Mr. Lake's New Orleans Forum

Thank you all for your support with our volunteer trip to Iowa. And thank you Mr. Lake for posting our event on the site! We served 1700 meals in less than three days and We cooked, served and/or distributed the following supplies and ingredients:
150 lbs of Blue Runner Red Beans
600 lbs of Rice
200 lbs of Jambalaya Base
200 lbs of Etouffee Base
13 Rum Cakes
25 bags of Salad
1 gallon Galatoire’s Creole Vinaigrette (we could have served 4 we had it)
1000 prepackaged snacks
1000 cookies, pastries, brownies etc.
300 servings of Cool Brew iced coffee
400 bags of Zapps Potato Chips
15 blocks Velveeta Cheese
6 cases of Canned Carrots
2 cases of Canned Green Beans
100 lbs of Smoked Sausage
25 lbs of Grits
40 lbs of Trail Mix
10 lbs of Butter
6 lbs of Louisiana crawfish (to area volunteers)
500 hot dogs
50 loaves of Leidenheimer French Bread
125 Boxes of Aqua2Go
500 individual Tabasco Sauces
12 Boxes of Magic Seasoning Hot Sauce
12 Boxes of Magic Seasoning Creole Seasoning
3 cases of LA Fish Fry Hot Sauce
3 cases of LA Fish Fry Creole Seasoning
100 lbs Zatarains Jambalaya Mix
25 lbs of onions
50 lbs of Roast Beef and Gravy (we cold have served 200 if we had it)
500 + individual servings of milk and chocolate milk
1700 bottles of water
70 gallons lemonade

Check out the photos!

Nice pics. So what was the reaction to the beans and other N.O. style food?

Oh, That's just great! I'm so glad you could do that.

Since Katrina I'm still in no place to donate much, but I do a little here and there where I can. I wish I could have helped you.

How are they doing? Are they feeling forgotten like so many here felt?

Thanks for posting the details and the pics, Amy! Keeping the kiddies happy and busy was a stroke of genius. Oh, BTW, were there any leftovers?

I wish I could have gotten involved in this, I am only less than two hours from CR, but I have been battling some health issues all month. Thanks so much, I am sure the folks loved the help and good food. I think the midwest folks are bouncing back better. We are a strong lot.

Thanks to all...

We got a big thumbs up on the roast beef poboys. I had one little girl tell me, "I don't like grits, but I like yours!" Velveeta does it every time! The etouffee was a bigger hit than the Jambalaya and the volunteers loved the crawfish pasta. I was absolutely amazed at the bottles of hot sauce that walked out of the door. They loved it.

One Cedar Rapids resident told me that food had not been a focus of their lives, it was mainly a substance that helps you work in fields and gives you energy. She seemed to be developing a new found appreciation for flavorful food and I think we have quite a few fans of our cuisine now.

The kids table was my friend's brilliant idea...we even had to make two extra trips to walmart to get more supplies.

Ya makin' me cry, Amy. What a wonderful effort. Our great food is a remarkable treasure to share while providing sustenance, good-will, and much needed encouragement from those who have "been there and done that".