Monroeville church’s fish fry tradition continues

There are just a few weeks left for folks to tell their priest, deacon or fire chief their fish sandwich could use some extra tartar sauce.

The last Lenten fish fry at St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville is on Good Friday.

Dozens of volunteers put in countless hours cooking and serving the various foods and baked goods available to patrons and parishioners.

Members of the church’s men’s club, Klub Karadjordje, tend to the hand-breaded fish, shrimp and other goods in the kitchen. They have been involved with the fish fry fundraising effort for more than 20 years.

“I love the team and we do good things for our church,” said Mark Markoff of Wilmerding, club vice president.

The club is named after Serbian revolutionary leader George Petrovic, who helped spearhead the fight for independence from the Turks more than two centuries ago.

Fish fry patrons are encouraged to start placing phone orders the Thursday before, starting at noon, to ensure the best chance of getting what they want.

More than 250 pounds of fish are served each night, and side dishes such as homemade haluski are known to sell out in a little more than an hour due to popular demand.

The fish fry layout underwent some renovations last year.

The dessert line was moved to the opposite end of the hall to help with social distancing and reduce the crowd by the main food line. Sweets were closer to the main entrance than in previous years.

Baked goods include coconut cake, pound cake, banana bread, cookies, lemon bars, palachinka and posno, a vegan spice bar.

Also, the dessert line has its own checkout counter, where volunteers like MaryAnn Tomich can be found. She is assisted by her daughter, Alexis Janiga, and granddaughter, Maria Janiga.

“We are a church family,” Tomich said. “There’s only one liturgy. Everybody that goes to church here goes to church at the same time. There’s one service. It’s so great to be able to pass customs and traditions down from one generation to the next. It’s a great thing. It’s nice that we all work together.”

Tomich baked a triple chocolate cake and posno. She said several of the desserts offered are made with almond milk for those avoiding dairy products and byproducts.

Dessert per piece is between $1 and $2, depending on the item.

Multiple volunteers said they are grateful for the community support. No financial goals have been set this season.