As kettles of boiling water await the noodles, cans of mushrooms sit on the counter and ground beef sizzles in the oven, cook Nancy Turner begins to work her magic for yet another Kent Community Monday Night Supper.
“Sort of stroganoff,” Turner said when asked about the Dec. 16 menu. “It’s not really authentic, but it will be good.”
Turner’s cooked the free Monday Night Supper for people in need of a hot meal for 40 years, shortly after the downtown program began in 1983 at Kent Lutheran Church, 336 Second Ave. S., just east of City Hall.
But with her 90th birthday approaching in January, Turner’s turning in her apron and kitchen tools the end of this year.
“I get home and I’m tired and sore,” Turner said about the end of her volunteer job. “The arthritis kicks up, you know.”
Turner certainly runs the show at the small but usable kitchen. As she tends to the stove and oven, she kindly answers questions from the other volunteers as they help her prepare the “Sort of stroganoff,” with mushrooms and other ingredients.
“One of the first cooks got cancer, so I took over for her,” Turner said about her start four decades ago. “My mom’s best friend was one of the originals from the Methodist church. She told me about it, and the first supper was served on my birthday (Jan. 10, 1983), but I didn’t know about it at the time.”
Once she found out about the supper, however, she kept on cooking. Doing it for 40 years, though, never entered her mind.
“I didn’t think about that,” she said. “I think we thought all the programs, the food bank, the suppers, were temporary measures.”
Temporary suppers turned into lasting ones. Some weeks, more than 100 people show up for the supper.
Turner worked alongside her husband in the kitchen until he died eight years ago. She took a short walk from the stove to show a reporter a photo of the couple on the refrigerator. He was a doctor until he retired. She worked in his office.
They were married for 41 years. He had three preteen children from a previous marriage when they got married and she had five mostly grown children from her first marriage. She has lots of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Things changed without her husband in the kitchen, but it didn’t stop Turner from continuing to cook. She lives just a half mile away in an apartment complex.
“Teamwork, working with people, you need something to do,” Turner said about what kept her going.
Phyllis Domingo has worked with Turner in the kitchen for seven years. The two spend a couple of hours each Monday morning to see what food donations they will have to work with that night. They return in the afternoon to prepare for the 5 p.m. supper.
“Nancy keeps on top of everything,” Domingo said as she watched her friend run the kitchen. “She’s a nurturing teacher and amazing cook. Working one on one with Nancy has been such a gift.”
Domingo will take over Turner’s role as cook, but knows her suppers won’t match up.
“She’s been such a mentor,” Domingo said. “I will continue some of her cooking when she’s gone, but she can take anything and she’s magical. They can’t get enough of it she has so much talent.”
In addition to Turner’s cooking skills, her personality takes over the kitchen as well.
“She is the most caring, nurturing person,” Domingo said. “And you can’t get away from her without a hug. She makes a mark on everybody. There’s no negativity in her soul, she’s so uplifting.”
Turner’s many years of life might be slowing her down, but it’s tough to see as she prepares another supper.
“She’s so strong for her age,” Domingo said. “She’s inspirational. …don’t quit too early in your life. She’s become a dear friend, we just enjoy her company.”
Pastor Tormod Svensson, who started work at Kent Lutheran just over a year ago, has watched Turner lead the supper program.
“She’s incredibly dedicated and faithful and makes a tremendous difference in the lives of people,” Svensson said. “She has a big heart.”
Svensson also discovered her hugs.
“The first time I met Nancy she said can I give you a hug,” Svensson recalled. “She relates to everyone and anyone. There are no strangers to her.”
After a reporter spent time interviewing and photographing Turner in the kitchen, she didn’t let him walk away without a hug.
Emily Bumpous, head of the Kent Community Monday Nigh Supper volunteer group, summarized Turner’s role.
“She’s known for her tasty, nutritious, comfort food and her hugs, which she dispenses generously,” Bumpous said.
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Nancy Turner, 89, cooking Dec. 16 in the Kent Lutheran Church kitchen, will retire at the end of the year. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter
Nancy Turner, left, and Cathy Corrado, discuss preparations for the Dec. 16 Monday Night Supper. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter
