When Lenten season arrives,
fish dinners follow
By Christine Davidson
Special to the Metro Monthly
As the Lenten season approaches, Christian thoughts turn to the rituals of self-denial, fasting, meatless Fridays and church fish fries. Across the Mahoning Valley, volunteers will be serving up countless dinners filled with huge pieces of Icelandic haddock, along with pierogy, haluski, macaroni and cheese and other tasty delights.
Nearly all are available for reasonable prices and served in a church hall, annex or available for carryout. Proceeds from these Friday feasts often go toward the church or parish programs. Each congregation has its specialties. Some side dishes reflect the ancestry of the church while others remind residents how various ethnicities have contributed to the culinary flavor of the Mahoning Valley.
Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Ash Wednesday – and ends on Sunday, April 4 with Easter. Scores of local churches sponsor Friday fish dinners, but most don’t serve on Good Friday. Still, there are six Fridays to celebrate, sample, and savor the flavors of the Mahoning Valley. What follows is a small sampling of dozens of church dinners and fish fries that occur in the area each year.
St. Lucy/St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 394 Tenney Ave., Campbell; 330-755-1367. – St. Lucy/St. Rose of Lima is in the third year of its Lenten fish fry. Chairman John Makosky said he expects more dinners to be sold each year. The first year, they served about 90 dinners each week during Lent and last year, they averaged close to 200. “We serve fried or baked cod fish. Normally, we have haluski – a Slovak accent to the dinner – macaroni and cheese, an American side dish and the most popular, and, of course, there’s coleslaw, French fries.” Dinners come with bread and butter, coffee, and a dessert, with many being home-baked.
Dinners are $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $4.50 for children. A family plan offers three dinners for $25. Dinners are served from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays during Lent and Stations of the Cross bookend the dinners.
Makosky said more than 45 families help with the preparation, serving and cleanup each week. “It’s just amazing when you see the people get together. It becomes more or less a community project rather than a fund-raising project. We are so happy with the way that this has brought the people together on the parish level, everybody pitches in.”
St. Maron Parish, 1555 S. Meridian Road, Youngstown; 330-792-2371. – Tom Joseph heads up the volunteer committee that serves more than 300 people every Lenten Friday at Antioch Hall, adjacent to St. Maron’s on South Meridian Road. The dine-in or carryout menu includes broiled or fried haddock, grilled yellow-fin tuna, shrimp, smelts and clam strips. Side dishes include the Lebanese staple, mjadra, a side dish comprised of cooked lentils, rice and caramelized onions. Other sides include hummus, tabouli, pasta fagoli, coleslaw, French fries, pierogy and haluski. Joseph said they also serve a Lebanese specialty cheese as one of the sides. Desserts include pies, cakes and brownies made by members of the congregation. Dinners are $8 and include a fish entrée, two sides, bread, coffee or tea and dessert.
The hours of operation are from 3-7 p.m. on Fridays. Joseph said dinners are individually prepared. “Nothing is under a heat lamp, or in a warming drawer. We hand make our batter, we hand make our pierogies. Every dinner is made to order.”
St. Luke Catholic Church, 5235 South Ave., Boardman; 330-782-9783. Bert Wainio runs the fish fry at St. Luke. “Here, you get over a half pound of haddock, it’s broiled, baked or deep fried on request. You get your choice of macaroni and cheese, haluski, pierogies, French fries, plus coleslaw.” He is former grand knight of the Knights of Columbus and started the fish fry six years ago as a way to generate revenue for the church. He added jokingly that it’s his six weeks of Penance. “We get out of the house. I mean, you made it through the holidays and it’s not golfing season . . . so here you are with a bunch of guys. You know, you would not believe the turn out we get on a Friday evening,” he said.
At least 12 of the 60 Knights at St. Luke’s volunteer each Friday during Lent. St. Luke’s fish fry is carryout only, since the church hosts bingo on Friday evenings. Hours are from 5-7 p.m. Wainio estimated that they sell about 60 dinners and 30 sandwiches each week. Dinners are $8.50 and fish sandwiches are $5.50.
Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, 54 Laird Ave., Youngstown; 330-792-2099. – Nestled between First and Second streets on Youngstown’s West Side, Holy Trinity serves fish dinners year round. A church group, Circle of Serbian Sisters, prepares the meals. Mickie Stankich, president of the Sisters and treasurer for the church, said the dinners help to offset church expenses. “Our congregation is shrinking and the expenses such as heating are very expensive for the big hall and it takes a lot to heat that property.” For $9, dinners include cod or haddock (baked or fried), two sides, bread, coleslaw and coffee.
Sides include Spanish rice, green beans, macaroni and cheese, haluski and French fries. There are two choices for coleslaw at Holy Trinity. According to Stankich, an oil-and-vinegar-based coleslaw is appropriate for the congregants’ religious fasting. “The Orthodox Christians in our church do a strict fast . . . like if you are going to go to Confession and Communion. It’s all non-dairy products and no meat, so the oil and vinegar is good for that purpose.” They also serve the traditional creamy coleslaw for non-fasters. Desserts include pies in coconut cream, apple, cherry and lemon meringue varieties. According to church representatives, coconut cream is their best seller. Dinner hours are from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Stankich, who has been a member of the church for 40 years, called the weekly fish dinner a community event. “We have people who have been coming for 25 years.” Holy Trinity usually serves about 150 dinners every Friday throughout the year. Stankich said she expects a slight decrease in sales since they face competition from other churches and restaurants during Lent.
Waiter! There’s a side dish
in my carryout and it’s delicious!
A primer on some of the flavorful ethnic sides found at local church fish fries.
Haluski – A traditional Slovak dish of sweet cabbage, noodles, onions and spices sautéed in a butter sauce.
Pierogy – Polish dumplings traditionally filled with sauerkraut, potatoes and cheese sautéed in a butter sauce and often served with fried onions.
Hummus – A Mid-Eastern dip made from chick peas, lemon juice, garlic and tahini.
Tabouli – A Middle Eastern salad made from fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, lemon or lime juice and tomatoes.
Mjadra – A Mid-Eastern dish of cooked lentils, rice and caramelized onions.
Pasta Fagoli – A traditionally meatless Italian dish of pasta and beans.
