By Andrea McGovern
AKRON-In its 50-year history, the Christ Child Society of Akron has produced five fundraising cookbooks, and Diana Lucia chaired the committees that produced two of them, one 17 years ago, and one hot off the presses.The new book, “Fifty Years and Still Cookin’!” was developed as a tribute to the society’s history, and includes favorite recipes from all the previous books as well as contributions from today’s members.
“We came up with the idea last spring when we were planning our 50th anniversary celebration,” Lucia said. “Since I was involved with the last one, I said I would do the work of finding a company to produce and print it.”
She said the experience was a good one, with new technology that made it possible for the members to type recipes directly online. “You just typed in the recipes, hit a button, and it was ready to go,” she said.
The chapter has 322 members, and Lucia said a large percentage contributed to the cookbook, even many older members who are no longer very active with the group. The title was the suggestion from a member’s husband.
Lucia learned to cook as a girl. A native of Great Britain, she moved throughout Europe with her family, which developed quite an international repertoire of meals that they enjoyed. Her father, who worked for Proctor and Gamble, had grown up in France and loved great food. Lucia said he and her mother both enjoyed playing in the kitchen. Even when they were living in England, she said, “We always had something different—no tins of baked beans on toast.”
Lucia’s family lived in Casablanca, Morocco when she met her future husband, Angelo Lucia. He was born in Italy, but had lived in the United States since the age of six. The son of an Italian immigrant who had served in World War I, Angelo Lucia and his family settled in Akron and he worked for General Tire. He was working in Morocco when they met.
The couple married there and remained for two years before moving to Akron 39 years ago. They had three children and five grandchildren. Angelo Lucia passed away last spring.
Lucia, who is a convert to Catholicism, credits her husband’s example for bringing her to the church she loves so much today and that she has shared with other family members.
“The Spirit works in strange ways,” she said. “My mother came to me when she was 74 years old and told me she had decided to convert. Later, my son-in-law decided to convert, too.”
Lucia’s involvement with St. Sebastian Church and the Christ Child Society helped her through the long months before and after her husband’s death.
“I had so much support and friendship from the Christ Child members and my friends at St. Sebastian,” she said. “People are so kind. You really know your friends when something like that happens.”
Food and cooking have been a large part of her involvement in both organizations. Lucia is a member of a consortium of cooks who provide meals for St. Sebastian pastor, Father William Karg. She looks forward to the opportunity to stretch her culinary muscles.
“It’s really nice for me to be able to cook for other people once in a while,” she said. “I’ve gone from cooking for five, to two and now for one.”
Recently the parish hosted a visiting priest from India, who was a vegetarian, and Lucia said he particularly liked her roasted vegetable soup. “It’s a good challenge,” she said.
In addition to chairing the cookbook committees, Lucia was instrumental in starting a couples’ gourmet cooking group in the Christ Child chapter. It has continued for 20 years.
“At first some of the members were a little worried about the word ‘gourmet’,” she said. But all it entails is the person whose turn it is to plan the meal deciding what theme to go with and finding recipes for the couples to make that fit the theme.
“It’s nice because it really brings in the husbands, too,” she said. “But now, I invite a friend to go along with me.”
“Fifty Years and Still Cookin’!” is available for $15 plus $3 shipping from the Christ Child Society of Akron, P. O. Box 5855, Akron, Ohio 44372
McGovern is a freelance writer.
ANDREA MC GOVERN
Diana Lucia has chaired two efforts to produce cookbooks by members of the Christ Child Society of Akron.
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