Where’s the beef?
Chester. First Presbyterian’s sit-down roast beef dinner to be replaced by baked ziti takeout due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Chester /
| 27 Oct 2020 | 08:36
“We believe the Roast Beef Dinner was started once the new building was completed in 1967, but it’s hard to say for sure because there were numerous dinners in our old kitchen/dining room (but most think those were chicken dinners),” Pastor Erin Moore said. “Either way, it is clear that our congregation has been hosting sit-down fellowship meals for well over 60 years and this is the first time in anyone’s recollection that we won’t be able to host a sit-down dinner.” Provided photos.
Jerry Sutherland, an elder of the church who has been involved in the roast beef dinner since the beginning, remembers that politicians, including the late Congressman Ben Gilman (pictured here), would attend. But later the congregation decided that perhaps people would rather eat undisturbed by more aggressive politicians.
Church Elder Jerry Sutherland with his mom, Betty Lutjens, roast beef dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in 2000.
For the first time in more than five decades, the First Presbyterian Church in Chester will not be holding its highly anticipated family-style sit-down roast beef dinner this November, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Instead, the congregation will be offering takeout baked ziti, beef or vegetarian, with salad, bread and a brownie dessert next Saturday, Nov. 7, with pick-up from 4-6 p.m.
Drivers will be asked to stay in their car and food will be distributed from the back of the church building, with volunteers there to assist. The cost is $12 for children 12 and over and adults, and $10 for children under 12 and seniors.
The church asks for payment ahead of time either by check, with the number of dinners desired and “ziti dinner” written on the memo line. Checks may be made out/mailed to the First Presbyterian Church, 94-96 Main St., Chester, NY 10918, or you can go to this link to pay online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/124139002097.
A long history and a lot of memories
“We believe the Roast Beef Dinner was started once the new building was completed in 1967, but it’s hard to say for sure because there were numerous dinners in our old kitchen/dining room (but most think those were chicken dinners),” Pastor Erin Moore said. “Either way, it is clear that our congregation has been hosting sit-down fellowship meals for well over 60 years and this is the first time in anyone’s recollection that we won’t be able to host a sit-down dinner.”
The roast beef dinner, which also had takeout, usually is the main fund raiser held by the small congregation which does so much for the community, including running the food pantry. Sometimes bad weather played havoc with plans.
“One year, in a bad snowstorm, our members still made everything for the dinner and when it was clear no one would be able to come,” Moore said, “they made a few deliveries to locals but then fed all those who were out plowing the street - the village and town workers and possibly anyone else that passed by with a plow. They didn’t want the food to go to waste and found it fitting to thank everyone working to keep the streets clear and safe with dinner.”
The roast beef dinner included a bounty of tender, juicy roast beef slices with homemade gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, a vegetable, Harvard beets, salad, homemade coleslaw with a secret recipe for the dressing, rolls from DeFilippis’ bakery and dessert — apple crisp, applesauce cake or brownies. Here’s looking forward to its resumption next year.
Rare or medium rare
Dinner was usually from 4 to 7 p.m. Sometimes diners’ requests did not line up with the roasting time. Some people might come at 4 p.m. and ask for very well done meat, while others might show up at 7 p.m.— or after — requesting rare or medium rare meat.
Alan Eckard, a member of the congregation, recalled that “Once, at 7:01 p.m., we were tearing down tables and a person came in and wanted a big platter of very rare meat.”
Eckard thought “maybe next time we should leave a roast out and not cook it.”
Jerry Sutherland, an elder of the church, has been involved in the roast beef dinner since the beginning. He’s even replaced the thermocouple on a faulty oven. He remembers that politicians, including the late Congressman Ben Gilman, would attend. But later the congregation decided that perhaps people would rather eat undisturbed by more aggressive politicians.
The meat slicing machine could be a source of trouble. Sutherland remembers “Bud Demarest, a fireman and teacher in Washingtonville, sliced his finger while slicing meat with the machine. And people kidded him, asking if he added more flavor or seasoned it a bit.”
Then there’s this story
At least once, the roast beef dinner brought a couple together.
“Our church has been blessed by many hands and hearts from outside the church, as well as from within. We wouldn’t be able to hold large dinners year after year without help from the surrounding communities,” Sutherland said. “A few years ago a new helper had been introduced to most of the workers, including my sister and brother-in-law. The helper brought a dessert pan that a friend had given her. When she tried to take it back, my sister had to explain to her it was a church pan that gets handed out before the dinner. Then my brother-in-law, who makes the coffee, kept taking her cup of coffee away all night. At the end of the dinner, I decided to have a bit of fun, too! Going over to an older lady, I made like I was putting my arm around her (only it just hovered over her head, since I’m much taller) and I told her, ‘This is my Mom, I’m her baby.’ The helper lady had an annoying look on her face, so she thought I was making fun of her; besides I was too big to be her child. Turns out the lady was my mom and I married the helper the next year!”