Senior Q Gets Better With Age
By Morgan Wotherspoon
It has been another busy year for Big Boned BBQ. We are a small
catering and competition team from Cranston, Rhode Island. We
are members of the New England Barbecue Society and are very proud
of our Senior Q project year after year. It is by far our best
event of the fall. October in New England provides us with beautiful
fall days to cook barbecue and I especially look forward to seeing
my friends at the Coventry and West Warwick Senior Centers year
after year.
This year was not only busy for Big Boned BBQ but also for the
Coventry and West Warwick Senior Centers and our events were pushed
back a few weeks this year. The Coventry dinner was cooked on
October 28th and the West Warwick dinner was cooked on November
4th. These were the most convenient dates for the staff of each
location.
My Wife and I sat down with Pat Saballa events coordinator of
The Coventry Senior Center to pick out the date and go over the
meal. The meal consisted of Pulled Pork and Chicken with Sweet
Potato Pecan Pudding, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, and Cornbread. The
Dessert was vanilla and chocolate cake. We severed sixty seniors
who were very happy. After the food was served I was able to sit
and eat with the seniors and take in the whole experience with
them. It was a few days before Halloween so they discussed the
costumes that they would be wearing that Friday for their annual
Halloween Party. One of the Ladies wouldn't spill the beans on
what her costume was going to be. I'm sure it was a good one.
I also got to spend some time with my old neighbor Bunny from
Coventry that I haven't seen since we moved to Cranston. It was
nice to talk about our kids and her Grandkids and the memories
we had together.
My second event was the West Warwick Senior Center where we held
our first Senior Q event several years ago. Manny Murray the director
of the West Warwick Senior Center felt pushing the dinner back
to November 4th would give him more time to advertise the event.
We served 90 seniors a nice barbecue meal of pulled pork, ribs,
chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and Texas toast. The dessert was
a variety of locally made cakes. This event was also special because
it had a country band. The Rhode Island Rednecks provided the
entertainment for the evening. I am very blessed to have many
friends at the West Warwick Senior Center that look forward to
this meal all year. Some even ask if I can cook every month for
them. It was nice to sit with them and just relax and enjoy their
company. My wife and children also helped out with this event
and also took some pictures for me.
The best part of Senior Q is sitting with the seniors and becoming
part of their world for the night. They were very nice and sent
me a beautiful thank you card and a signed apron. I truly treasure
my time spent at the Coventry and West Warwick Senior Centers
and encourage anyone interested in doing an event to jump right
in, you will truly be blessed by the people you meet.