Supply woes snag Lenten fish fries

PITTSBURGH — Joanne Fibbi knows her way in, out and around a Lenten fish fry.

As Resurrection Parish’s event and development coordinator, she’s helped organize more than a few of the beloved Friday night dinners for St. John Capistran and St. Thomas More churches in the South Hills during the six weeks leading up to Easter.

Yet even with thousands of fried and baked fish dinners under her belt, nothing has prepared the Upper St. Clair resident for the many headaches parishes across the country are facing this year because of the double-whammy of inflation and COVID-19.

Supply chain issues, production costs and increased demand have sent the price for fish skyrocketing to record levels, and it keeps going up, says Fibbi, with no certain end in sight. According to the Labor Department, per a Feb. 10 news release, the Consumer Price Index rose 7.5 percent from a year ago. Food costs increased 0.9 percent in January alone.

Pre-pandemic, sourcing would have been set in stone by mid-February, she says, often with fish prices negotiated for the entire six weeks of Lent. “But there’s so much uncertainty this year,” with their purveyor unable to guarantee all the fish the parish needs each week at a set price. Delivery dates are also up in the air, which, if you don’t have a ton of cold or other storage, can prove quite an issue.

Adding to everyone’s pain is that all the incidentals are more expensive this year as well, including paper products, takeout containers and utensils. Organizers are also digging deeper into their pocketbooks for condiments and everyday staples such as cheddar for their mac and cheese.

“Even green beans and rice prices are up,” says Anne Ayoob, Lenten meal coordinator at Our Lady of Victory Maronite Catholic Church in Beechview, which draws congregants from Pittsburgh’s Lebanese community. Both are essential ingredients in the bestselling Eastern Mediterranean sides they offer in the church’s social hall.

As a result, for both Resurrection and OLOV, as well as just about every other organization holding Lenten fish fries, the big question this year is: Do we offer the same size portions as last year with a price hike, or do we make them smaller and keep prices the same?

“We’re all caught in the same bind,” says Fibbi, with a sigh. “We don’t want to disappoint anyone with smaller meals, but we also want to be affordable.”