The Bryson Lions Club once again fired up the oven on Sunday for the club’s traditional cipaille supper, this year serving 26 heaping pots of the meat pie to a hungry packed house.
The hall saw a steady crowd that started the moment service began at noon. Visitors were seated and treated to heaping helpings of the traditional meal, which included a mound of cipaille, beans, mashed potatoes, a bun and one of many homemade dessert pies.
The event was held in partnership with the Bryson Revitalization Committee, who had planned to have an outdoor market with a dozen or so vendors and a friendly softball game between the police and the local fire department, but it had to cancel those events due to the rainy weather on Sunday. Other events still went ahead, such as live music, a touch-a-truck and a kids’ baseball game.
Despite the dreary weather, the inside of the Lions Hall was toasty thanks to the wood-fired oven in the back of the building, where all the cipailles are baked.
Lions president Eric Harrington said the club received some constructive feedback last year about the quality of the cipaille, with some people saying the meat was dry. This year, he said the addition of some butter made the meat more tender.
“This cipaille is crazy. Some people come from all over the place, and there’s a certain taste to it that they remember. It triggers your memory. So they’re looking for that,” he said, adding that reviews as of 1 p.m. on Sunday were positive.
Some visitors were in the house from Spain and Austria, who got a tour of the oven room and a chance to sample the delicacy. Both men enjoyed their meal but remarked that it would be a more suitable meal for the winter months.
Harrington said while the event is traditionally a once-a-year affair, putting it on twice a year could be in the cards. He said the club is looking to take advantage of having the oven, and is exploring the possibility of having a second supper throughout the year.
“Look at the facility we have, and we’re only using it once a year. It doesn’t make sense. So I’m thinking at least one in like probably February, because it’s the coldest, crappiest time of year.”
Behind the cipailles was a team of volunteers that helped transport pots – 75 lbs when full – from the oven into the kitchen, help plate the meals, and greet people at the door. Over 40 people showed up on Friday night to cube 600 lbs of beef and pork to go in the pies.
He said while the club is still struggling to get volunteer numbers up, events like these give him hope that the future is bright for the club as it tries to serve the community.
“We’re seeing some progress. We’ve got the Facebook pages, which we’re getting really good feedback from. We’re doing more advertising, we’re doing more social media, and we’re doing more community engagement.”
