Prayer in action
Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”
On most Sunday afternoons, the front porch has come to symbolize strong communities and conversation. A generation’s ideals born right there on the wrap-around, began with big family dinners, apple pie on the sideboard and lots of love. A social thing of long afternoons or star gazers alike; porches became our inheritance and like an inheritance, Grace was ever present.
Like a wind that is always blowing, the Grace that is Brenda Lee Lanois-Legault, could light up a room.
From an early age, Brenda sought to be of service to others from a gift showered down from her mother, Lula (Merpaw). The middle girl of 6, Lula was raised by her sister. With an ailing mother, she often went hungry, but despite this, her family had inherent talents sent down from God.
From a generation of waste not-want not, Lula was a great cook. She loved to feed people, especially at Christmas. She didn’t want anyone to be alone at Christmas. Lula loved people, but more than anything, she loved going fishing. Often, when her husband Conrad came home from the night shift at T.C.F., they’d go fish together in Lancaster until almost dinnertime. A summertime feast, prized to this day- everyone loved Perch.
Growing up in Crysler, Ontario, Conrad Lanois was the baby in his family. A respected Veteran, he valued life from dawn till dusk. For those Anglophones, Lanois in French means ‘the nut’ but for Conrad, a big part of his personality as Mr. Peanut, was a role he took very seriously.
Always singing or joking, Conrad was open minded but stern with the truth. There for the kids, he gave direction, especially during hard times. His common sense served the family well.
Growing up in Lancaster and Cornwall, Brenda is a people person extraordinaire. As a teen, she dropped out of school to work at Cornwall Spinners with her mother. Despite earning good money, Brenda went back to school for her GED, followed by a Social Service Worker certificate from Saint Lawrence College. Her time working with intellectually disabled children and adults was a deeply felt, cellular feeling.
Brenda’s older sister Darlene was a large influence in her life, getting her through some tough years. Speaking with her father about it, Brenda was overcome with his analogy of the Prodigal Son.
At 30, Brenda met and fell in love with Gilles Legault. Looking for a spiritual kind of guidance through prayer, she found it while visiting her younger twin sisters at their home. In her mother’s kitchen, Brenda loved cooking for her sibling’s weddings and family reunions.
When Brenda married Gilles, she invested in a small Diner business, but after 13 months, it fell through. After much soul-searching, the couple saw a future in long-haul trucking where they could work together as a team. Driving through the United States and parts of Canada, the pair worked 10-22 days on the road, and then home for 4-5.
Over time, the job wore them down, but despite the devastating setback of losing the Diner, grew the early days of Cold Platter Catering. A business near and dear to Brenda’s heart: it brought her parent’s ideals full circle. She and Gilles joined a small community church and were later baptized as born-again Christians.
Eventually, the pair left trucking and focused on catering full-time. Moving the business from Saint Andrews West to its present location at 501 Campbell Street with its commercial kitchen, was no small feat. Including hot platters from the strictly cold platter portion of the business, made sense. https://www.coldplattercatering.com/ index.htm
In 2017, Brenda knew she’d made it when the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Alexandria, hired her to cater their Remembrance Day Ceremonies. From a Veteran’s standpoint, this was Prayer in action. Two very good people doing what they most obviously love, is a soul purpose. A philosophy making strangers feel welcome through food, can change history.
During the Pandemic, Brenda contracted Covid so badly she was in the ICU for 24 days. Considering how this usually assured, strong-willed woman, could linger in their healing with delicate ease, gives pause to the ordinary luxuries of life.
A person who would do anything to help anyone, Brenda asks herself, what she would pay for her own platters. Selecting items by hand, she oftentimes adds a few extra adornments as a personal touch. This homemade aspect is a legacy worth celebrating. Like an angel in disguise, remembering the Lord on Sunday is a balm for the hungry of spirit.
Copyright © Lisa Gray
