NEBRASKA CITY (SNR) – Father Thomas Schultes, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Nebraska City, thought the upcoming feast of St. Joseph March 19 would be a fitting time to share a St. Joseph tradition with his parishioners: Zeppole di San Giuseppe, or “St. Joseph’s Pastries.”
Father Schultes first had Zeppole as a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia – which, coincidentally, was the same major seminary his brother priests serving the parish attended: assistant pastor Father Timothy Danek and priest in residence Father Jonathan Haschke, chief administrative officer at Lourdes Central School.
The tradition of making and sharing Zeppole on St. Joseph’s Day was strong in the nearby Italian sections of Philadelphia, and made an impact on the priests’ memories of their seminary days.
St. Mary Parish typically has a fundraising soup supper each spring, but it was called off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Father Schultes said the event was still in doubt again this spring.
“So we try something new,” he said.
The something new is a COVID-friendly drive-thru sale of Zeppole.
Zeppole, he explained, come from the Campagna region of Italy. They are sugar-topped, fried balls of dough, and different varieties are filled with cream, custard, ricotta cheese or jelly – similar to a cream puff, but much larger, about 4 inches in diameter. Zeppole are known by other names, including Bignè di San Giuseppe (in Rome), St. Joseph’s Day cake, and sfinge.
But who could recreate the traditional treats for the people of eastern Nebraska?
Father Schultes found ideal assistance in Cindy Monson, food service director at Lourdes Central School. Monson has been with the “Lunch Bunch” – the affectionate nickname for the school lunch staff – for five years, and is in her first year as director. However, she isn’t just a dedicated worker and familiar face – she also has a degree in culinary arts and is a trained pastry chef.
At the school, she creates the menu and develops new, from-scratch recipes for the hot lunch program. After owning and operating a restaurant with her husband for more than 12 years, she enjoys getting to continue to utilize those skills.
“I love a culinary challenge,” she said. When Father Schultes first approached her with the idea of making Zeppole, he held out his phone with a picture of a “St. Joseph’s Cake” and asked if she had ever heard of them.
“I hadn’t, but I read the description of what it was,” she said. “It sounded fabulous. Then he asked if I thought it would be a crazy idea to try to make, ‘say… 300?’ I told him that would be a piece of cake, no pun intended!”
That night she did a lot of reading and research, and by the following week, she was ready to make up a test batch.
“The secret,” she explained, “is the homemade vanilla pastry cream: a mixture of egg yolks, whole milk and sugar.”
Oddly, one of the greatest challenges was not one she expected. The cakes are topped with a maraschino cherry, and finding a jar of maraschino cherries in town was harder than making the dessert.
“Who knew there would be a cherry shortage on Super Bowl weekend?” she said.
When it comes to a new recipe, especially an authentic one, Monson said, she likes to look at two or three recipes and combine them into one, making an original. The first test round was served to Father Schultes and members of the parish council.
“The first batch I made for Father was a winner,” she said. “I think it took him right to the streets of Philly.”
She said Father Schultes hopes the community loves these as much as he and his brother priests, and would like to sell them throughout the “Year of St. Joseph.”
“After this first fundraiser round,” Monson said, “I would like to add in a couple other flavors. Caramel and mocha sound like a fun thing to try, but I’m always open for suggestions.”
For now, Monson is preparing for the March 19 fundraiser.
“With the delicate nature of the Pâte à Choux – the puff shell – they cannot be made more than a day in advance,” Monson said, but she’s looking forward to it.
Father Schultes is lining up helpers to assemble and distribute the pastries – helpers like Mary Mills, a parish council member who works in the lunchroom as well. Another member of the “Lunch Bunch,” she actually ran the lunch program for almost 30 years prior to Monson. Mills was the first volunteer and has been helping with the curbside planning.
“I’m excited to see how a drive-thru distribution works,” Monson said. “It’s worked well for the Knights of Columbus fish fries.”
Monson is a member of St. Bernard Parish in Julian, about 15 minutes south of Nebraska City, but as the lunchroom is located at St. Mary Parish, and her children attending Lourdes Central, she said St. Mary “is like my second parish.”
“The people of St. Mary’s have been very generous to the school lunch program,” she said, “with donations of fresh produce or volunteering in the lunchroom, so this a way I can help them in return. I was so excited to be asked to work on this project.”
The cakes will be sold two for $12, or five for $25. As only 300 will be made, pre-payment reserves one’s order. Forms are available at the parish, or by sending payment via Venmo to Father Schultes (@Thomas-Schultes-1).
Father Schultes reminded parishioners that the Feast of St. Joseph is a solemnity in the Church, a day to celebrate, even though it falls in Lent.
“March 19 is a Friday of Lent, but guess what, St. Joseph Feast Day is of utmost importance in the Church, so we should all celebrate that day and can break those Lenten promises – especially in the year of St. Joseph, as declared by Pope Francis,” he said.
