Now Yer Cookin Now Yer Cookin: Barbara Chubbuck has been delighting members of the Wiscasset Senior Center and the Woolwich Grange with her culinary talents for more than a decade.

Theres the mystery meat, the lumpy mashed potatoes and vegetables that, if not cooked for hours on end, may actually be recognizable.

This scenario is not, however, to be confused with what happens every Wednesday night at the Wiscasset Community Center where Barbara Chubbuck (and company) hold court.

Chubbuck says when she cooks for the center, which averages 80 people on a Wednesday evening, its just a matter of multiples.

I dont do anything in mass amounts, she says. Chubbuck works with three ovens and 10 burners. She says she tries to fix eight or nine pots and combine the results when they are through cooking.

It takes some planning, she admits, but you get more comfortable with the timing as you go. Its trial and error, although I dont think Ive had too many errors. I think my timing has gotten better.

Chubbuck said she has been preparing meals for the senior center for 10 years, dating back to their time in what is now the CED building.

I started there with two homestyle stoves and went to the commercial ovens (at the center) and 11 people.

The directors were a little leery about the Wednesday night dinners because they didnt want to lose their shirts, but now those meals pay for the daytime lunches on Monday and Thursday afternoon. The Wednesday meals cost between $3 and $5.

You cant please everyone, says Chubbuck with a chuckle, noting that when someone has a complaint, she tries to make up for it at a later meal. I try to remember what people like. I get a chance to know those who come regularly. Its like a family restaurant. Theres probably 35 or 40 people who, if they didnt come back, Id wonder what happened.

Chubbuck said the menu is generally her decision and she tries to prepare the most popular meals, the ones she feels shes best at, at least once a month.

Roast pork and baked turkey come out really good, she said. Some things I dont feel qualified to make with large crowds.

Chubbuck said she has been learning better to use things that can be frozen, because of a monthly potluck dinner. We get a nice variety for the buffet she said, using the leftovers from the weekly meals. She says certain foods keep very well if proper care is taken and they are served correctly.

She is quick to credit the numerous volunteers who help her in her duties, exchange recipes, give her advice, and help set up the dining hall.

A resident of Woolwich for 34 years, Chubbuck has been involved for nearly 20 years with the towns grange hall.

She says she cooks for the grange meals and takes part in a Bake It For You sale. The sale allows local citizens to place orders with members of the grange for baked goods in dozens, the proceeds of which benefit the grange.

Last years sale profited the grange around $2,400.

Chubbuck is a wife, mother and grandmother. Her husbands name is Jesse. They have two sons and four grandchildren, Brandon, Ryan, Jabon and Jada.

Asked if her grandchildren enjoy her cooking, Chubbuck laughs and says, Theyve been to the center. They tell me its damn good. Theyve asked me to cook at the schools.

Chubbuck is humble about her culinary skills but she notes with another chuckle, Even my two grown sons fight over my whoopie pies.