Joliet Jewish Congregation serving up annual spaghetti dinner

Fred and Jeanne Lewin are longtime servers at Joliet Jewish Congregation’s annual spaghetti dinner.

But when the dinner’s coordinator couldn’t lead the dinner for the first time in 40 years, the Frankfort couple jumped in and grabbed the reins. The spaghetti dinner will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Joliet Jewish Congregation.

The annual spaghetti dinner is the primary fundraiser for the faith-based congregation. In addition to the spaghetti dinner, the event features a bake sale, raffle and silent auction, as well as placemats with ads on them, said Fred, who is treasurer for the congregation.

Those four revenue streams raise an average of $10,000 for Joliet Jewish Congregation, he said.

Fortunately, the Lewins had plenty of experienced volunteers onboard who had worked previous dinners.

“We have people making the sauce,” Jeanne said. “One person knows what to do with the sauce after it’s made, layering it and putting the garlic in. Another person comes in and makes the beef.”

And it’s very good beef, too.

“One hundred pounds of kosher ground beef imported from Skokie,” Fred said.

The Lewins also saw a few possibilities for improving the event.

For instance, Jeanne, the congregation’s webmaster, said she’s using her graphic design background to create signage for the event and T-shirts for all the volunteers. This will help guests navigate the event space and easily spot the volunteers if they have questions, she said.

Those signs are important considering the spaghetti dinner attracts between 700 and 800 diners each year, Fred said. That number is fairly consistent, even though the number of carryouts is outpacing the dine-in food orders – and not just because of the pandemic, he said.

Football also influences whether patrons dine in or carry out, Fred said. Fortunately, the Bears are scheduled to play at noon this year, as are the Green Bay Packers, which is well before the dinner.

“We also get a lot of seniors, like ourselves, that come early,” Fred said. “It’s the first day after daylight saving time, so it’s already getting dark. ... So different factors come into play as to when people are coming in.”

Fred Lewin pointed out that about 90% of attendees are from the greater community, too.

“They’re not congregants and their families,” he said.

To help future spaghetti dinner coordinators, the Lewins are typing the handwritten notes from the previous coordinator and combining them with their current experience to create a spaghetti dinner planning manual.

Jeanne said both she and Fred have backgrounds in program development, so they’re happy to do it.

“And we’re both well organized,” she said.

This will ensure that the longtime spaghetti dinner will remain an annual tradition.

“That’s our legacy,” Fred said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Annual Spaghetti Dinner

WHEN: 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5

WHERE: Joliet Jewish Congregation, 250 N. Midland Ave., Joliet

TICKETS: $12 (adults) and $10 (seniors and children)

ETC: Raffle, bake sale. Carryout available.

INFORMATION: Call 815-741-4600 or visit jolietjewishcongregation.com.