Longtime readers of The Recorder remember Irmarie Jones, reporter and columnist emerita.
Among Irmarie’s pearls of wisdom was a lament. She would wonder aloud why more people did not avail themselves of church meals, those monthly pancake breakfasts, roast beef suppers and the like put on by our houses of worship. She would say that the food was freshly prepared (and often followed by seconds) and less expensive than an night out at a restaurant.
She, of course, is right.
So it is in that spirit that we begin Soul Food, which is planned as a monthly feature highlighting a meal at a Franklin County church. I, Deena Ferguson, will be writing the column and visiting these local gems, enjoying their meals.
All of the meals I will feature are open to the public. Want good, affordable food but don’t want to cook? These are the places to go. Know of one coming up? Does your church have a schedule of regular open-to-the-public meals? Send information to The Recorder at:
outdoor@recorder.com
The first thing you notice when you enter The Chapel at the First Congregational Church of Sunderland is the aromas … fresh coffee and bacon compete for prominence.
Walk a little further and you notice something else special — there are only men in the kitchen.
It’s the second Saturday in September, and that means the monthly country breakfast has returned for the season.
And just as he has been doing for almost 30 years, John Rose of South Deerfield leads six other men in cooking up as good a breakfast as you will find anywhere.
“It’s always been men,” Rose said of his breakfast crew. “The women do the suppers and we do the breakfasts. That way no one has to do too much.”
What started as “just pancakes and brown-and-serve sausage,” has blossomed into a full country breakfast.
If you leave hungry, it’s your own fault.
For $7, diners get one (very full) plate of “The Works” — two pancakes, scrambled eggs, pan-fried potatoes, sausage (a choice of turkey or pork, served in patties) and bacon.
“Would you like loose or crispy?” Ron Howey asked, serving tongs poised over a big pan of bacon.
Loose?
“Well, not as crispy. You know, loose,” as he does a little wiggle to demonstrate.
“Crispy, please” (it was nice to have the choice).
Then there’s coffee or tea, and juice to round it out.
For $10, it’s all you can eat — and they really mean it.
“Did you have enough?” was heard over and over from those guys in the kitchen. “Are you sure?”
The pancakes were freshly prepared, and you know how scrambled eggs get chewy when they have been sitting a while? Nope, not here — they were fluffy and hot.
And the potatoes … those potatoes! Browned, but not too crunchy. Moist, but not soggy. Not a bit greasy! They were as close to perfect as fried potatoes can get.
The bacon and sausage come from The Millstone Farm Market, which is justaround the corner from the church.
“We were using packaged bacon, but we just weren’t happy with it,” John Rose said. “And the turkey sausage is special. They make it just for us, right there in the store. The pork sausage is theirs, too. Really, really good quality.”
Rose said these breakfasts, like most church meals, started out as a way to support the church financially.
“In the beginning, it was about helping the church survive. You know, we needed a new furnace and thought, ‘well, maybe this is a way we can raise a little money.’ And we’ve just kept it going,” he said.
Rose is the church’s moderator, and his wife Judy is the clerk. First Congregational is a big part of their lives, and a lot of their involvement revolves around the food.
While the menu for the breakfasts does not change, the church suppers change month to month.
“The difference for the suppers is there is only one sitting,” Rose said. “We can seat about a hundred people (he looks around The Chapel and does some quick math), and they do it all at once. They also do take out, which people like.”
Rose said breakfast can also be taken to go.
“I was here at 5 o’clock this morning getting things started,” he said. “We open at 7 and I figure I can get it going by myself and at least serve the first wave,” Rose said.
It was about 9:30 when he took a minute to sit down and chat.
“I say every time that as long as the guys show up to help, we’ll keep this going,” Rose said. “And they do. Every month, they keep showing up. If it ever gets to it is just me by myself? We’ll call it quits. But so far, here we are.”
The First Congregational Church, 91 South Main St. in Sunderland, serves its country breakfast on the second Saturday of each month from September to May from 7 to 10 a.m. Open to the public, no reservations are required. Cash only. The Chapel is accessible and there is plenty of free parking in the adjacent church lot.