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The Huron Expositor, 1980-12-18, Page 331r THE HURON Wpp‘rroRir*pgpOilogpt:i.0.19,a0:-- Valma Miller puts a cake into the oven of one of her five stoves. a Valma Miller baked 200 dozen cookies on a recent Friday. Decorating one popular Black of Velma Millers Forest pies LES LEONHARDT Licensed Carpenter Seaforth at everyone .wants..,.to• know about SeafOrt famous.) caterer is how does she do it?' . BY YVONNE REYNOLDS Five 20 lb. roasts, five large turkeys, eight 10 lb. salmon, 60 pounds cubed perk....Food for an army? Well, yes. and no. Well-known Seaforth caterer Valma Miller Is Making a list of what she .will need to feed 270 United Rubber Workers; she has been hired. to supply and service the food for their mid-December Christ- mas party in the Mitchell arena. She will provide her deluxe smorgas- -1551117WKh 'consists of-dresTe-d—satranT; turkey, sweet and sour pork With rice. roast beef, curried cauliflower, baby carrots, scalloped potatoes, jellies, cabbage, bean and sauerkraut salads, rolls, relishes, and cheese trays. Dessert is a choice between cherry cheese cake, apple, lemon chiffon, fruit. or her famous Black Forest pie. - Mrs. Miller's career as a. caterer evolved slowly but invevitably. During the depression, young Valma McArthur was sent • by a Stratford employment agency to take a job as dining room girl at the Queen's Hotel. Her introduction to Seaforth was traumatic. "I was met at the railway station and taken through a back alley to the hotel", she recalls. There had been a bad fire at Willis' shoe store, where Flannery's dry cleaning is now, and the alley was littered with debris. Her initial impression of the hotel was darkness and gloom. and of Seaforth as the worst place in the world. ' "Inwanted to get .on the next train out of town. but I had to stay", she continues. "I had borrowed the $2 fare and had no money to take me back to Stratford." She was soon given an opportunity to prove her versatility. One day when the cook was sick and the dinner hour over, a group of 15 hungry men came in and asked if they could be fed. "Give me half an hour", said Valma. ENERGY AND ENTERPRISE ' Displaying the energy. enterprise and organizational ability that have stood her in good stead ever since.. Valma rushed to Christie's butcher shop. bought some steaks, ran back to the hotel. and cooked and served a delicious meal. On schedule. She was often asked to work in the kitchen after that, The Queen's lost a valued employee when Bill Miller. who delivered bread to thc hotel. asked the petite young woman with the big brown eyes to be his wife. Until her oldest child was in his teens. Valma Miller catered exclusively to her own family. Hcr first paying client was the Seaforth Lions Club. Her sister•in•law knowing the Lions were looking for someone to cater their dinners. phoned and asked if Valma would help. At first the two women worked as partners. but Valrna soon took over on her own. Her reputation and her business grew quick• Now serswe and sports clubs. fraternal and political organizations. companies. schools. and individuals tall on Valma Miller to suppls food for regular get-togethers. banquets. retimments. hirihdass. Christmas panoes. weddings. christemngs•ans and all oscascons•on halls and homes from London to Kitchener. although her usual tee -rums extends from Goderich to Stratford and places in between Her weekls grocers bills. naturally are astronomical. She 1/CeS onli, the highest quality ingreMents. ilk% ass butter. never margarine You get out w hat sou put in is her credo She chops on the to; ns that patronize her On Mondays and Tuesda% tra% ellers from firms such .is Schneiders,, Flannigans (wholesale groceries) and K.W. (frozen foods, pie fillings, meat and fish) call on Velma. Everything pertaining to the Miller catering business is on a grand scale except theCommander-in-chfef. Standing one inch over the five foot mark. weighing 115 pounds, and zestfully anticipating a seventy-first birthday in February. Velma Miller is a human dynamo with more vim and vigour than most people one-third her age. . THE WEEK'S BATTLE PLAN Every Monday morning she sits down and draws up the battle plan for the week. Each assignment is planned and carried out with military precision. Food is prepared with helpers Jean Simpson and Ethel Devereaux in the Miller's basement kitchen, which is equipped with five stoves, four refrigerators. five freezers and a 10' x 12' cooling room. Husban,ds Bill Miller and Jim Devereaux assist when needed. The two men can handle carving knives and dish towels with equal dexterity. For both 000king and serving, all ladies are dressed in spotless white uniforms, the men don long snowy aprons. Jean Simpson has been with Mrs, Miller for eight years. "When we moved in from the farm, and my husband was in the hospital for quite awhile, I- wanted something to fill in the time". Jeao explains. "I started at the bottom, cleaning up. doing whatever was asked of me. I enjoy all the jobs, and going around and meeting people." As for filling in the time. that problem has been solved. Jean has had one free day since mid-November. Ethel Devereaux. who has been with her employer for almost three years. usually heads thc advance party to prepare for large dinners. "It takes two of us one hour to set up a full dinner for 100 - table cloths, dishes, silverware, cream and sugar - everything on the' table but the hot food", she says. Her husband Jim, owner of a mixed farmIng operation, is free to lend a hand in the Igte fall and winter; fortunately, his slack time is the busiest of the year for the catering business. JIM DOES THE LUGGING "We couldli t get along without -- Jim", Valma interjects. "He does all the lugging. Bill can't do it since his heart attack." • The hot food is wrapped'in heavy foil, packed with the expertise of long practice into styrofoam coolers, and stowed away in either the Buick or Chev station wagon, the biggest we could get" according to ,) B'll. When space is at a premium. Velma _i acks. "She can get more into a car than Time out for a break at a catering assignment - . •ers., r. Maybis festive, briht Chtistmas fill your hearts with song and mirth. • HAVE A HAPPY! HUMPHRIES' & CO. General Store Walton ships' provincial playdowns, she was nervous and worried, as that was her biggest order to date. The official menu read: Leamington tomato juice, relish trays, roast Ontario beef, mashed Bruce potatoes with gravy. Perth turnips, jellied salads and rolls, choice of lemon chiffon, Perth pumpkin, Niagara cherry or apple strudel pie. The dinner was a success. • For Goderich's centennial she provided a lunch for over 1,000. ' Pauline McGibbon attended a perform- ance at the Huron County Playhouse in Grand Bend last summer, Anne Gregory of Stratford hosted a luncheon for her, and asked Mrs. Miller to cater. Before the guests arritved Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Simpson and Mrs. Devereaux were introduced to Mr. and Mrs. McGibbon. CHARMING PEOPLE "Charming, lovely people, nothing pretentious. But I wouldn't want her job, When 1980 ends, Valma Miller and staff, will have fed 13,000 people anybody I know," Bill says proudly. (After 42 years of marriage. he is still his wife's most ardent fan and faithful supporter.) Valma smiles. recalling the time she put 35 dozen rolls on the roof rack of one of the vehicles and headed to the Blyth Threshermen's reunion to feed 500 people. Obeying A morbid impulse. she stopped at Winthrop to make sure her supplies were intact. There they were • gone! daShed back to town and bought up every roll in Seaforth-. she laughs. From the time Mrs. Miller and her troops arrive at a job until they pack up hours later, not a moment or a movement is wasted. Each person. numbering up to 15 for large dinners, knows his or her task and does it quickly and efficiently . While one carves the turkey. another mixes the cole slaw and a third pours tomato juice. Valma works with her platoon. directing unobtrusisely. adding another dtsh to the table or whipped i.-rearn to a pie. She darts out to replenish bowls and platters before floes are empts. always prefernng to have leftovers rather than risk root having enough Valma can remember onls no. oce when she was unable to keep a date because of the scattier The first occasion was years ago. the second happened Tuesdas. December 2 of this year. cc heti a tam% storm reduced visibility to zero Leasing town at 5-10 for Brussels. she got as far as Voricent•s. returned homethen tried again as the storm seemed to abate The second time. "Wc turned back at Gneve's bridgeit was 50 ternbk I thought we'd never gel back to Seaforth'' Thank groixdroess we had prepared tor t? and not 112 We used the loorkev and beef r ordai cut% the follow mg evenong and the rest we kepi for ourselves Mit, al( st.alloped potatoes for !he' nest t n, days looking hacksome occasions stand out in 10 alma s mentor y When the Goy crnmem of Ontario hosted a dormer on WI it the Saltford Hall for the ( anadian Foresters Dorroonion ( urlong ( hampron I have my own", was Valma's verdict. On a busier than usual day not long befoare Christmas, V-alrna and her r assist- ants prepared two dinners to go" for eight and 15 respectively. baked 200 dozen cookies and 10 Black Forest pies that had been ordered by individual customers. turned out a retirement cake that csould cut into 50 pieces. baked tea biscuits for a client. supplied five dozen tans and 10 dozen squares for a funeral. "we don't say no to a funeral if there is any way at all sse can do it, catered to a family gathering of 24 at 7 p.m. and by 9 that evening were at the Seaforth curling club setting out a deluxe smorgasbord for 38 high school teachers from Mitchell. In their spare tonic. they had made some of the salads and other dishes for the rubber corkers' party the next night. . the time the last ,page is torn from her 1980 appointment book. Valtrui Miller and her catering cores will have appeased oser 13.000 appetites this year. Valnia admits she does sit down on Sundass. "to look at cookbooks." "Sloe has more cookbooks that Fawns". Bill SaVS teasing!). "I'm always looking for something get% " 111S P. sic defends herself. • •Ingredoents have changed. Years ago everything was pure No shortening. for examplemoght hase beef fat. Pam. goodness know w hat I like to use lard for a pm %-tustit doesn't shrtnk " Valnia %idler never tires of cooking. • sy tong as my health holds. keep on. It's better than twiddling Your thumbs " She lump up her pothr9ders temporar- th on Saturdas the 20th taking time off to porepart. ,for her personal ChristmasThe Millers are Et tor tz #t) he guests of their son Rrult a st hoot promipal m Fltnora. his wife and three t holdren on Christmas dav. and %DOI spend the following Sunday with then daughter lorraine, her husband Bob Baethlerand their two children on (poderrth ‘alrna prednts her chiSdren will sat • • lou sit down. Mother We'll do the tyork today-. hut confesses it will be &Mull to stay out of her favourite place • a tot, ben y#,,,oRelf With t tins( y#,,, or(' and # .rp# ener all thr htrylt y I iz# 4L. •to.. •••••••' • • FORD rejoice! JOIn the triumph of the skies' Christ the Savior is born Let us spread HiS message of peace and good will among men Your satisfaction is our first concern ° Sales • ServIce • tectsrng • Dcitylkentah SEA FORTH MOTORS LIMITED 220 MAIN STREET, SOUTH-SEAFORTH-527-1010 . otopow r.: 7o.