Portia Jackson talks about the St. Rita Catholic Church fish fry the same way you might talk about a distant memory that still floods your mind with nostalgia. She’s careful to find the right words, measuring adjectives and weighing feelings that stretch back decades.
For Jackson, the experience starts when she walks through the double doors on the side of the church. The kitchen is still down a flight of stairs and through another set of doors, but the scent of fried fish, macaroni and cheese and other delicacies come billowing up.
“The aroma, it warms my heart,” Jackson said. “And I know I’m gonna be encouraged, I’m gonna be nourished, and I’m gonna have fellowship.”
That’s the part that can get overlooked. It’s not just food; it’s a setting. Jackson, 60, has been going to the St. Rita fish fry for as long as the church has had it.
“We can count on, from Ash Wednesday through Passover, that we are going to be together every Friday,” Jackson said March 4 as she waited for her order. “And we’re catching up and we’re fellowshipping.”
Jackson sat at a table with Kamau and Marsharika Jywanza, a husband and wife who have been going to the fish fry for a long time, maybe since the beginning. A group of siblings has run the fish fry for about 30 years, but Jackson can remember other cooks during her childhood.
“They actually have the best fish in town,” Marsharika, 72, said with an order of whiting fish waiting for her.
Kamau, 73, got the shrimp but was hoping to share some of the fish — “If she lets me,” he said with a laugh.
ST. RITA CATHOLIC CHURCH FISH FRY
The fish fry at St. Rita Catholic Church, 1733 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Ave., is 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. every Friday through April 8. Find a menu on the church’s Facebook page.
Kitchen operations seem to move seamlessly at St. Rita, where the fish fry revolves around the Golden sisters. There were five family members working that day, including a brother and sister-in-law.
On any given Friday, Ruth Golden estimated they serve about 600 meals.
“It’s very exciting,” said Dollie Smith, Golden’s sister. “It’s a pleasure to be able to serve our church and the community. It’s exciting to be able to build on it every year.”
The consensus in St. Rita’s basement is these cooks are the best around.
“You can see they’re all working together,” said Jeff Collier, who works at Major Tool & Machine across the street from the church, “and it looks like they’re having a good time.”
Collier, 57, was sitting with his co-worker, Debbie Mennel, 61. He ordered the chicken — he was hoping for tenderloin, but the kitchen was already sold out — and Mennel got perch.
“And they can cook,” Mennel added with a chuckle. “Too good.”
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853 or email at tylerf@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
