The Secret To Grace Church’s Lobster Rolls «

CLIP (DAN PASHMAN): Where are we today? What’s going on here?

CLIP (SANDY PRATT): Where are we? We are at Grace Church on the island of Martha’s Vineyard and we are preparing to do our weekly Friday night lobster roll extravaganza.

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Dan Pashman: Every Friday night in the summer, this small episcopal church, on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, sells lobster rolls in their parish hall. But this is not your typical church fundraiser.

Sandy Pratt: Last week we sold 1400 lobster rolls … 

Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS] 

Sandy Pratt: Out of this kitchen

Dan Pashman: Wow.

Dan Pashman: I grew up coming to Martha’s Vineyard every summer with my family. And we’ve been eating these lobster rolls for years. Now in case you’re not familiar, at its essence, a lobster roll is chunks of lobster meat with mayo, on a hot dog bun. Let me tell you, the ones at Grace Church are special.

Captain Ralph Joseph: Look at it. It’s nothing but giant chunks of lobster with maybe enough mayonnaise to make the chunks stick together. You sink your teeth in it. It’s so fresh you can actually taste the brine. Have you had one?

Dan Pashman: Oh, absolutely.

Captain Ralph Joseph: [LAUGHS] Then why are you asking me?

[LAUGHING]

Dan Pashman: The lobster rolls at Grace Church draw people from all walks of life on the Vineyard — not just the faithful members of Grace Church:

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Bob: Don’t tell our rabbi … 

Cheryl: Don’t tell our rabbi … 

Bob: Where we go on Friday nights …

[LAUGHING] 

Speaker 1: You haven’t been to the Vineyard unless you’ve been to Grace Church on Fridays.

Susan Eibner: This became more than just a fundraiser. Churches have fundraisers, but what I saw was a community building. And anything that’s a community builder is a ministry. 

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Dan Pashman: This is The Sporkful, it’s not for foodies it’s for eaters, I’m Dan Pashman. Each week on our show we obsess about food to learn more about people. This week as we kick off summertime, I’m…