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ONLY IN LAWRENCE-ABOUT TOWN
| Friday, April 29, 2011
L AWRENCE J OURNAL -WORLD
ABOUT TOWN HONOREES
Kevin Anderson/Journal-World Photo
SEÑORA CLAUDIA OLEA AND HER FOURTH-GRADE SPANISH CLASS at St. John Catholic School gather together with the volunteers who do the cooking for St. John’s Mexican Fiesta. The five women who volunteer are, second row from left, Irene Langford, Loretta Chavez, Gloria Ramos, Rachel Lemus and Bertha “Bert” Bermudez.
Celebrating the Fiesta ladies ————
Annual St. John’s event requires months of preparation, devotion By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
The church radio will play the Mexican polka. Traditional tamales and enchiladas need a little bit of the spice that only Ruben Ramos and the sharp sounds of a Tejano accordion can provide. The music keeps the small band of women in the basement kitchen of Lawrence’s St. John Catholic Church moving — but no, it is not the secret to the success of the church’s longtime summer Fiesta. In the kitchen, the women will all take their places around stainless steel counters that were installed long before stainless steel became chic. One will operate a special commercial cooker that can handle 100 pounds of meat at a time. The machine is greatly appreciated — because there are 600 pounds of ground beef and 300 pounds of pork to season, cook and serve — but no, that’s not the secret either. On Fiesta weekend (always the weekend after Father’s Day) men — husbands, really — will come down the church stairs to fill up coolers of tamales to take back to the crowd. Yes —the ladies admit — watching the men do the serving is fun. But, you guessed it, it’s not the secret. Bert Bermudez should know the secret. She was part of the group 30 years ago who suggested a “mini fiesta” as a way to raise funds for the parish, which had lost about half its members to the newly formed Corpus Christi parish. That’s what it was called the first year — Mini Fiesta — but after seeing it, the Father of the parish said it would be disingenuous to call it anything but a true Fiesta. Bermudez says the secret to Fiesta is that it doesn’t run on a secret. Rather, a spirit. “We know that we’re doing it for the church,” Bermudez said. “Everybody is willing to do what they are asked to do. If there is a secret, that’s probably it.” The other five ladies in the kitchen nod their head in agreement. But there is another way to put it, Gloria Ramos says from behind the counter. “We get the call. We come.” ●●●
Lots of people come to the Fiesta. Lines of diners snake across the church grounds at 12th and Vermont streets during the two-day event. “The thing about the Fiesta is the food,” said Jacinta Hoyt, who grew up in the St. John’s kitchen with her mother, Irene Langford. “The food is
such a big part of it, but it is just so seen his wife make refried beans, and much work.” never saw any washing. Yes, some Work that happens in the basement scraping with a rubber spatula to get while bands play, dancers dance and the beans out of the can, but never any taste buds tingle up above. That’s why washing. All the ladies laugh. the Journal-World — upon Hoyt’s “We don’t use any cans,” they nomination — has chosen the ladies of almost say in unison. the Fiesta as the inaugural winners of The burritos number about 1,500, a the Larry Award. mixture of beef and pork varieties. “I know the Fiesta means a lot to the Then there are tacos and tostadas, and community,” Hoyt said. “People tell rice and enchiladas — all made with me how much they look forward to recipes more than 100 years old that the Fiesta, and it adds a bit of diversihave been passed down from the Mexty. But I doubt people realize how ican descendants of Chavez and othmuch really goes into it.” ers. Like how preparations for the A good deal of food, as the ladies approximately 2,000 tamales begin in would say. Also, it ends up being a February. Or how nearly 50 women good deal for the church. Hoyt — who take different shifts throughout the helps keep track of finances for the week leading up to Fiesta — said the Fiesta to dice the event raises anyI think it is very important for where from onions, season the rice, shred the pork the younger people to see more $40,000 to $60,000 and everything else about their culture. You can tell for the church. that has to be done a good deal them, but sometimes they don’t Lately, to give the meal of the money has that Fiesta authen- listen to you. You have to show gone to support ticity. the Spanish lanthem.” “I don’t know guage program at everything that the church’s St. — Fiesta volunteer Bert Bermudez goes on,” Hoyt said John School. of what she saw as That makes the a young girl in the ladies feel good, kitchen. “I’m not sure I learned a lot maybe even better than the compliabout cooking, but I learned a whole ments they get on the food. It’s the lot about helping out. They always Spanish program that ensures the food made it clear that helping out should lasts much longer than a meal. be second nature.” The women say there are many Hispanic youths in Lawrence who don’t ●●● know how to speak Spanish. And, Loretta Chavez is converting tomafrankly put, some of the ladies can’t toes into tomato sauce in her mind. help but feel a little guilty about that. When you’ve been heading up a Fiesta “It is sad to say, but at one point in kitchen for 30 years, that’s what find time you really weren’t allowed to say yourself doing at times. much about your culture or even the Chavez and Bermudez are trying to language,” said Bermudez. accurately answer a question about So, the ladies didn’t. how much hot sauce they make for the “To be truthful,” said Rachel Lemus, Fiesta. 72, “when I had kids, it scared me, and The two know that they order 10 I didn’t speak Spanish to them. People cases of tomatoes for the event, and told me it would confuse them. I wish Chavez says off the top of her head I never would have listened to them.” that there are six gallons of tomatoes ●●● per case, but they use two cases of tomatoes for the rice and a few tomaTimes are different now, but at the toes for ... well. Fiesta, many of the faces are the same. “I think we make a lot of hot sauce,” This summer’s Fiesta will be the 30th Chavez says. annual event, and the six ladies who One of the other ladies listening to are in the kitchen on this day try to the conversation laughs. determine how many of the Fiestas “Yeah, I know we do,” she says. they’ve cooked for. They look at each They make lots of things. You other and shrug their shoulders. already know about the tamales. The “If we’re not all at 30, we’re pretty masa is made months ahead, and the close to it,” says Irene Langford. women arrive at 5 a.m. on Fiesta day “Well, except for Jacinta,” Bermudez to start cooking them. says while looking to the young How about refried beans? You have to start washing them days in advance, woman in the corner. “No, no, I’m only 30,” Hoyt says. which confuses the one male who is in But these days, a lot of the eyes the kitchen at the moment. He had
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Fiesta 2011! Join the fun this year — and get some great food — Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, at 1234 Ky. in Lawrence, from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. turn toward her and others in her generation. Many of the ladies in this room are in their 60s, some in their 70s. They say they still love the experience — it is one of the few times they know they can get caught up on grandkid stories and all the other talk that flows so naturally in a kitchen. But still, 2,000 tamales times 30 ... . Earlier this year, the decision was made to cut the Fiesta down to just one day because of all the volunteers needed. But then spring came and they decided to go for two days once again. Hoyt admits that in the past there even have been murmurs about whether the Fiesta’s time simply has passed. “It would be terrible if it just faded away,” Hoyt said. The ladies, of course, agree. It would be a loss for the whole community. All the gringos who get a glimpse of true Hispanic culture and a belly full of good food would suffer. But it is the Hispanic community itself that has the most to lose, the ladies say. “I think it is very important for the younger people to see more about their culture,” Bermudez said. “You can tell them, but sometimes they don’t listen to you. You have to show them.” Hoyt pipes up and says she thinks the Fiesta will survive. “Maybe it will adapt and take on new directions, but it will continue,” she says. “I think my generation will step up because I think we have to.” But the one male in the room asks the question that surely has to be on someone’s else mind. Can you make tamales? Hoyt laughs. “If my generation does step up and take it over,” Hoyt says, “it won’t be as good as it is now. But we’ll do the best we can.” The Fiesta ladies wave their hands and show they are not worried about that. “Well,” Ramos says, “after 30 years, you’ll get good.” — City reporter Chad Lawhorn can be reached at 832-6362. Follow him at Twitter.com/clawhorn_ljw
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