by Teri Bell
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| Article courtesy of Savannah Morning News |
Most Monday mornings in our kitchen at the Mighty Eighth one of the long-time volunteers, Frank Paro, makes his rounds giving out hugs and smiles.
When he gets to me, I ask about his weekend and, since he is a minister of music, I ask if he had a good day in the house of the Lord. His response is, "Oh yeah, and we had 14 for lunch." The number varies, but there is always a crowd.
One day I asked if his wife cooked every Sunday. "She and her sister do. They rotate one week at our house and one week at her sister's house," he replied. And for those of you who are wondering, yes, his wife and sister attend church and still cook lunch for something akin to a mini family reunion every Sunday.
I asked Mr. Frank to bring these remarkable women to lunch one day so I could sit down and have a chat about their Sunday lunch. I met the Nelms girls, Leila Nelms Jenkins and Jeannie Nelms Paro, one Wednesday for lunch. We talked and talked and talked. They brought pictures of their mother and of some of their Sunday dinner spreads and shared stories of growing up.
The Nelms girls grew up in Savannah on U.S. 17 when it was a major highway. Their father had a gas station and their mother was pretty much a stay-at-home mom only working to help their dad at the gas station. Every morning began with a full breakfast.
"Mother made biscuits three times a day," they told me.
Lunch and dinner followed breakfast every day. Sunday lunch was special because their mother would invite neighbors and people from church to join them. Their Sunday table was always full. Sometimes during lunch there might be a knock on the back screen door. A hitchhiker or a "hobo" as they were called then in search of a hot meal would be given a plate of hot food out the back door.
Growing up, their tables were graced with food from the garden or a trip to the farmers market. Sustainability wasn't a buzz word back then, it was a way of life. Electric dishwashers weren't around yet so the Nelms sisters rotated and fought over whose turn it was to wash the dishes before returning to church for Sunday night services.
As the women spoke about their mother you could almost feel the love and family bond pulsing through their bodies. Their mother died at the young age of 52 with a brain aneurysm. The sisters were left to raise their younger brother and take care of their dad. Leila married first and Jeannie took over as the woman of the house.
One night during a revival service, a young serviceman who was stationed in town was asked to do a solo. He was given the choice of the organist or the piano player as an accompanist.
"Which one isn't married?" he quipped.
It was the piano player, Jeannie Nelms. The organist, Leila Nelms had just recently married. Mr. Frank fell in love, but unfortunately Jeannie was about to get engaged to another man, which she did a few months later. Mr. Frank got transferred out of town but called and checked to see if Jeannie was "available" yet.
The day he found out she had broken off the engagement, Mr. Frank told her to hand the phone to her father and he asked for her hand in marriage.
They were married shortly thereafter, and feeling the call to full-time ministry they moved away so he could attend Bible College. The Nelms sisters were separated for 30 years before Mr. Frank and his bride returned to Savannah. Leila never left, she just went across the street. She still resides right across the street from the location of their family home.
Though separated, they each continued their mother's tradition of Sunday lunch with their families and friends. When the Paros returned to Savannah, they started rotating the lunches at each other's house. They rise every Sunday morning at 5 a.m. to begin preparations. At 1:30 p.m. everyone has arrived and the feast begins.
The Nelms sisters have a strong family bond they build on every Sunday with other family members. They are afraid that after they are gone the tradition will die as it has in so many families. I hope not. This tradition has lasted for 70-plus years - together and apart. God, family and food, these two beautiful women know what is important. They could teach all of us a few lessons.
I asked for a couple of their families' Sunday favorites - which they gladly shared. Maybe you can make them a part of your Sunday tradition.
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Leila Nelms Jenkins left, and
Jeannie Nelms Paro |
Teri Bell is co-owner of Miss Sophie's Marketplace at the Mighty Eighth in Pooler. Go to sophiesmarketplace.com.
OLD-FASHIONED CARROT CAKE
Cake:
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 eggs
1½ cup Crisco oil
3 cups grated carrots
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
Sift together flour, sugar and cinnamon. Mix in eggs and oil. Add carrots and mix well. Divide batter between three pans. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes. Turn cakes out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool while mixing the icing.
Icing: In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, margarine, sugar and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Spread on cooled cake.
FREDA'S POTATOES
Quarter enough potatoes to cover a 9-by-13 dish. Dip the potatoes in butter or margarine. Sprinkle with dried minced onions and McCormick's Salad Supreme seasoning. Bake 350 F for 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
