows.

 

Left:  This is breakfast?  Well, yes it is, as these guys are making pancake batter and cutting up vegetables. Right: The  breakfast chow line finds patrons waiting and Andy's staff filling the orders.

Ruff Rock Run Cafe serves quality food at very reasonable prices.  Not only are you rewarded with tasty food that you don't have to cook, but a portion of the proceeds goes to the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs and the money is used to help keep our trails open.  So not only do you get to eat gourmet food in the desert, prepared by nice people, but you get to help keep our trails open for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

 

Left:  Chef Andy, inside the tented Ruff Rock Run Cafe, dishes up an order of eggs from the griddle to the plate. Right:  My breakfast of 2 eggs, over easy, hash browns, sausage and Mexican hot sauce, which was my choice but offered at the Ruff Rock Run Cafe.  Truly an excellent breakfast in the desert and I didn't have to cook or do dishes.

Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe is a winning combination any way you look at it.