Mortuary Cuisine

Sammy Oakey, President, Oakey's Funeral Service & Crematory

As the saying goes ”the only two sure things in life are death and taxes,” both topics are indeed guaranteed, but kinda depressing to think about. Let’s throw another item into the mix that’s equally essential but a bit more fun to talk about: food!

 I don’t know where other businesses prioritize eating on lists of importance, but at Oakey’s, it’s  high up there on our “to do” list! Walk into our South Chapel any morning and you’ll know whether or not Mac McKinney is working based on whether or not a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts is laying on the kitchen table. And I can usually tell whether or not the night crew at our downtown chapel has made a Texas Tavern run during the night…the pungent smell of chili and onions wafts thru the dispatcher’s office as workers come on duty in the morning. Hey, I just said “food.” I never claimed we were training for the Olympics around here!

 While many of us bring our own lunches to work each day, the contingent sending out for “to go” orders begin plotting their culinary strategy around 9:30 A.M. Talk of which restaurant to go to, what the specials are, prices, and menu content pick up in frequency until they reach a fever pitch around 11:00. Then, it’s onto the process of gathering orders (and money!) from everyone and taking flak from those not liking the ultimate choice of where their sustenance is going to be coming from. Next is deciding what patsy, I mean volunteer, will be going to fetch the viddles. I’m sure valley citizens just love coming in behind one of our staff at a cafe’s cash register as they pay for ten separate lunch orders!

 Of course getting lunch is just a small part of chowing down at Oakey’s. The best cooks in Roanoke work here, and it’s not unusual for one of our talented staff to bring in a dish or two they whipped up at home for our at-work dining experience. Covered dish luncheons in our company kitchen should be televised by the Food Network! Sometimes we do hot dog (vegi dogs for me) or baked potato days, and the firm provides lunch for all the staff. During the holidays, our consumption of cookies, cake, pies, and chocolate would cause a dietician to pass out.

~ by oakeys on August 24, 2009.