A Good Age: Seniors in Hingham learn to perfect a delectable Christmas dinner

HINGHAM – Joyce Bethoney has easily prepared more than 60 Christmas dinners in her lifetime.

So when she had to choose a menu for her Joyful Kitchen cooking class at the Hingham senior center last week, happily meeting again in person, she had no trouble selecting the recipe: chateaubriand, roasted potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and a mushroom gravy for the main dish.

"This is a really tender beef and it is one of the most delectable dishes on this planet," she said as she rubbed salt, pepper and olive oil onto the nearly 2-pound center cut of chateaubriand.

It's our 24th year: Let's join hearts and hands - can you contribute to The Patriot Ledger's Lend a Hand fund?

Bethoney has given dozens of monthly classes at the senior center since 2018.

When COVID struck, the center switched to the Zoom video platform and Bethoney taught from her home kitchen. But last Thursday, in a trial run, class members returned to the center's dining room and watched Bethoney on a large-screen TV as she worked in the kitchen area one room over. Two iPads mounted on tripods in the kitchen filmed her as she cooked.

If anyone had a question, class member Ellen Bradford opened the kitchen door and relayed it to Bethoney. Everyone wore masks except when enjoying the meal at the end of the two-hour class.

"Is your mouth watering yet?" Bethoney asked as she first prepared the appetizer, fig spread and cream cheese on homemade pita chips, and handed it out. Later, for dessert, they had a surprise: Bethoney brought in her homemade Lebanese specialty baklava, with more to take home.

As she sliced, chopped and seasoned, Bethoney gave tips on where she got the organic fig spread, how she made the pita chips and where she buys her meat and olive oil.

She worked quickly, thinking one step ahead. She sliced mushrooms for the gravy while the roasted beef was resting on top of the oven. She relayed funny butcher stories – the people who didn't remove the string that holds the meat together during cooking and ate the "chewy" beef, string intact – and put in a plug for "a good pair of tongs."

One pot wonders: As the aroma drifted through the building, people began to pop their heads in the door

Cooking with Joyce: Joyce & friends cook a favorite Lebanese dish

Jennifer Young, director of the center, decided to bring back the in-person class.

"We wanted to find a way to keep everybody as safe as possible," Young said.

Terry McDonald, administrative assistant, and Necia O'Neill, office manager, played key roles handling equipment, lining up cameras and setting up the room.

The seven class members – Ellen Bradford, Stephen Gill, Teri Eaton, Anne MacDonald, Barbara Kahane, Mary Takki and myself – learned easily with the new format.

"This is a breakthrough, entirely different," Bethoney said.

After 90 minutes, dinner was served. Members raved about the tenderness of the beef, the taste of the roasted vegetables.

"It came out great and I did learn a lot from her," Stephen Gill said. "It was time well spent. She answered all our questions and was well prepared."

Gill gave Bethoney "an A" and said, "It was a complete meal. In a restaurant it would cost a lot more than $25, and you'd have to go to a really fancy restaurant."

Bradford has taken most of Bethoney's courses. Before COVID, she said, "the students would be in the kitchen at her side, sharing the chores and duties, constantly cleaning up. I couldn't believe how well this was done considering she had to do it all herself."

Bethoney, a former Weymouth elementary school teacher, says her goal is to encourage more seniors to feel confident that they can prepare simple, nutritious and delicious meals.

A Good Age: How Norwell girls soccer team gained its biggest fan, 93-year-old Hingham man

Dec. 17: Proof that not all Ledger reporters are Grinches; a story of Christmas giving

"Food brings people together and making food and sitting down to a meal with friends and family is all about love and sharing," she said. "It is a way of remembering our past and those have gone before us."

In 1954, Bethoney's parents started a popular Lebanese restaurant called The Red Fez in Boston's South End and ran it until 1988. Bethoney, who lived above the restaurant at 1222 Washington St., helped out in the kitchen below, starting at age 9.

"I always loved to cook and, as I got older, I got more into it," she said. "This class today was such a wonderful group effort with the staff there. I was so impressed with their willingness to help."

For more information about the classes, call 781-741-1458 or visit the Hingham Elder Services web site.

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

See more Cooking with Joyce classes.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Christmas dinner at the Hingham Senior Center with Joyce Bethoney