Mt. Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church and the Lower Burrell American Legion were among the church and secular groups that joined Friday in holding Lenten fish fries.
The New Kensington fundraiser is led by parishioner Roseanne Tronka. The former wedding coordinator and caterer is familiar with serving food to lots of people.
She credits its success to the 60 to 80 volunteers who help out each week. Their ages range between 13 and 83.
“It’s good so far,” Tronka said Friday. “You never know what the first day is going to bring. We’re all volunteers. We’re not professionals in here.”
Menu includes hand-breaded fried cod, baked fish, mac ‘n cheese, linguine in marinara or garlic and oil, coleslaw, steak fries, shrimp, pasta e fagioli and more.
Tronka estimates at least 1,000 pieces of cod will be served each Friday, split between 600-700 fried and 330 baked. She said between 6,000 and 7,000 pieces were served by the end of last Lent.
The fish comes from Monroeville-based Land & Sea, which has been the church’s food provider for the last 12 years. They deliver on Wednesdays.
Setup and food prep takes place Tuesday through Thursday.
There are three lines for service in the church’s main hall. One for dine-in, take-out and call-in orders.
Some items went up in price due to supply costs. The bake sale includes cookies, brownies and pizzelles. Each item there is $3.
The Rev. Dan Blout said his favorite part of the fish frys is the fellowship.
“I think the fish fry helps create a way for people to gather around food,” Blout said. “It’s reflective of what Jesus did. He came and ate at tables with people to have conversations and build relationships of care.”
His favorite food is a fried fish sandwich.
Fish fry funds go toward church maintenance and general expenses.
It reached a milestone last year when it cleared $100,000 overall for the church since the fundraiser launched in the 1970s.
Tronka said they have not set any fundraising goals this season.
“We do our best to get the most out of it,” she said.
This is the first year parishioner Paul Perriello is volunteering at the fish fry. He is assisting at the take-out table.
“I’m still learning where everything’s at (and) what to do,” Perriello said. “There’s a lot to remember here, a lot of different dishes. It feels wonderful (to volunteer). I’m interested to help out as much as I can.”
The church fish fry is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 3-7 p.m. for dinner. Call 724-335-1458 for more information.
Legion fish fry
The small but mighty operation at the Robert L. Davies American Legion Post 868 in Lower Burrell served more than 550 pieces of hand-battered cod on its first Friday.
Its menu also includes mac ’n cheese, haluski, jumbo fried shrimp, fries, Italian hoagie, homemade coleslaw, hush puppies and chicken tenders. A volunteer said all food is cooked to order with an average time of 3 minutes for fish from fryer to plate.
Volunteers are led by Chris Slosky and his wife, Kelli Williams-Slosky. The couple have been a part of the fish fry since its launch by the ladies’ auxiliary about 13 years ago.
Williams-Slosky, a sixth-grade teacher at Lower Burrell’s Huston Middle School, said it was a leap of faith when they presented the idea of a fish fry fundraiser.
“Everyone thought we were crazy, and we are still crazy,” said Williams-Slosky, who was auxiliary president at the time. “Most of us all work a full-time job. I’m a teacher, and I work all day teaching and come here directly after.”
Chris Slosky said everyone is involved for one reason.
“We do it for the veterans,” he said. “This thing has become more and more successful every year that we’ve done it. A lot of the money gets donated to veterans’ causes and programs.
“We have different people (volunteer) every year, but we have a core group of people that have been doing this since almost the beginning. We have the best staff out there.”
There is no fundraising goal this year and total amount raised last year was not available Friday.
Fans of the former Frosted Mug in Cheswick may recognize the fish flavor. Slosky is a former line cook from that business and brought the recipe to Lower Burrell.
The fish sandwich is one of the largest in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Buns are delivered Friday mornings and afternoons from Vibo’s Bakery in Brackenridge to ensure freshness.
They expected to serve more than 550 pieces of fish on the opening Friday and between 700 and 800 pieces on subsequent Fridays.
About 5,000 pieces of fish were served last year. Their fish supplier is Nappie’s Foods in Oakdale.
Food preparation takes place on Thursdays with about eight volunteers. At least 15 helpers are on hand Fridays.
“I like being behind the line with my husband and my friends that I somehow always rope into coming and working back there,” Williams-Slosky said. “It’s really great. It’s fast-paced. It is chaotic, but we enjoy it.”
The Legion offers dine-in and take-out options. There is bake sale with a variety of homemade goods made by the auxiliary group.
The fish fry is cash only. An ATM is inside.
Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Friday.
Call 724-339-9417 for more information.