Photo by Nora Edinger
Eric and Jennifer Fedczak of Wheeling divide and conquer when it comes to turning out themed feasts for summertime events such as graduation open houses. Jennifer does the event planning and decorating. Eric does the cooking.

WHEELING — Figuring out just how many heads of cabbage it will take to make coleslaw enough for that looming graduation open house can make even seasoned home cooks start Googling “food trucks near me.”

But, a family that’s been there and done that in the full-on, home-kitchen way three times in the last decade said it can be done.

“Just make it as easy as possible,” advised Eric Fedczak, home cook extraordinaire by night and a lab scientist who specializes in flavorings by day. “If you go complicated, then you’re pulling your hair out.”

Eric and wife Jennifer Fedczak advise newbies at preparing food for open houses and other large-scale summer events to focus on a “bar” of some sort.

Think tacos with all the toppings and a hefty amount of Mexican-style rice on the side, pasta with all the possibilities and a mongo salad, or baked potatoes ready for a pile on, said Jennifer, who does the event planning and decorating for family blowouts.

LEIDERHOSEN, ANYONE?

Not that the Fedczaks need to keep it simple anymore. Twenty years into serious party production and cake making, they can go all out and have the spaetzli to prove it.

“Sydney loves (the Disney movie) ‘Rapunzel,’ ” Jennifer said of the 2022 Wheeling Park High School graduation that sparked their final and most complicated open house menu. “But, she didn’t want it to look like a 6 year old’s birthday party.”

A summertime oktoberfest met the need. Eric whipped up soft pretzels, German potato salad, sauerkraut, a red cabbage dish, potato pancakes, a couple kinds of brats, meat and veggie balls in a red wine gravy and spaetzli (a dumpling).

Jennifer set the mood with German candies on tables and multiple thematic nods to the movie that showed up in both decor and desserts.

“She (Sydney) made hand pies, but we also made chocolate chip cookies,” she said of two such elements.

Their first open house – daughter Savannah’s in 2014 – had Americana themes that gave a nod to the Patriots mascot. That menu featured classic picnic foods. When daughter Emmie graduated in 2019, there was a Hawaiian vibe as she had recently been to the Aloha state on a high school chorus trip.

“She brought back some smoked salt,” Eric noted, practically rubbing his hands with glee at the memory of tapping into an authentic flavor for that particular meal.

PARTY PLANNING

Emmie’s Hawaiian theme was a bit of a turning point, Jennifer noted. The family had a slew of birthday parties and holiday meals under their belt, but this was the first time the couple had tried a fully themed menu that was large scale. They considered bringing in the pros.

“We wanted to do a pig, but we couldn’t find anyone to do it that didn’t charge like $900,000,” Jennifer explained. “So, we just did it ourselves.”

The result ranged from pulled pork to sweet potato salad to fruity drinks. And, as for all the Fedczak parties, there was a vegetarian entree.

Producing that much food and entertaining dozens of guests in their backyard was not without a learning curve, Eric noted. After a couple of decades of trial and error, he said they’ve developed a system and a collection.

They borrow some things – like tables, chairs and some chafing dishes – from church. They own other things – including high-volume drink dispensers, a large tent and a pergola with a built-in serving bar the family gifted Jennifer with on a recent Mother’s Day.

They keep time in mind. Party plans sometimes begin with theme, menu selections and recipe research/development being done months ahead of time.

Jennifer tends to handle the theming and decor side of things, including decorating the elaborate cakes they often produce for such events. The daughters pitch in wherever needed. Eric focuses on the literal meat and potatoes.

“What I want to know is, ‘Did it taste good?’ ” he said.

That team approach turned out to be critical for Sydney’s 2022 open house, they noted.

The double derecho that struck the city that year left the Fedczaks without power until about 48 hours before the party. They did some meal prep in borrowed kitchens and were still making some of the classic German dishes the morning before the event.

Which prompted Jennifer to offer another tip: Schedule summertime parties after the heat of the day has passed. Go for late afternoon or early evening.

SWEET SIDE

While the family loves donuts for special occasions, Jennifer and Eric have become as well known for their elaborate cakes as for their savory party fare.

“They’re really over the top,” Eric said, noting he uses primo ingredients such as high-end vanilla to make sure cakes taste good, as well. “They’re really nice-looking cakes, but we’ve come a long way.”

Indeed, one cake that Jennifer did a few years back was the Ohio County Country Fair grand champion. It was a replica of spaghetti and meatballs done with banana cake, chocolate truffles, lots of pasta-like icing and a strawberry sauce.

There have been cakes that looked like rubber ducky tubs, cakes wrapped with fondant green peas in the pod and, recently, a massive tiered cake that was a chocolate/vanilla split from the inside out.

“We had to drive it to Canonsburg. Sydney and I were in the back seat with the cake on a board in between us,” Eric recalled of the latter cake, which was made for Jennifer’s sister’s birthday.

People tend to have a big response to both the party spreads and such cakes, the couple noted. Guests, in fact, occasionally suggest the couple take their event production professional, but Eric and Jennifer said they have no plans to quit their day jobs.

“It’s something we enjoy doing, and we were afraid if we did it for a living it might suck the joy out of it,” Jennifer said.

They also have no intention of doing weddings, should those start rolling around among their daughters anytime soon.

All three young women have been hinting that mom and dad should do their cakes. Eric and Jennifer said they might do a groom’s cake or a cookie bar, but that would be it.