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| Gumbo Cook-Off Committee Front (from left) Christine Barnhill, Jackie Beau, Janet Robertson and Tracy Gallinghouse; Back (from left) Allen Little, Steve Cefalu and Don Redman |
Organizers
of the 7th Annual Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off keep their expectations simple: all
they want is good weather, great crowds, awesome music, and of course,
award-winning gumbo. And after a year of preparation for this one day, it
appears that all their expectations will be met this Saturday when the event gets
underway under crisp, clear skies on the grounds of the Slidell Little Theatre,
featuring 20 cook-off teams, live music, sweet treats, beverages, face painting
and more.
At
first blush an incongruent partnership, the Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off is made
possible because of the efforts of volunteers from Slidell Little Theatre and the
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), who share equally in the
proceeds generated by the cook-off to be used for their youth programs. Additionally,
both organizations direct some of the donations to Homeless Outreach for Youth
in St. Tammany (HOYST), a very worthy program targeting the underreported displaced
children in the parish.
The
gumbo cook-off was the brainchild of the late Pat McCloud, who was desperate to
find a funding mechanism for an expansion of the theatre that could be utilized
to enhance and expand the theatre’s youth program. He found a kindred soul in
Christine Barnhill-Tramel who straddled two worlds: theatre and construction.
Christine had been very involved in SLT’s Young Actors Theatre of Slidell
(YATS) program as well as with NAWIC’s various youth programs and soon a plan
began to gel – a gumbo cook-off fundraiser benefitting the youth programs
supported by SLT and NAWIC.
Meet the Team
The
Gumbo Cook-Off committee is staffed by volunteers from both organizations, but
most SLT volunteers will tell you that it is the NAWIC volunteers who do most
of the heavy lifting. The committee is chaired by NAWIC’s Janet Robertson of
Coast Concrete Services, Inc., whose leadership is rarely trumpeted, but
extremely vital to the operations of the event. Other NAWIC committee members are
Christine Barnhill, president of BillBar Construction, and Jackie Beau, co-owner
of Beau's Air Conditioning and Heating. SLT committee members are Allen Little,
Babette Griffin, Steve Cefalu, Tracy Gallinghouse and Don Redman.
Allen
Little was on the original committee that organized SLT’s first youth
program back in the 1970s. Presently serving as SLT’s vice president of
Productions, Allen became involved in the community theatre when he moved to
Slidell in 1970 and has been an integral part of the organization ever since.
He has received numerous awards over the years, including being named St.
Tammany Parish’s Performing Artist of the Year for 2010.
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| Allen Little and cast of 1982's On Golden Pond |
It
was only a few years after Allen became involved in SLT that Steve Cefalu
appeared onstage in 1974. A multiple-award winning actor, Steve is a teacher of
Talented Theatre in St. Tammany Parish. He credits the YATS program for having
given his son Stephen Cefalu, Jr., the acting bug. Today, Stephen is an actor in
Chicago and is in rehearsal a show making its world premiere next month.
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| The Country Girl - 1990 Christine Barnhill and Steve Cefalu |
Babette
Griffin has been involved the cook-off since the second event and has been
deeply involved with the YATS program for years in various roles on the
committee including treasure and co-director, and even directed a couple of
YATS shows. She currently serves as Treasure on the SLT board of directors.
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| Rumors - 2009 Don Redman |
Don
Redman volunteers at the theatre in various capacities, most recently as
chairman of the Grants Committee and editor of SLT’s audience guide, "Prologue." He was the 2006 recipient of the St. Tammany Parish Literary Artist of the Year
Award and marked his official debut as a playwright with the
critically-acclaimed adult comedy, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia’s Wolf Note?”
Redman
recalls his first experience with YATS in the early 1990s in the old playhouse, now
just a slab in the parking lot. “Grace Marshall recruited me to lead the
children in a session about voice projection -- a not-to-subtle hint that
she thought I was loud.
“It
gives me immense pleasure to see that the youth program continues to thrive decades
later and I hope every dollar we raise through the cook-off will not only
enhance the experience of YATS participants, but will grow the program even
further.”
During
the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tracy Gallinghouse works as a paralegal in a
New Orleans law firm. During her spare hours, she devotes her time and energy
to Slidell Little Theatre, in the most recent capacity, as vice president of
Marketing.
“I
thoroughly enjoy the people on the Gumbo Cook-Off committee and their passion
for making gumbo and creating experiences for St. Tammany’s youth,” she says. “SLT’s
YATS program allows us to reach out to youngsters, starting as early as age 4,
and give them that feeling that is like no other – for that moment, you and the
audience are one.”
Child’s Play
NAWIC
supports youth through a variety of programs, including Block-Kids, Building
Design program, and the Computer-aided Design (CAD) Scholarship Awards competitions.
The CAD/Design/Drafting Competition is a contest designed for Senior High
School students. The contest provides recognition to students for creative
design, successful problem solving and craftsmanship in preparing architectural
drawings. Since its founding, the NAWIC Founders’ Scholarship Foundation and
NAWIC chapters nationwide have awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to
students pursuing construction-related studies.
“One
of the program's we have for kids K- 6 is our Block-Kids competition,” explains
Jackie Beau. “The award-winning program introduces children to the construction
industry in an effort to create an awareness of and to promote an interest in
future careers in one of the many facets of the industry.”
The
competition involves the construction of various structures with interlocking
blocks and three of the following additional items: A small rock, string, aluminum
foil, and poster board. “They build
everything from recycling plants to communities,” says Beau. “I really enjoy hearing the stories they tell
about their projects.”
Another
NAWIC program is MAGIC (Mentor a Girl in Construction) camp. MAGIC is a free, week-long camp for high
school girls providing opportunities for hands-on experience in activities such
as plumbing, safety, carpentry and welding.
YATS
Slidell
Little Theatre’s renowned YATS program is designed to introduce young people
between the ages of four and graduating high school seniors to the stage. And
while certainly the primary focus is on providing students with skills needed
for the stage, the program also teaches kids a whole lot more: self-discipline,
teamwork, responsibility, work ethics, creativity, and self-empowerment.
Unlike
any other children’s theatre camp on the north shore, Slidell Little Theatre’s
program is the only one to offer help with college tuition through the Lonnie
Hass Scholarship, which is awarded to YATS graduating high school seniors who
intend to study the performing arts in college. Since the year 2000, Slidell
Little Theatre, through its YATS program, has disbursed more than $50,000 to
local YATS high school graduates to help further their studies in the
performing arts.
HOYST
While
St. Tammany is one of the wealthiest areas in the state, there are many people
who don’t have the basic needs of food and permanent shelter. HOYST
uses its funding to offer youth 16 to 22 years of age transitional housing as
well as supportive services that will lead to self-sufficiency and stable
living conditions.
The
success of this event could have an impact on the lives of thousands of
school-age children and young adults on the Northshore by funding education programs
and additional opportunities and resources. How can you help? Come join us this
Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., eat gumbo, listen to great music and simply
enjoy the day. Helping our youth can’t be any easier.
