It could be called tin-pan alley for the number of disposable serving dishes — only a portion shown —loaded for patrons of the annual First United Methodist Church’s Taster’s Luncheon held Oct. 12. Presales of 400 tickets did not include the door sales that helped fund Women’s Ministries throughout the year.

The tradition lives on but not like the old days

Stories from family members who lived in Southern towns after the depression always included the feasts shared by the community at a local watering hole, nearby creek or underneath the trees on the grounds of a church. Visits decades later to a once thriving community can bring echoes of voices still lingering with laughter and good times of those dinners.

Children played ball, sometimes with a bat and not just a stick, singing might have been part of the entertainment, but the main ingredient was really good home cooked food and the people.

Some of the local and chain grocery stores have taken the place of tedious preparation of casseroles or congealed salads, barbecue or fried chicken. It’s good and prepared with similar care by the store personnel who could very well be using their own family recipes or that of the owner’s mother. Still, something is missing in the mix for a covered dish meal.

Preparation Half the Fun

Eating good food is one thing, but without the experience of laboring to feed a small group or a large gathering, full appreciation of the effort can allow for apathy. Even during high school parties, usually at someone’s home, best friends plan ahead what should be on the menu. The day before, or several hours prior to guests arriving, the chopping and washing, mixing and baking of foods builds a lot of bonding.

The team at the annual First United Methodist Church’s Taster’s Luncheon know all about teamwork. The yearly fundraiser for the women’s ministry has been going on more than 40 years — no one still living can remember when it began. Male and female cooks who are part of the local congregation prepare pans of food in the tradition of the old Southern camp meetings or dinners on the grounds.

The responsibilities are shared by the members including setup and cleanup. To be an outsider, the well oiled machine at work seems like no work at all, only fun. That’s because the preliminary organization by leaders like Cathy Jackson and others is done with great heart for the people, the church and the community work they perform all through the year.

This year, a secret was discovered. If running late for the date — eating when the workers finally get to sit down — you can also share in the left overs. No guarantee of abundant leftovers, but plates were still being carried out well after the event, mostly by those who volunteered. Still, something to remember.

Next week will mark more than 125 years for the congregation. The original sanctuary was built in 1891, an archival story of The Daily Iberian reported. In 1907 it partially burned. Having a house of worship is important to a community of believers, but what really represents the church is the heart of the people — something the Teche Area has in abundance.

Community Activity

The Jeanerette Chamber of Commerce also has a luncheon to build additional funds they will need throughout the year. The 2016 August event marked 19 years. More than 250 people gathered for the buffet prepared by Teche Area restaurants.

When Envision daBerry organizers looked for an event to bring people together to talk about a new program and get feedback for further expansion, the natural tendency was to build it around a meal — potluck.

Envision daBerry’s creative director Phanat Xanamane said the idea for a series of four potlucks was inspired by a grant from the Enterprise Community Foundation and a collaborative action project involving a digital community billboard where a projector will broadcast announcements and events of interest to residents. Four different potlucks across the city were planned with people bringing different dishes — or canned goods if someone didn’t know how to cook — to be later donated to the food pantries.

The conversations between various area residents about what they would like to see happen in their part of the community was the object of the dinners. Discussions focused on how that space could be more relevant to the community.

Once the data is collected and processed, Xanamane will take the feedback and as an artist construct a rendering visualizing what that block or area could look like with the suggested changes. Then the concepts will become part of the projected billboards as an inspiration for the community.

Reaching the Community

The four prospective projector billboard locations include the Community Garden on Hopkins, Bayou Teche Museum on Main Street, NILA Art Gallery on St. Peter St. and 520 Hopkins St. which was recently donated and expected to become a fresh farmer’s market location sometime in the future.

“There will be artwork involved, announcements from the community throughout the year and hopefully something of value,” said Xanamane. “It will be moving information to everybody.”

A large portion of the grant money will be used to purchase the projectors and the construction materials to mount the outdoor communications system. This is great news for local organizations and sponsors with events that depend on attendance by locals.

Xanamane said the first three events have been successful to begin the process but with the last of the four dinners to be held Friday night at Bayou Teche Museum, he is hopeful there will be more turnout.

Since the first dinner, rather than potluck meals Kim Nagle has catered the events with traditional southern cooking. Xanamane met her first at a farmer’s market and became friends. With the hope of one day operating her own restaurant, Nagle jumped at the chance to get involved with a community effort. She has been preparing the food for the Envision daBerry supporters and interested visitors.

The last of the four dinners will be held at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at Bayou Teche Museum, 131 E. Main St.

For more information about the program email info@daberry.org or visit the daberry.org website.

The Next Big Gathering

Fall festivals have filled the bellies of residents as well as visitors in the Teche Area. Time to start thinking about the family gatherings that will take place Nov. 24 — yes, Thanksgiving is almost here.

After reading Julaine Schexnayder’s Sunday column in The Daily Iberian, it was obvious her family’s Rice Dressing and Eggplant Dressing recipes needed to be shared. They are featured today along with a requested recipe from last week’s FUMC Taster’s Luncheon.

In weeks to come, other holiday recipes will be featured. If you have a family story and recipe to share, email TecheLife.Editor@Daily-Iberian.com and tell us your story.

People and food are what South Louisiana are all about. Ask Lt. Gov. Billy Nunguesser. His tour Tuesday of the seafood industry in Delcambre and over to Tabasco’s Avery Island facility will be part of upcoming news and special events stories. His office has been busy discovering news revenue streams for local fisherman and other ways to boost the economy. Great news for people and food.