Praise the Lord, Pass the Corn Pudding

At 11:00 a.m. on the Friday before Thanksgiving, Janette Wallace took one last look over the Fellowship Hall and cheerfully called out “Time to open the doors.” Mid-afternoon when the doors were closed, 1200 guests and over 300 volunteers had been served at the Woodlawn Pentecostal Church’s Taste Fair.

Columbia, Mississippi, population 6,600, is two hours and a couple of two lane roads from my home in Jackson.  It’s a trip I happily make with family members every other year to take part in the Taste Fair, a church fundraiser that attracts lucky ticket holders from around the area – some groups arriving in buses. Woodlawn Pentecostal is an energetic church of 800 members with numerous missions in the community.  Like most Pentecostal churches, worship is praise-based filled with music, singing and multiple musical instruments that provide a spirited background for making “a joyful noise unto the Lord.”

The joyful noise today is provided by the chatter of 300 lively volunteers and a band featuring electric guitars, piano, and two drum sets.  Some of the lucky diners in the buffet line sway tap their feet or sing along with the band.  They’re happy because they’re getting ready experience a unique culinary celebration.

The church gymnasium/fellowship building has been transformed into a dining room decorated with tablecloths, runners, giant candelabra and large picture frames artfully hanging over each food station.  It’s hard to imagine that only a few days before, basketball players were running up and down the court. 

Two identical buffet lines laden with soups, salads, casseroles, relishes, and meat dishes line the perimeter.  At one end, the towering beverage station and a panorama of delectable desserts beckon diners.

Janette Wallace

The Taste Fair is the brainchild of Janette Wallace, president of Woodlawn's Women's Ministry and an accomplished cook, who begins working on recipes for the fair two years prior to the event.  Traveling with her contractor husband Tommy, she has plenty of opportunity to sample new dishes around the country and usually comes home from a trip with at least one new recipe in hand.  She makes the recipes at home and deems what is worthy and what is not to be included in the next Taste Fair. 

The 160 cooks who are the heart and soul of the event make multiple batches of each dish.  For casseroles, that means that 15 – 16 batches per recipe.  For desserts, there are 8 back-ups of each – one that is artfully presented for show and the rest made in sheet pans to provide the samples.  One of Janette’s most unique desserts for this fair is Carrot Cookies and 23 recipes were turned out by the volunteer bakers.

The women of the church, dressed in black with black aprons, are a precision team efficiently executing even the smallest task like an elite military unit. Each ticket holder is handed a large black styrofoam tray/plate and moves from station to station.  Dishes are served with long iced tea spoons -- after all, this is a tasting - and the smaller the portions, the more tastes can be experienced.

Trendy or tricky food is nowhere to be found on the buffet lines at Woodlawn.  There are no pork cheeks, pork bellies and not a hint of arugula anywhere.  This is the food of church suppers,  Sunday lunch at grandma's (if Grandma is a fabulous cook) and family holiday tables -- food that feeds body and soul.  It is food that is made with love and loving intent.

 There's a buzz up and down the serving lines as diners and volunteer servers pass the inside word to friends, family and perfect strangers about some of the dishes.  "The chicken enchiladas are delicious" or "Don't miss Velma's sweet corn pudding."

I certainly didn't miss Velma's sweet corn pudding...and I don't want you to miss it either.

Velma's Sweet Corn Pudding

2 large eggs
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2  packages (20 oz) frozen cream-style corn, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Add evaporated milk, butter, sugar, salt, pepper, and vanilla, stirring to combine.  Stir in flour and corn.  Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.