At The Table With Phoenixville’s Ryan Conroy.
Ryan Conroy was born in Phoenixville after his parents moved from Royersford to his great-grandparents’ house on High Street. He graduated from the Phoenixville Area High School in 2000. He belongs to the new millennium of “go-getters.” Ryan recalls the revitalization of the Colonial Theater being his first awareness to Phoenixville’s up-swing.
Ryan’s expertise is in writing and photographing his love of history and all things that are connected. He is currently the chairman of the Phoenixville Historical Society. He is the society’s media guy. The society is known for its walking tours throughout the town. Quarterly meetings are open to the public. The society is housed in the old Central Church at Church and Main streets. For research and browsing, it is open Wednesday and Fridays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the first Sunday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m., along with being open for First Friday”.
A funny twist is Ryan and his girlfriend, Marissa, met at a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Jim Thorpe, Pa. It seems Marissa was about to move to Phoenixville from Bridgeport. After that fateful day 3½ years ago, today they live with their two cats, Sadie and Blue, near his parents. Also living on the “north side” is sister Brittany and her family.
He is active in many of the town’s events, along with checking out the eateries and breweries. It is an easy walk over the “high bridge” into town. With all things going on in his life, he finds time to go to work for Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia.
Ryan is very proud of his ethnic background of Polish, German and Irish with a little Hungarian throw in. He is very active in the Polish Club, living across the street from the facility. He recalls the good food he found in his family’s kitchen while growing up and the time he spent there. The house was filled with multiple generations of family. The kitchen offered a variety of foods, especially Polish and German fare.
REDBEETEGGS
For 3 dozen in one-gallon jar 3 doz. hard-boiled eggs Sugar 3 cans sliced red beets Whole cloves Sweet onions (optional) White vinegar Black pepper (optional) Hard boil eggs, and allow to cool. Pour enough sugar in jar so that it just covers the bottom (about ½ inch to ¾ inch). Pour in just enough very hot water to dissolve sugar. Stir until water is clear. Add contents of two cans of sliced beets along with the juice of third can. Toss in a pinch or two of whole cloves. Add vinegar to taste. Usually pour some vinegar in and start tasting it; it is good when it’s still kind of sweet, but at the same time it gives you a “twist in your jaw” (you’ll know when you taste it). If adding onions, slice them very thin and toss them in mixture.
Add all the peeled hard-boiled eggs you can fit in the jar (should fill to the top). If there is space, add remaining red beets from third can. Seal top. Place in refrigerator. If you are using a tightly sealed gallon jar, place the jar in the refrigerator upsidedown for the first day then flip it upright on the second day and continue to keep upright until the day of serving. Usually should soak for at least three days.
Enjoy!
Let me hear fromyou: banjack303@verizon.net. Search YouTube for “Look Who’s Cooking with Bette Banjack,” as well phoenixvillenews.com (search bar: Banjack) for this column. Find Bette on Facebook by searching “Bette Banjack’s Downtown Kitchen.”