Temple Sholom Meatloaf Day!

It rarely happens that a month has five Fridays but when it does, we are very excited. When I checked the calendar earlier this month I noticed that March was one of those fated months. Since March had five Fridays that had meant that Temple Sholom would be visiting us. During their visit they would prepare meatloaf along with two sides and some deserts. It was definitely going to be a busy undertaking.

When Temple Sholom arrived the meatloaf’s were already in the oven, and the group began in earnest. The deserts were put into containers to serve and the serving table had to be prepared for lunch service. During that time we had a moment of downtime. They thought it would be a great time to sign our giving tree. I agreed with enthusiasm, and despite the tight hallway we were able to get a picture

After the signings were done it was time to start plating, which is one of the more labor intensive jobs. The meatloaf which was piping hot by this point and was pulled from the oven. The massive trays of rice were placed atop the table and their foil wrap removed. The corn was strained and the gravy was in position. We were officially ready to start plating. With well over 300 meal trays in reserve we were going until the job was completed. You have to be very consistent with your portion sizes, which may not seem to be that big of a deal. But when you make 300 meals, it’s something to be mindful of, even the smallest mistake has serious repercussions down the line. After going through nine trays of meatloaf, three trays of rice, 3 containers of corn and countless ladles of gravy, we had finally finished plating. We were ready to serve.

Thanks to the moderately mild weather lunch service went relatively smoothly, and by this point everyone who participated could be considered veterans of St. John’s. The soup server was especially adept as we had no spills that day. Our meatloaf day was very successful and we look forward to the next 5th Friday! We really appreaciate all their hard work and look forward to the next 5th friday! Thanks again Temple Sholom! We’ll see you next time!