He started cooking at the age of eight and hasn’t stopped. Keith Cerny loves to cook and share it with friends.
Keith grew up in the Guinea area of Gloucester. “I am a member of the Hogge family. My father, who was in the Navy, met my mother when she was working in a restaurant in Yorktown where my grandmother was chef. We moved to Gloucester when I was one year old so I have lived here ever since.”
Being the older of two siblings it was Keith who helped his mother get meals on the table. “She was often very sick suffering with asthma. She would give me instructions on what to fix and how to do it.” Later he spent time with his grandparents, Willie and Florence Hogge, and learned much more about cooking. James River Stew was a special dish and he still makes it today, “Have you ever heard of James River Stew? Well, it’s a stew made with a hen and other ingredients such as potatoes, onions, etc., not a chicken. There is a great deal of difference between the two. A hen has more meat and fat. That’s what makes the stew special. My grandparents raised just about everything and knew how to make the most of it.”
Today a bachelor, Cerny retired from his construction and tree service business (“my son Brian who also cooks has taken over the business”). Keith cooks daily for himself and a circle of friends who drop by and make special requests.
“I cook by taste. Can make up some recipes but often refer to those my grandmother used or how she made certain things without recipes or some from the watermen. I really cook the old-fashioned way on a gas range, just as my grandmother told me: “Never use electric.”
Keith cooks fish at least twice a week and corncakes (Jacks). “I get my cornmeal from a friend Calvin Williams who has his corn ground at the mill.” His refrigerator is filled with fresh vegetables and fruit. His freezer is filled with a varied selection of seafood beef, pork, and venison. Spices and seasonings fill his cabinet shelves. So, when a friend drops by and asks what’s cooking, Keith’s reply is, “What would you like?” It’s soon on the table.
The one thing Keith will not eat is a Malted Milk Ball. “As a child I sneaked out a bag from our home and ate them all. Was I sick?! Never again.”
CHILI
1 lb. deer meat
1 lb. ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
¼ c. Dale’s Steak Seasoning
1 c. Pace salsa
2 c. ketchup
1 can dark kidney beans
Mix all together and heat. Just before cutting off the heat, add the beans.
BBQ VINEGAR SAUCE
“From grandmother”
1 c. cider vinegar
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
¼ c. dark brown sugar
4 tsp. salt
2 to 3 Tbs. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
CRAB DIP
1 lb. crabmeat
8 oz. cream cheese
Chopped onion
1½ c. mayo
2 dashes of salt
12 dashes Tabasco
Combine and serve with crackers.
CRAB CAKE
1 lb. crabmeat
2 eggs
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
¼ c. minced onion
¼ c. peppers
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. mayo
¼ sleeve of crackers, crushed
LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
“Grandmother’s”
½ shot rum
½ shot gin
½ shot Triple sec
½ shot vodka
½ shot tequila
Sours ½ & ½
BANANA BREAD
1 stick butter
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ c. all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 5”x9” loaf pan. Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs, salt, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour into pan. Bake 50 minutes.
CREAMED CRAB SOUP
1 lb. crabmeat
2 qt. milk, heated to scalding
2 c. boiling water added
4 Tbs. flour
1 stick butter
1 onion, diced
½ tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning
Parsley flakes
Melt butter. Add onion and sauté. Mix flour and seasonings in dish while heating milk and water; mix seasonings in butter mixture with whisk. Add milk slowly. Will thicken and get thinner. Keep hot, not boiling. Add crabmeat. Re-thicken using cornstarch if needed. Add parsley for color.