Farewell, Chef Shawn & Welcome, Chef Sandy
by Cheyenne Rainford
Longtime ACR Health volunteer chef, Shawn Piscopo, served his final No Hitch Luncheon (No Hitch) on Thursday, Jun. 13, at the University United Methodist Church (UUMC) on East Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY.
Piscopo runs the No Hitch kitchen like a well-oiled machine. Watching him in action has been an incredible lesson in the value of hard work and focus.
When he isn’t serving his community, Piscopo works in the kitchen at Cheesecake Factory in Destiny USA. A recent promotion and resultant schedule change means a bittersweet ending to his time with ACR Health.
“I had the privilege of working with Shawn … for over a year,” says Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) Associate, Emily Overstrom. “[He is] always so kind and happy to be cooking with our volunteers. … [he] fed so many people in our community.”
No Hitch is held on the second Thursday of every month. No Hitch Luncheons are an opportunity to educate the community about ACR Health’s services and provide information.
UUMC provides kitchen facilities, food storage, and a space at the church’s front door where lunches can be distributed to the public. Additionally, lunches are delivered to the residents of Welch Terrace, a small apartment building “for consumers with HIV-related disabilities. [It is] owned by Welch Terrace Housing Development Fund, Inc. with management and program services provided by Helio Health,” explains the Helio Health website.
ACR Health’s crack team of No Hitch volunteers; Austell Antoine, Nanci Rhoades, Cheryl Goodwin, and Mary Hagemann, now need a new chef.
The initial anxiety over Piscopo’s departure was quickly assuaged as ACR Health Facilities Manager, Tony Ramaglino, reported that his mother, Sandy Ramaglino, might be interested in the opening.
Not one for the spotlight, Tony describes his mother as an introvert who prefers to work behind the scenes. “She kind of keeps to herself,” he says.
Starting around 1985, Sandy worked in event catering for Kowalski’s Country Inn, a family business operated by her mother, Gerry Kowalski, at the Syracuse Fairgrounds for 15 years.
On her first day in the No Hitch kitchen, Thursday, July 11, Sandy recalled with a grin how she used to help her mother prepare for the various banquets and benefits they catered for together. She spoke appetizingly of homemade pierogis and cabbage rolls, an homage to her family’s Polish heritage.
“When I make [cabbage rolls], I have to make two pans!” says Sandy. “They’ll [her family] eat them for the next three days!”
The aroma of baked ziti and dump cakes wafted from the No Hitch kitchen out into the UUMC’s main entrance. The team was joined by Northern New York (NNY) Q Center Coordinator and NNY Q Center Assistant, Michael Kelly and Katelyn Williams of ACR Health’s Watertown location.
Kelly and Williams set up shop on the church steps to provide information about the Q Center’s programs and services to the public. Beside them, Tony distributed lunches to passersby.
“There’s something really cool about seeing people in need enjoying my mom’s cooking just like I have my whole life,” said Tony.