Annual VFW steak lunch allows hands-on cooking

Jul 10, 2023

The overwhelming opinion at the Veterans of Foreign Wars steak cookout on July 9 was that steak cooked well done is best.

That preference was easy to achieve, as attendees were allowed to cook their own steaks over a large coal grill. The $25 ticket also included a baked potato, salad, roll and corn on the cob.

“We’ve [sold] about 76 tickets out of 100, so we’re doing good,” said Peter Battistelli, who likes his steak medium well and is a VFW member who helped organize the event.

Anyone was able to get a ticket to participate in the cookout. The salad and rolls were donated by the Dartmouth Texas Roadhouse.

People yelled from the bar to Roadhouse manager Charlotte Green, that her salad was “delicious.”

The VFW ladies served the sides in the event hall. They explained that people cook their own steaks so there are no complaints if they are not how they like.

Shaun Sylvia said that his steak was slightly more well done than he prefers because he ran up to talk to people at the bar while his steak was cooking.

The money raised from the cookout goes back to the VFW’s efforts to support veterans in the community. They work with other organizations and government bodies like the Council on Aging, the Veterans Service Office, and the Veterans Advisory Board, and take part in various ceremonies.

In August there will be a chicken cookout, hosted by the VFW ladies. At that cookout, the chicken is grilled by volunteers to prevent any rare chicken wings.