Bake-off cooks up surprises

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Patrons of Our Lady of Angels Food Pantry in Albany recently encountered some "Sweet Surprises" when it hosted its second annual cooking contest.

This year's event was a bake-off. Winning entries included cherry cobbler, peanut brittle, Christmas cookies and blueberry pie. According to George Roman, director of OLA's outreach program, the contest provides food pantry patrons with the opportunity to share their talents with the food pantry.

"It is embarrassing for people to come to a food pantry," he said, so the bake-off provides patrons with the opportunity to bring something back to the food pantry. "One guy said to me, 'I can't pay you back, but I can make Christmas cookies.' We all have something to contribute."

Winners

The idea for the cooking contest evolved last year when the pantry had a large stock of canned pork. One of the volunteers wondered how canned pork was served. When the patrons were asked, they began to share a variety of different recipes. Volunteers and staff decided to host a cooking contest so that all of the recipes could be showcased.

Participants received all of the ingredients they needed to prepare their dish. In addition to the finished dish, they had to submit the recipe so that all pantry patrons could get a copy.

Last year's contest featured winning recipes from South America and the Caribbean Islands, Mr. Roman said, and became "a way for them to bring their culture to us."

After last year's contest, the pantry received a sweet surprise of its own. The Regional Food Bank, where OLA purchases food, sent pictures of the event to a hunger research program at Princeton University. Philanthropists learned of the event and sent OLA a check for $2,500.

Connections

The contest and recipe exchange helps foster relationships, said Mr. Roman. "We're taking baby steps to get closer to people," he said.

That's one of the aspects of the contest that food pantry volunteer Chuck Ogden enjoys. "It gets people involved," he said. "They enjoy it. It's more of a social event."

The cooking contest provides patrons with the opportunity to get to know the food pantry employees and volunteers, explained Mr. Ogden. "They get to know our personalities," he said. "The pantry is very user-friendly. Some places don't treat them friendly."

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