The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-10
COOKS BY THE BUSHELS
HELPS Feed 10000 Daily Without Pay
BY LOWELL NUssBAUM

COOKING for 10000 persons
~ daily, without single COM
plant about the food, is all right,
but Roy Johnson, chef extraordi-
nary, rather would go back to his
former occupation as carpenter.
He would like to throw away
his pots and pans and reach for
a hammer.
Johnson is an unusual cook. In
stead Of receiving a large salary,
in view of the thousands for
whom he daily prepares meals, he
receives no salary at all.
Instead of measuring with
teacup, as do housewives, his
cooking requires use of bushel
containers for measures.
His task is simplified, somewhat,
by the fact his guests are not too
particular.
He receives no orders for Spe-
cial salads or delicacies out of sea-
son. The menu, in fact, decidedly
is limited, consisting usually of
soup, coffee, milk and bread, with
now and then a few raw turnips,
or other such delicacy left over
in making soup.
johnson is head cook at the
kitchen of the City Employees Re-
lief fund, on Maryland street,
near Alabama street.
II GOT a job here last March,
l. after I had been out of work
almost year, and had spent all
my savings" Johnson explained.
Il started out as a general helper.
Then the cook received nearly $500
bonus from the government, and
quit to have good time. I got
his job. The former cook was
back in three days with 35 cents
in his pocket; but I kept the job.
I had cooked in several reStau-
rants, but my last regular work
was in Chicago, where I piled my
old trade as carpenter. I'd like
to be back on that job. I'd rather
use a hammer and saw than a
pairing knife and soup ladle.
I'm a way, I like this job; it
makes me feel that I am doing
something for lot of poor devils,
hungry and out of work, like I
was before came here. They
never kick about the food.
There are twenty of us work.
ing from 5 a. m. to 10 p. m. in the
kitchen. We don't get any pay,
but we do get all we want to eat,
cots to sleep on, enough clothing
to hold us together, tobacco now
and then, and once in a while we
get passes to movie"
II
THE kitchen was started last
L winter, city employees giving l
per cent of their salaries monthly
to finance it. Recently, county
employees voted to join in the
financial support.
Approximately two thirds of the
foodstuffS used in the kitchen are
donated, according to w. Harrison
Marsh, who helped organize the
kitchen, and has served as man
ager without pay.
"One ice cream company has
given us 10000 gallons of fresh
milk since we started" he said.
"A bread company has contributed
fifteen tons of bread in a year.
I'VE pay only one and one
half cents pound for the bread
we ned, beyond what is donated.
Commission merchants bring
us perishableS to be used in soup
at the end of the day. Sometimes
a commission merchant will send
us truck load of food"
n
OVEN use of the building, gas.
Alights and water are donated.
The money contributed by city
and county employees is used to
buy such foodstuffs as are not
donated.
Back in Johnson'S kitchen
large wash tubs filled with pota-
toes, onions, celery and other
articles may be seen.
THAT will go into tomorrow's
SOUP" Johnson explains. ION al
ternate days we serve bean soup
and vegetable soup for dinner.
Every evening we serve tomato
soup. 1t is made of puree of to-
mato, water and milk,
To-day we served about $50
gallons of soup for the noon meal.
In making vegetable soup we use
about six bushels of potatoes, six
bushels of carrots, three bushels
of chopped celery. two bushels of
onions, two barrels of cabbage
and eight bushels of turnips.
TINE bean soup, requiring
l. from 200 to 300 pounds of
beans, is favored with the best of
jowl bacon, and the vegetable
soup with OK tails. It's doggone
good soup
I'VE use approximately 1000
gallons of milk a day and 500
pounds of coffee a week"
Majority of the food is dis
pensed to heads of families who
take it home in buckets.
Every one who applies is given
food, at least until their WORTH
ness and need has been investi-
gated, Marsh said.