Godly gourmet: Eating at church festivals

I love eating at church festivals for the following reasons: the food is usually very inexpensive, the fare is often home-made, and the atmosphere is very convivial. It is, after all, hosted by a church!

Last Sunday, I was scheduled to go to brunch with a couple of friends but I requested making a culinary detour first: to the “Taste of St. Anthony’s” at the historic St. Anthony’s Catholic Church at 318 Benton Boulevard in the old Northeast. The church is right across the street from the old (and empty) Joseph J. Heim mansion, built in 1889 from the fortunes of the Heim Brewery and Electric Park.

Somewhere, I had seen a poster for the “Taste of St. Anthony’s” advertising food booths offering fare from different countries — and a cake walk! My friend Georgina warned me not to eat too much food at the festival since we were going out for a fancy brunch afterwards, but the aroma of the grilled italian sausage sandwiches (above) clouded my judgement and before I could stop myself, I had purchased $10 worth of food tickets!