Out of My Way- sharing stories of food across the region that I would go out of my way for…and so should you!
Owego UMC Pancake Breakfast
261 Main St
Owego, NY 13827
2nd Saturday of the month (except August) from 8-10AM
Food builds community. Nowhere is this more evident than at the faith communities, non-profits, and civic organizations that host meals, organize food-focused events, and share their food traditions in cities, towns and villages across the region.
For example, the Hammondsport Fire Department hosts the Smoke on the Water BBQ competition in late August. St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Binghamton and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church in Elmira Heights, both have a tradition of selling homemade pierogi at various times of year. The Binghamton Philharmonic and Foodnet in Ithaca both host mac & cheese-themed fundraising events (in February and May respectively). Even the little library in Newfield hosts a bake sale for Valentine’s Day!
So, when I received an invitation from one of the organizers of the monthly pancake breakfast at Owego United Methodist Church (UMC), I jumped at the chance and recruited my husband to join me. I generally don’t eat pancakes out because I am a maple syrup snob, but I was pleased to learn that they have REAL maple syrup, a fact they take great pride in sharing. However, calling this a pancake breakfast doesn’t accurately convey the quantity or quality of food options on offer.
The meal is set up as an all you can eat buffet featuring three different kinds of pancakes: plain, buckwheat, and blueberry (with pumpkin as a fourth option in the fall). In addition to the pancakes, they had homemade sausage gravy and biscuits, as well as scrambled eggs, link sausage, cheesy hash brown casserole and a French toast bake, which is essentially breakfast dessert and another opportunity to deploy the REAL maple syrup.
As I went through the buffet line, I realized I couldn’t possibly fit everything I wanted to try on one plate and resigned myself to going back up for seconds, but one of the volunteers encouraged me to just grab another plate! There’s no reason to be shy here; everyone was welcoming and warm. When we sat down with our plates piled high, we chatted with other people at our table before we noticed there was a live musician playing guitar at the back of the room, which was a very nice touch.
At the end of the meal, my husband and I thanked the kitchen crew, and both added our contributions to the free-will donation basket—the meal is free, but they will happily accept donations of any amount! Overall, both the food and the community at the Owego UMC pancake breakfast were first rate, nourishing, and made with love. I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use more of these types of experiences in our lives at this moment.
Is there a faith community, non-profit, or civic organization in your area that hosts a delicious community meal, food-focused event or unique food tradition that you look forward to every year? Send me a note about it at nthompson@wskg.org.