You could almost set one of Vickie Hertwig’s holiday grocery-shopping lists to “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
Ten pounds of bacon, nine pounds of onions, seven pounds of cheeses, four pounds of mushrooms, three pounds of spinach, … four dozen eggs.
There’s much more, of course, but that’s what it takes to knock out 30 quiches as a fundraiser for Historic Macon, which Vickie has done for about 10 years now. (Her record is 36, by the way.)
And so it begins …
It’s a labor of love, and as is often the case, the kitchen extravaganza has connections to Historic Macon’s Flea Market.
Each year, dozens of women and men give thousands of volunteer hours to pick up, sort, clean and price items donated to Historic Macon in preparation for the markets.
One year, “A couple of us wanted to do something for the volunteers and bring them lunch,” Vickie recalled. So they baked quiches, and the offerings were a big hit. Now, the practice has evolved into a holiday tradition that many folks look forward to as December rolls around on the calendar each year.
When the process begins, she always gets help from other Historic Macon friends. Janis Haley cooked spinach and grated the Swiss and feta cheese, and Susan Hewitt-Hardacre fried bacon.
In fact, Vickie didn’t have to tell Janis when she’d begun her own prep work. When the two were in the car for an outing this past weekend, Janis asked her point blank: “Have you been cooking onions?”
(Well, yes. About nine pounds.)
Yes, they’re that good.
And that’s the key: organization and preparation. Mise en place. On the scale that Vickie bakes, it takes much of the week to make sure the finished products are ready for delivery at the Cottage Christmas, which is coming up this Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Sidney Lanier Cottage.
“Everything always takes twice as long” as you expect, she said, laughing. But as with everything, “The more often you do it, the less daunting it is.”
Her contributions to Historic Macon don’t stop at the kitchen entrance, though. She moved to Macon from St. Petersburg, Fla., in 2001. (Her husband, the late Charlie Hertwig, grew up in Macon and lived here, which brought Vickie to Macon.) She had attended Eckerd College, then Stetson University’s law school, and had practiced law in Florida for 17 years, including real estate work.
That background and knowledge equipped her to help Historic Macon in a variety of ways, from board service and research on historic buildings to crafting National Register applications for new historic districts in Macon.
Years ago, she even served as a volunteer executive director of Historic Macon for about eight months.
She likes the people — and the mission. “I’ve always been interested in historic preservation,” she said.
"Vickie helps us in so many ways," said Ethiel Garlington, Historic Macon's executive director. "She is an invaluable member of our team and contributes so much to our mission. I don't know what we'd do without her."
Added Janis: “She’s such a great cook, and she loves to use that talent to help others. She inspires us to give back.”
(You may not be as good a cook as Vickie, but there are plenty of other ways to volunteer for Historic Macon and share your talents, and we’re always grateful for the help.)
Here’s the spinach, mushroom and feta cheese quiche.
Vickie gets satisfaction herself in all that she does for the organization.
“Being involved with Historic Macon gives me the opportunity to work with a great group of people — volunteers, members and staff, many of whom have become good friends,” she said. “The fact that it is in support of an organization whose mission is important to me makes it a win-win.”