Everyone has felt the stress of “what’s for dinner?” but Leslie Smith must come up with the answer for 150 to 200 hungry folks every Wednesday, and on several other occasions in any given month. As church hostess for Columbus’ First United Methodist Church, Smith specializes in planning and preparing meals on a large scale.
In the church kitchen on a September Wednesday, Leslie and the food service staff are busy finalizing that evening’s meal. As the hands of the clock tick toward the magic hour of 5 p.m., a youthful hum begins outside kitchen doors. It steadily ratchets up in decibels as more young people arrive. By 5, the level has reached an amiable “roar” of greetings, laughter and high fives. The horde has grown by the minute, ready for chow time. Preparation for this supper of tender baked pork chops, chicken, corn, casseroles and more began some time ago, when Smith first sat down at her desk to plan menus weeks in advance.
After a blessing by Director of Student Ministries Trey Skaggs, the buffet opens and the food staff’s hard work receives an enthusiastic reception. After the youth, adults arriving for Bible study groups will also fill their plates.
“On Wednesdays right at 5 p.m. there’s a mad rush,” smiles Smith, casting an experienced eye over the bustling room. “The first 30 minutes can be tremendous, especially this year; we’re seeing it grow.”
Handling crowds that can go through eight gallons of tea in 20 minutes is all in a week’s work for Smith. Before becoming the full-time church hostess in 2010, she assisted Faye Tabor before Tabor’s retirement from the position.
“I learned a lot from Faye,” Smith says. She also learned from both of her grandmothers and her mother. And when she won a home economics contest with her Christmas fruit cookies in 10th grade in her hometown near Hattiesburg, Smith was hooked.
“My self-esteem was empowered by that,” she remembers. “I think that was the beginning of my love for cooking.”
After coming to Columbus in 1976 to earn a degree in interior design at Mississippi University for Women, she met Hal Smith, married at FUMC and came to love the city where she and her husband brought up their sons.
Behind the scenes
Successful meal service begins with thoughtful, timely planning. Smith maps out meals in semester increments, starting with entrees.
“I never repeat an entree in a semester,” she says. Once the main menu item is chosen, she selects vegetables and other sides, careful to avoid overloading on starches and carbohydrates. Vegetables are not repeated more than twice in a semester.
Many recipes featured are Smith’s own. Her baked spaghetti goes over big.
“I put in cream cheese, sour cream, a little drop of mayonnaise, and it has just a little bit of whipping cream in it,” she reveals. She also uses high quality ground chuck and adds “a little bit of sausage and pepperoni.”
Smith’s “48 Special” is a chicken dish she first made at home, one that was inadvertently marinated in an auxiliary refrigerator for about 48 hours, longer than she normally would have marinated it.
“When I cooked it up on the grill it was exceptional,” she says. “That marinade was wonderful; if you have the right brine it’s actually perfect.”
An important ally in the smooth running of the FUMC kitchen is the food distributor representative Smith meets with regularly. She likes having ingredients for every planned meal in the freezer or refrigerator several days before it’s scheduled to be served.
“That way I’m not caught off guard if something doesn’t come in like we wanted it, or my ordered item got accidentally sent somewhere else,” she explains. “I don’t wait ’til the last minute. I want to be ahead of the game.”
Stephanie Gandy is Smith’s “right hand” in the kitchen. Gandy has worked at FUMC for 17 years. She’s in charge of the salad bar and all desserts, which she makes herself. (Gandy’s Elvis Presley cake with pineapple and cream cheese is a congregation favorite.)
Of Smith, the assistant food service supervisor says, “She’s a hard worker, and she’ll do anything to help anybody. She won’t put no more on us than she’ll do herself.”
While Wednesday night suppers keep them busy, Smith and the food staff also prepare and serve a monthly Sunday luncheon for the congregation. October’s event will be a special one celebrating World Communion Sunday and featuring foods from other countries.
“It’s beautiful; it’s an experience,” says Smith with enthusiasm. “Every year I learn so much from doing World Communion Sunday.”
The church hostess also plans and prepares a monthly meal for the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, prepares food for the monthly FUMC Keenagers senior adults and any other special gatherings the church hosts. From home, she prepares food for private parties.
Thanks, Miss Lady
When Wednesday buffet line thins out and emptied plates begin returning to the kitchen, sometimes Smith gets a heartwarming reward. The kids do not all know her by name, but she answers to “Miss Lady” with a smile.
“Seeing the youth especially come up and say, ‘Miss Lady, it was soooo good’ is so fulfilling,” says Smith. “What I enjoy the most is the feeling of making people happy through food.”
Recently, one teen’s overheard comment — “I love the supper here” — was relayed to Smith.
“It got back to me and my heart swelled, I got tears. … I love cooking, and the Lord put me in this place. I get a blessing from it.”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.