This Is How Your Backpacking Meals Are Really Made

July 9, 2024

My host for the morning is Soraya Smith, the company’s president and recipe-development chef. Smith, who had always been involved on the recipe side of American Outdoor Products (the parent organization of Backpacker’s Pantry) took over as president after her husband, Rodney, died in a tragic ski accident in 2020. She’s been the face of the family-owned corporation ever since.

I’ve always been curious about how backpacking meals are made. After all, getting to enjoy a steamy bowl of risotto or curry after merely boiling a pot of water is as close to real magic as you can get in the backcountry. So, I asked Smith to give me an insider’s look at how some of my favorite freeze-dried backpacking meals are made. Backpack