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![["The Swiss community of Helvetia, West Virginia began hosting its annual ramp supper sometime between 1946-1948 (Helvetia native Ernest Hofer who has been working at the supper for at least 40 years, wasnt sure of the exact date). The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Helvetia Community Hall Association and the Farm Womens Club. For weeks prior, volunteers, including local 4-H kids, work to wash and freeze 60 bushels of ramps, some of which are dug and donated by locals, and the rest are bought from a digger. On the Friday before the event, male volunteers gather outside to cook 400 lbs. of potatoes in iron kettles over a wood fire, while drinking homemade wine. Women volunteers work in the kitchen, cutting 300 lbs. of ham, making cornbread, cooking Navy beans, and defrosting ramps. The Helvetia Ramp Supper is always held the last Saturday in April and draws visitors from across the state and region. The dinner includes fried and fresh ramps, beans, ham, fried potatoes, applesauce, cornbread, coleslaw, drink, and dessert, which guests eat at long tables in the basement of the Helvetia Community Hall. After dinner, a square dance is held upstairs. The documentation of the Helvetia Ramp Supper is part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/Also see Emily Hilliards piece on Helvetias seasonal celebrations, including the Ramp Supper, via The Bitter Southerner: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginia and read her piece on the Ramp Supper via the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/05/27/rampfingerprints/For more information, visit: http://www.helvetiawv.com/Events/Helvetia_Ramps/Helvetia_Ramps.htm"]](/thumb/4224HelvetiaRampSupperPhoto02142816 "Bags of frozen ramps defrosting for the Helvetia Ramp Supper, 1 of 2")
- Identifier:
- 4224.HelvetiaRampSupper.Photo.021.4.28.16
- Title:
- Bags of frozen ramps defrosting for the Helvetia Ramp Supper, 1 of 2
- Date:
- 2016-04-28
- Creator:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- foodways, Wild leek, Helvetia (W. Va.), Food habits, Festivals, and Forage plants
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Henry Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1978. He is the daughter of Catherine Irene Mailloux and grand-daughter of Eleanor Mailloux, the co-founder of the Hutte. His daughter, Morgan Rice, was also interviewed for this project. Henry Rice cooks for the Hutte Sunday buffet, and works in construction. He is also an avid hunter, trapper, ginseng and ramp digger, morel mushroom hunter, and a collector of old bottles and other artifacts.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]](/thumb/4224RiceHenryVideo00143016 "Audio slideshow of Henry Rice, talking about digging ramps and working at the Hutte Swiss Restaurant in Helvetia")
- Identifier:
- 4224.RiceHenry.Video.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Audio slideshow of Henry Rice, talking about digging ramps and working at the Hutte Swiss Restaurant in Helvetia
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Rice, Henry
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Pickling, Cooking, Swiss, Swiss Americans, Helvetia (W. Va.), Forage plants, Restaurants--United States, Bakers, Restaurateurs, Cooking (Chicken), Wild leek, and Cooking (Sausages)
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Morgan Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1999. She is the daughter of Hutte cook Henry Rice, and great-granddaughter of town matriarch and co-founder of the Hutte restaurant, Eleanor Mailloux. Ms. Rice is a member of the Helvetia Farm Womens Club and works part-time as a waitress at the Hutte restaurant. In 2015 she created a petition to save Helvetias Ramp Supper.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]](/thumb/4224RiceMorganVideo00143016 "Audio slideshow of Morgan Rice talking about the Helvetia Ramp Supper")
- Identifier:
- 4224.RiceMorgan.Video.001.4.30.16
- Title:
- Audio slideshow of Morgan Rice talking about the Helvetia Ramp Supper
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Rice, Morgan
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Wild leek, foodways, Food habits, Forage plants, Swiss American women, Cooking, Swiss, and Helvetia (W. Va.)
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
