Rancher spices up barbecue with his own recipes

LINCOLN - David Reaume started Cow Camp 23 years ago while raising cattle. Over the years, the focus of his rural Lincoln operation has changed.While he still raises cattle, Reaume concentrates on another area. Cow Camp Grill & Seasoning Co. offers catering services as well as a variety of different seasonings."It's amazing how much it's changed," Reaume said. For starters, the barn in which Reaume packages his product and tests his seasonings has been refurbished by Reaume's own hands."There used to be nothing here but pigeon manure and the ceiling," Reaume said.Now, it has an office and a kitchen with a bar. The barn also has a storage area, where Reaume keeps his inventory before shipping it out, and a smoker where Reaume cooks up his creations, testing different recipes using his seasonings."I'm real proud of this," Reaume said of how his barn's transformation turned out.He's also proud of how Cow Camp turned out.About three years after he began raising cattle, Reaume was asked to cater a barbecue. At the time, he was a field representative for Polled Hereford and one of the breeders he serviced was having a production sale. Back then, Reaume had a couple of 55-gallon half-barrels to cook food. After that humble start, his catering business took off. Today Reaume has three large grills on wheels he tows behind a truck, spending more than 70 days out of the year barbecuing for groups. There are some times when he has three events booked for one day.He has catered events in Lake Tahoe, winery events in Napa and events at the state capitol.Cow Camp also caters to corporate America. He has served more than 3,200 dinners at a series of Teichert safety meetings.Cow Camp is on the approved list for caterers for the city of Roseville. Reaume is one of the assigned caterers for Emma's Bed and Breakfast in Loomis. And for several years, Cow Camp catered at the California State Fair in Sacramento.The largest group Reaume has catered for at one event is 2,700. He also has cooked for smaller groups, but he would prefer to cater to more than 100, noting the profit margin isn't that great with small groups.The two favorite catering meals are either the Cow Camp-seasoned breast of chicken or the tri-tip, Reaume said. Cow Camp also serves filet mignon, New York strip, lamb sirloin or chops, pork and ribs."We're also one of the only caterers around who cooks prime rib on site," Reaume said.Besides offering on-site catering, Cow Camp also does "cook and drop," where Reaume prepares the meal at home and then drops it off at the event.About three years ago, Reaume added another aspect to the business. Tired of buying seasonings and mixing them to get the perfect blend, he decided to start producing his own. The result is a variety of seasonings that Cow Camp markets."Everything here is our personal recipe," Reaume said.The garlic-seasoned all-dry rub is a blend of California garlic and spices. The combination of flavors goes well with beef, chicken, lamb, pork, fish and wild game. And it can be added to vegetables, soups and stews, he said.Cow Camp also offers a grillin' and dippin' sauce and Western marinade.The seasonings, dipping sauce and marinade are available online at Cow Camp's Web site, or in local stores. Reaume credits Rainbow Market's Bill Conway with helping getting his seasoning venture off the ground."It's great seasoning," Conway said. "I like the flavor, especially the dippin' sauce."Conway noted Rainbow customers also like the Cow Camp products for their flavor.And, "People in Lincoln like hometown things," Conway said.Cow Camp products also are available at Foto's Market, Raley's and Sierra Hay and Feed in Lincoln, as well as at markets in Roseville, Auburn and Loomis. Dillian's Bar and Grill and Old Town Café in Lincoln serve it on their menu, as does the Roseville Mexican restaurant, La Familia. Roseville Meats also uses Cow Camp products.Cow Camp's Web site features a recipe section where customers are invited to share how they use Cow Camp products. Reaume is in the process of compiling a recipe book to share with customers, hoping cookbooks are ready to include in gift packs for the holiday season.Reaume continues to to experiment with the seasonings to come up with new blends. Last week he prepared a chuck roast all day in a smoker. It was to be served to his family at night to see if the new seasoning recipe is a hit.Reaume has gotten the whole family involved in Cow Camp. Son Curtis and son-in-law Ryan Lavigne help with the cooking. Wife Jeanne handles the e-mail requests. Daughters Michelle and Krista also help out."Even my grandson is involved," Reaume said. "He was 2 weeks old when we took him to his first barbecue."Richard Myers can be reached at richardm@goldcountrymedia.com.