Fork & Spoon Tasting Spree

Fundraiser benefits RHS Alumni Association

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 10/25/17

ROBERTSDALE — The Robertsdale High School Alumni Association hopes to revive a tradition, hosting its first Fork & Spoon tasting spree in more than three decades Thursday, Oct. 19 at the PZK …

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Fork & Spoon Tasting Spree

Fundraiser benefits RHS Alumni Association

Posted

ROBERTSDALE — The Robertsdale High School Alumni Association hopes to revive a tradition, hosting its first Fork & Spoon tasting spree in more than three decades Thursday, Oct. 19 at the PZK Hall.

“This is something we used to do every year,” said Evelyn Lowery, retired educator and organizer of the event.

The Friends of the Robertsdale Library would host the tasting spree as a fundraiser for the Alumni Association and cooks from all across the RHS alumni family would share dishes and recipes. There was even a cookbook, which was hand-typed by RHS alumnus Jimmy Gilbert.

It was that cookbook that was the inspiration for this year’s revival of the event, Lowery said.

“Every year (toward the end of the school year) we hold an Alumni Tea where we give out scholarships to RHS students,” Lowery said. “We were looking for something else we could do as a fundraiser and somebody had a copy of an old cookbook from 1981. That was the inspiration for this event.”

The original idea was for it to be done as it was years ago, with alumni and local restaurants providing dishes and recipes that could be collected into a cookbook, but the idea hit a bit of a snag.

“I discovered that nobody has time to cook anymore,” she said. “We wanted to do it at a time that didn’t conflict with other events and we also found out that for most restaurants, in the middle of the day was their busy time too.”

But one group that jumped at the chance to participate in the event was the Robertsdale High School Culinary Academy, which is located in the cafeteria of the old Robertsdale High School/Elementary School campus.

It was also decided to call the event Fork & Spoon so it would not conflict with another event hosted by the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce.

Students from the Culinary Academy prepared a variety of dips and hors d’oeuvres for this year’s event and LA BBQ in Summerdale came on board, providing pulled pork sandwiches. A sheet cake was also provided along with other desserts.

The PZK Hall was decorated in pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and the Ole Ladies Quilting Club made a quilt to be raffled off in memory of longtime Alumni Association member and founder of the group, Myrtis Childress.

“She was the inspiration behind having a tea as a fundraiser all those years ago,” Lowery said. “She would always host teas at her home, complete with finger foods and (petit fours) and would invite a lot of us to dress up and come over for the afternoon.”