World-Famous Corned Beef is a Hit

Carol Garrison, senior citizen coordinator in the City of Taylor, says there are good reasons that the annual St. Patrick’s Day lunch served by the New Horizons Senior Club is known as the “World-Famous Annual Corned Beef Dinner.”

“Number one, it’s really good if you like corned beef and cabbage,” Garrison said.

Number two, she said, is the world-class effort that goes into the lunch by club members who serve other club members who look forward to the annual treat.

“They do the whole thing,” Garrison said. “They buy more than 30 corned beefs and they’re like a machine putting it together. It’s very impressive. They get everybody there early cutting the cabbages and the carrots. It’s quite an assembly line of how they get it done.”

The New Horizons Club, which gathers every Thursday at the Westfield Activity Center, is one of four senior clubs in Trenton. With 200 members and a waiting list of more people waiting to join, it’s also the largest.

Once a year, former club president Ruth Kasenow selects club members she knows she can count on for specific tasks, from setting up and decorating the Westfield Center to preparing the food to serving the lunch.

“This year, we have 28 of us working on this,” said Kasenow, 73. “I have it kind of down pat. About 12 people cook the corned beef. I have two or three guys who slice it. Another half dozen cut up the carrots, potatoes and cabbage.”

Most of the corned beefs are cooked by seniors at home the day before the lunch and delivered by 9 a.m. the morning of the world-famous meal. Kasenow said 11 were cooked at the center.

Water, broth and carrots are added to roasting pans. Then the volunteers put on the potatoes for an hour. Then they cook the cabbage.

“It works out pretty well,” said Kasenow, who said her late grandmother was Irish.

Kasenow, who has lived in Trenton since 1961, has been a member of the New Horizons Club since January 1995. She was in the club only two months when she volunteered to help out with the corned beef lunch that year.

Since then, she has been a club vice president in charge of the kitchen five years. This is about the 10th time she’s been in charge of the corned beef and cabbage lunch. And she’s worked on it pretty much every year she’s been in the club.

“I like this particular job because I like working with people,” Kasenow said. “Now I know the people a lot more and we have a lot more fun. I really enjoy it.”

Before the meal was served, club members Tony Maszatics and Joe Ellison played traditional Irish songs on their harmonicas.

The senior volunteers seemed to enjoy doing their part to prepare the lunch. And the senior diners seemed to enjoy eating the annual meal.

“It’s excellent,” said Robert Wilson, who has been a member of the club for about 10 years. “I like the taste and the tradition and the atmosphere.”

“And I don’t have to cook,” added Betty LaPere.

About the New Horizons Senior Club: Membership in the Thursday afternoon club is limited to 200 people. New members must be Trenton residents who are at least 55 years old. Yearly dues are $3 per member and the weekly fee is $1 each Thursday for club activities. Diners pay $5 for the annual corned beef and cabbage meal. This year’s club president is Leonard Hopkins.

“It’s a real statement of how strong a club it is,” Garrison said. “They can maintain 200 members and always have a waiting list. They have a good time.”

Kasenow said club members must participate at least 12 Thursdays a year to maintain their membership. She said the Halloween meeting is “one of my favorites.” Club members’ birthdays are celebrated the first Thursday of each month.

Kasenow also participates in the seniors’ Friendship Club, which holds dances every Friday night from September through June. In fact, she has been president of the Friday club six times.

The other senior clubs in Trenton are the Pleasant Hours Club, which meets Mondays and the Heritage Club, which meets Wednesdays. For more information about the clubs and membership, call the Westfield Activity Center at 734-675-0063.