Dining at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe, during Panamint Valley Days

During CA4WDC's Panamint Valley Days, Chef Andy Cunningham and his crew set up a complete restaurant in some of the most remote and inhospitable country in the state of California. The restaurant is know as the Ruff Rock Run Café, and its only in operation during the event. Andy and his crew serve breakfast and dinner to the hungry four wheelers, and on the last night of the event, the café holds a deep-pit barbecue dinner, which is the highlight of the event.

Photo: Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, at Panamint Valley Days base camp. Note that first aid is available, if needed.

Photo: The hours of operation and the menu is posted outside the tent restaurant.

Panamint Valley is remote, and the Panamint Valley Days campsite is over 50 miles from any kind of civilization, so you can imagine what a treat it is to get up on a pleasant November morning, walk over to a restaurant, choose your breakfast, watch Chef Andy and his helpers prepare it before your eyes, and then enjoy a delicious breakfast. Luxury in remote surroundings!

Photo: Chef Andy surveys his domain, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008. On this Friday morning, we were some of his last customers for breakfast.

Photo: Chef Andy grabs some eggs, as Sharlene looks surprised, as I take her photo.

From the breakfast menu, I chose two eggs, over easy, sausage patties, and hash brown potatoes. Sharlene wasn't particularly hungry, as she rarely is in the morning, so she skipped on the potatoes, and simply ordered bacon and scrambled eggs.

Photo: Kyle cooks my eggs over easy, and Sharlene's omelet on the griddle, as the sausage and hash brown girls look on, and admire his egg breaking skills.

Photo: After your eggs are placed on your plate, it's time to back up a little, and visit the friendly meat and potatoes girls, who will place hash brown potatoes and your choice of ham or sausage on your plate. I snap the photo of these girls hard at work, dishing out meat and potatoes for Sharlene and I.

This year, Chef Andy had a couple of young teenage girls as helpers, who seemed to fulfill the role of dishing out the meat and potatoes, and these girls were not at all shy in front of the camera. I love to take photos of beautiful women, but I attempt to be professional, and I don't exhibit the papparazzi-style attitude or mentality when I take photos. With these girls, paparrazi would not be a problem, as they simply loved having their photos taken, and really posed for the camera. After taking their photos, it made breakfast taste even better!

Photo: The meat and potatoes girls aren't shy in front of my digital camera. They're model quality... Chef Andy knows how to pick his helpers. I can't resist taking photos of beautiful women... What about the peace signs? Do these girls really remember the 1960's? I think not...

Photo: My delicious breakfast of two sausage patties, hash brown potatoes, two fried eggs, over easy, topped with a few drops of tobacco sauce. Truly a delicious breakfast in the desert!

Sharlene and I carried our breakfasts back to camp, sat down, and enjoyed a leisurely, wonderful meal, that we didn't have to cook, and we enjoyed it in the splendor of the majestic Argus mountain range to the west, and the Panamint range to the east. Great food and "eye candy" in the desert... it doesn't get any better than that!

My wife and I enjoyed many other delicious meals at Chef Andy's during Panamint Valley Days 2008, and also enjoyed some great four wheeling in the desert. Click on the hyperlink, and it will take you to our sister web site, where we feature a complete write-up about PVD, with lots more articles about Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café.