September 16, 2023 was a beautiful day for the annual Cabin John Crab and Chicken Feast, and a great crew of veteran and new volunteers turned out to make it another memorable community event. Thank you to everyone who worked to make this event so special and to everyone who came to enjoy the feast!
Despite an unfortunate overlap with the Rosh Hashanah holiday, this year we served 489 meals, nearly as much as last year’s record. Although we significantly increased our supply of collard greens this year, we once again ran out! Due to the increased popularity of the collard greens side, we are considering changing the name of next year’s event to the “Cabin John Crab, Chicken and Collard Greens Feast.” If only we could get the acronym CJCCCGF to catch on! At a minimum, we will buy more collards so we don’t run out next year.
As has been the case for over 50 years, the heart of the CJ Crab and Chicken Feast is the volunteers. A large number of volunteers have returned year after year, and we have many new volunteers each year. This coming year there will again be many opportunities for new volunteers; maybe you? If you would like to put a bookmark on volunteering for next year, please contact cjcrabfeast@gmail.com. Ask any volunteer and they will tell you it is not only rewarding to support your community, but working at the event itself is a lot of fun and a great way to meet your neighbors.
THANK YOU:
Entertainment – Starlight Orchestra, CBNRC kids activities, and face painting by Eric Nothman
Crab Cooks – Pete Couste (chief), Chris Couste, Michelle Couste, Barry Hubscher, Josh Chambers, Billy Rieger, David Williams, Jennifer Williams
Chicken Cooks – Dan Mustico (chief), Mike Donnellan, Ray Swayze
Kitchen Crew – Kathleen Black (chief), Meredith McGuire (chief), Sally Mee, Elliott Schoen, Bramman Avery, Amy Mason, Sam Mason, Patty Lee, Judith Bell, Tamzin Smith, Mary K. Young
Veg Prep – Karen Melchar (chief), Susan Gelb, Alexis Dani, Sarah Danis, Heidi Lewis, Delia Tamzin Smith, Susan Graham, Connie Summers, Claire Mustico, Sam Mustico, Mireille Lisimaque, Gilles Lismaque, Sandy Occhipinti, Diana Carter, Susan Fitzgerald, Daisy Lewis, Delia Jennings
Serving Crew – Susan Shipp (chief), Diana Carter, Carissa DeCramer, Leslie Meyers, Barbara Wilmarth, Linda Green, Elizabeth Miller, Steve Miller, Meredith Griggs, Barbara Wilmarth, Karen Melchar, Delia Jennings, Christine Chambers, Mireille Lisimaque, Mary Patton, Stacey Corcoran, Harry Rieckelman, Phil Corcoran, Patrick Ryan, Beverly Sullivan, Mary Patton, Anastasia Donnellan, Amy Elsbree, Helen Harris, Clive Harris, Lynn Hopkins, Leslie Baldwin, Bev Sullivan
Beverages – Jackie Hoglund, Rita Gerharz, Joel Todd, Theresa Kowal, Michael Brintnall, Kathleen Dowd
Lemonade – Jeff Rothman (co-chief), Anne Rothman (co-chief), Sydney Ishida, My Linh Bui, Simone Allen, Andrea Williams
Bake Sale – Scoutmaster Shuyan Liu and scouts from BSA Troop 4
Setup and Teardown/Cleanup – Burr Gray (chief), Jeff Ship, Mark Smith, Anne Rothman, Jeff Rothman, Bruce Meyers, Bill Robison, Manisvhar Manimaran, Travis Riemer, Helen Daniel, Dawn Lowrie, Rick Lowrie, Elliot Allain, Sam Mustico, Carl McCabe, Kirin Burns, Billy Robison, Helen Daniels, Kieran Burns, Tristan Allain, Rich Allain, John Gibbons, Clive Harris
CJCA Table – Kelly Banuls, Serafina Allain, Claire Mustico, Perla Calderon and daughters, Lily Brown, Cassidy Wolf, Caroline Mauerer
Table Bussers – Heidi Lewis, Elliott Allen, Laurel Haeni, Elise Atallah, Miles Swayze, Finn Tomlinson, Finn Sullivan
CBNRC Staff – Barry Jones (CBNRC director), Lolita Powell-Jones, John Mbeng, Brandi Scott-Swales, Ciara Swales, Cleo Schulman, Jayden DaCosta, Vaulx Carter, Jeremy Kwon, Melih Karaca
Ticket Sales – Heather Tomlinson (chief), Lisan Martin, Deb Duffy, Lief Krvaric, Kathleen Leverenz
Advance Ticket Sales – Courtney Krutoy, Kathleen Leverenz
Publicity and Website – Heidi Lewis, Leilia McCabe, Kaylia McCabe, Robin Sidel
Volunteer Coordination – Heidi Lewis
By Carl McCabe
2023 Crab Feast Coordinator