The dozen or so occupants of the recreation department van outside Lebanon City Hall had been waiting patiently for me to get there. I was the last to board.
The destination: lunch at the Claremont Senior Center. Despite the van, the group’s name is the Cadillac Cuisine Club. It’s sponsored by the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, but it did indeed start with a Cadillac, owned by the late Donna Cornelius. Along with Hedy Anderegg, Cornelius started the lunch group in 2003 as a way to visit new places and try new food.
Even though the Cadillac is no longer involved, the name stuck.
I was seated next to Helen Pembricks, of Lebanon, and we quickly got into a friendly conversation.
Krissy Flythe, the city’s recreation coordinator, drove to the Claremont Senior Center. It’s a route she knew quite well. Claremont is a favorite destination for the group.
“My goal, essentially, is to have a full van,” Flythe said. That’s usually not hard to accomplish. Many of the traveling diners are regulars.
When the group goes to Littleton, N.H., they fit in a stop at a well-known candy counter. “I try to vary it up,” Flythe said.
The trip is free; participants only need to pay for lunch, which that day was $5. A long table with a “Reserved” sign greeted the “Caddy Cuisine Club” in the Claremont Senior Center’s dining room.
I sat next to Flythe and across from Pembricks, 74, and Freda Washburn, of Canaan.
(When I asked Washburn if I could ask how old she quipped, “Yes you may, but that’s it,” to laughter from other members of the group.)
Lunch was biscuits with chicken and vegetables, with apple crisp for dessert.
“We’ve got a nice group for the Cadillac Cuisine,” Washburn said. “I like the different kinds of food they serve. It’s good for the palate.”
It’s also good for conversation, which continued throughout the meal. We talked about the different businesses listed on the placemats, spring, upcoming plays and activities, families, and the things we love about the Upper Valley.
The group was the last to leave the dining room.
“I try to just slow it down and not rush,” Flythe said as members sipped from cups of coffee and tea. “It’s very easy to eat and go.”
While the meals are what brings the group together, they stick for something greater: the comfort that comes in being with people for shared experiences.
“I go to all of them. It’s a chance to go out inexpensively,” said Suzanne Meagher, 76, of Lebanon. “We have fun.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
