People make the village - part 4 of the story series
Pictures: Minna Vauhkonen
Delicious school meals for generations
Hellu Lappi is a familiar face to many Kerkonkoski residents. She has fed two generations of children in the village. This spring, Hellu turned 22 years old as the cook at Kerkonjoki School, and it was time to retire. The timing was natural, because as the number of students at the school decreased, the food services were also reduced. With the transfer of the welfare area, the food supply for early childhood education, school children and upper secondary school students has been centralized in Rautalammi to Matti Lohi's central kitchen, from which lunch is transported to, among others, Kerkonjoki School.
Hellu used to prepare up to 80 lunches in the school kitchen. There were more students, but lunches were also prepared for the elderly in the village in the school kitchen, from where they were delivered warm to the elderly by a home delivery service. This year, this also changed, as the food services for the elderly were transferred to Servica.
There are challenges in outsourcing catering. Food is fuel for us, and children, if any, demand that it be tasty. It goes without saying that when food is prepared in your own kitchen for a smaller number of people, the quality is more like home-cooked food than ready-made food. Hellu knew and felt the students, and was able to plan the dishes accordingly. After trying some spices, the feedback was immediate and the next time the cook knew how to play it safe. “Pizzas and other things are part of the treat days. Children do know how to appreciate normal home-cooked food,” Hellu points out.
When autumn came, it was easy to get to know new students at Kerkonjoki School. In the small village, many of the children were already familiar to Hellu when they started school. If not, they might at least seem familiar because Hellu had already fed their sisters or even their parents in the past.
The school says: “All the holidays and seasons were reflected in the school canteen and food in many ways. There were chicks and eggs, Runeberg tarts, and on May Day, Hellu baked doughnuts and made mead until it was sold!” As expected, Christmas was also visible and tasted at Kerkonjoki School: “Perhaps the best memories are Hellu’s incredible gingerbread houses. At Christmas, she also made one for the school and decorated a gingerbread for each child in the surprise bag of the Advent calendar.
"In addition to her work, Hellu dressed the school canteen in a wonderful, Christmassy outfit, and throughout December, small additions were made to the hall. One day a broom appeared on the elf door, and the next day a new Christmas picture appeared in the hall, which was incredibly exciting for the children. The cook also knew how to keep the children "happy", and participated in the educational work by, for example, teaching them how to behave at a Christmas meal and trying new flavors.
The woodcutter woman doesn't seem to have a shortage of things to do even in retirement. Now that time constraints have been lifted, Hellu and her husband enjoy spending long periods of time at their cottage surrounded by a mountain birch forest in Kaamanen, Lapland, on the shores of Lake Syysjärvi. The journey to the cottage is 900 km, but the journey is worth it. Although the Kerkonkoski home is located in a beautiful location on the shores of Riitunlampi, Lapland offers a different way to escape from everyday life. Autumns are spent in the berry and mushroom forest, and the grandchildren are always looked after when necessary. In winter, Hellu's "knitting" kicks in and thanks to that, the family has remained in woolen socks. With six children and ten grandchildren, she even manages to knit a few pairs of socks.
It goes without saying that this everyday hero has remained in the fond childhood memories of many Kerkonkoski residents. Kerkonkoski thanks her for the past years and wishes Hellu a very enjoyable and busy retirement!
The author is Johanna Koponen, a project worker for the Kerkonkoski Ketterän Kerkolla Kylään project. The project has received Leader support from the Development Association Mansikka ry.
The purpose of this feel-good series is to make life in Kerkonkoski visible and bring the villagers closer to each other. The series introduces new and old acquaintances, those who have moved to the village and those who have lived there all their lives.