Discovering The Mature Lifestyle Gourmet cooking in Wayzata Page 5
Food•Fun•Entertaining November 2016
November 17 & 18, 2016
Fridley couple cater their way into community’s heart BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Bernie Stawski used to have 500 co okbooks, b ut she ’s c ut t hat do wn. S he has only about 200 now. She and her husband, Dick, both cook. The Fridley residents owned Aurelio’s Pizza in S t. P aul f or 30 y ears b efore passin g the r estaurant o n t o t heir s on tw o y ears ago. Three grandchildren now work at the restaurant, also. But t hat didn’t end t he co uple’s co oking ventures, not by a long shot. Bernie has been an acclaimed caterer for years, known for supplying the food at fancy tea parties, bridal sho wers, f uneral l uncheons, a nd a host of c ommunity c elebrations, m any of them at St. William Catholic Church. The Stawskis have been members of the church for 48 years. One of Bernie’s tea parties was a b ridal show a t S t. W illiam, f eaturing w edding gowns from the 1900s to now, followed by a tea party for 200 people. “I supplied t he c ups and s aucers,” s aid Bernie, w ho has 200 fa ncy c ups b oxed in the bas ement o f her ho me, a nd s cores o f others on display throughout her house. The menu for those teas always includes tiny c ucumber s andwiches, a nd p robably egg salad, too. Fancy cookies are served on huge p latters. A pricots a nd stra wberries are r eady t o b e di pped in c hocolate, a nd cream puffs and other desserts are offered, as well. When a pa rty was held f ollowing t he dedication of an organ at St. Williams, the
refreshments included tiny tuna fish sandwiches, cut to look like a piano keyboard. She co ncedes t hat ca tering a pa rty like that takes awhile, at least two days of baking. “ I find t he r ecipes in co okbooks, magazines, t ea pa rty b ooks, a nd o n t he computer,” Bernie said. “I’m always trying something new.” A native of Wisconsin who grew up in Minneapolis, B ernie r emembers t hat her mother was a wonderful cook. “She cooked for weddings and made p ies,” Bernie said. “I got all my cooking from her.” For the last 17 years, Bernie has catered Fridley’s S enior V olunteer l unch, usuall y attended by 100 people. “They always want me t o mak e Chic ken F antastic,” she s aid. “One year I did spinach pies.” With t he Chic ken F antastic cass erole, she s erves cr oissants a nd Chines e co le slaw. “I change the dessert every year,” she said. “ Sometimes i t’s stra wberry sho rtcake and s ometimes it’s mandarin orange dream cake, or rhubarb cake with custard.” A sur prise fa vorite is B lack B ean Brownies. “ They’re fabulous,” B ernie said. “They’re delicio us a nd he althy.” The recipe is sim ple, callin g f or o ne ca n o f b lack beans, rinsed. Return the beans to the can, fill the can with water, and blend it with a 20-oz pac kage o f b rownie mix. B ake in a 9x9 or 7x11 pan. At s everal l arge l unches she ’s c atered for as many as 300 people, Bernie said, the favorite menu is las agna, garlic bread and antipasto salad. For a few years, she catered the Knights of Columbus picnic, where she found her-
Bernie and Dick Stawski of Fridley, longtime cooks and caterers, look over scrapbooks Bernie has made to chronicle their family’s life. (Photo by Sue Webber) self makin g p otato s alad f or 500 p eople. “Volunteers helped c ut up p otatoes,” B ernie said. In addition to her cooking accomplishments, Bernie sewed all the clothes for the couple’s only daughter, Becky, who died of a he art a ttack eig ht y ears ag o. “ I dr essed her like a li ttle princess,” B ernie said. The couple has five sons and seven grandchildren. When o ne o f her gra nddaughters was planning a wedding and wanted chair cov-
ers for the reception, Bernie volunteered to make them. “I went out and got 800 yards of fabric,” she said. “My friend Alice helped me. We spent two weeks cutting them out and s everal f riends hel ped me s ew t hem. We’ve us ed t hem s everal times since f or weddings and shows.” Oh yes, she ran Bernie’s Ceramics shop for 10 y ears, t oo. “ I st arted i t a t ho me,” Bernie s aid. “Dick did t he p ouring of t he molds.” I t gr ew un til she was t eaching CATERERS - TO PAGE 3