Aaron Chatha

Multimedia Journalist

In 1982, the ladies of Crowfoot gathered over 250 recipes from community members and published a cookbook. Over the last year, Ann Scheer has been working on an update to the Crowfoot cookbook, which is has finally been completed in time for the 100 year anniversary of the Crowfoot School.

"It's been a favourite, it's a very well-loved book, I don't know if they'll even throw the old ones out," laughed Scheer, who is Crowfoot's resident historian.

The new Crowfoot Cookbook contains about 150 favourites from the old book, and over 300 hundred new ones gathered from current and former Crowfoot community members and their friends. For Scheer it has been a labour of love.

"It helps to connect people," Scheer said. "These days, it's hard to keep communities going, so, whatever it takes to keep people together. In some cases, there are three or four generations represented by the recipes in this book."

The book is also a homage to the original ladies who put together the first cookbook, featuring their pictures and names on the first page. There is a tribute to those ladies, who got together and bought the land when the school was closed, within the pages of the cookbook. With the help of Alan West, the end of the book also features a robust glossary, not only acting as a quick guide to let you know where to find every great cheesecake recipe and more in the book, but also dividing recipes by the community members who submitted them.

Both of them have a personal connection to the school and community. Scheer's husband's grandfather helped build the school 100 years ago, her daughter designed the cover to the original cookbook, which they are reusing for the updated edition, and West's father attended the school when it opened.

"These people came from all these ethnic backgrounds to settle and pioneer in this Crowfoot district," said Scheer. She included sections to represent this in the cookbook like The Travelling Meatball, where she collected meatball recipes from community members hailing from all over the world.

"This is not just your little old lady cookbook," Scheer explained. Recipes come from teenagers, from men, and for cooks with different levels of experience.

Each page includes tips, comments and thoughts for the day at the bottom, adding a dash of love to every page. There are also blank pages to include your own notes.

"There are lots of wonderful thoughts, like this one: look forward to becoming a little old lady, because they get away with everything," Scheer quoted.

The books will sell for $20 and proceeds will go towards the Crowfoot Community Association. They will be available at the Crowfoot School centennial celebration on June 30, at the Crowfoot school. For more information, email Ann Scheer at scheer13@telus.net.