St. Edward's Catholic Church's Corcoran Center is one of the busiest and most desirable establishments in Austin to hold dinners, special gatherings and wedding receptions. Sue Biehauser is in charge of the Corcoran Center kitchen. It is a bevy of activity with the many volunteers who help out with the preparing of the dinners, setting and clearing tables and doing dishes.

Biehauser buys the food that is prepared and served for the events. She purchases high-quality restaurant food and tries out delectable desserts from different food services. Biehauser is in charge of the bookings for the Corcoran Center and they are all booked up for 2003 and the dates are filling fast for 2004.

"We can seat up to 400 people in the dining room. Most groups average 250 people. When we have Saturday night dinners or weddings, it is a long day. After we are finished with the clean up in the kitchen, the help and I sit and talk and laugh," Biehauser said.

The Corcoran Center has a network of volunteers, whom Biehauser relies heavily on for the dinners to go smoothly. Joan Aho calls parishioners for dining room help. Ginny Peterson is in charge of getting the tables set the day before the event.

Maxine Halbach, who lives in Austin but is originally from a farm near Lyle, raised 13 children and now spends much of her time helping out at the Corcoran Center. She arrived at 9 a.m. the day before an event to set up tables. Halbach came back the next day to help in the kitchen for a noon lunch. She was staying until the last dish was put away which would be around 3 p.m. Martha Ott was in charge of cooking rice for this particular event.

"We don't have a hard time getting people to help out here," Biehauser said. "We don't schedule events for Mother's Day or the Fourth of July, as we couldn't get help during those dates. But we are busy almost every weekend during the summer."

Men of the parish come in and help with the heavier work of doing dishes. Children of the parish help serve at functions.

"We enjoy the people we work with and helping others. This is a fun group of people," Martha Ott said.

Biehauser comes with a wealth of experience from her employment with the school district's food service. Judy Gergen, who also helps out at the Corcoran Center, worked with the school food service as well. Most of the recipes they prepare are ones they have memorized. Gergen said she is in the process of putting together a church cookbook along with Carol Schoullmeier.

Millie King has been a member of St. Ed's since 1960.

"The whole parish helps out here.

I've been helping since before the present church was built," she said.

Becky Beckstrand and her husband Brian moved to Austin four years ago from California and they help out at the Corcoran Center.

"This is one way to meet people, actually it is the best way, volunteering your time. This is our social life and our way into heaven," Beckstrand said.

Biehauser laughed and said, "We won't be cooking in heaven after all the cooking we've done here. We don't want to go to hell because you'll really be cooking there."

The volunteers at St. Ed's have formed deep friendships and look forward to their time together in this bright and cheerful kitchen. All are welcome here and Biehauser said, "No one gets fired."

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2233 or by e-mail at newsroom@austindailiyherald.com