Sons of Norway Polar Star Lodge 5-472, will host a free, two-hour, lefse-cooking class from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 11, at St. Olaf Lutheran Church, 1233 Douglas Ave., Montgomery. The public is invited.
Viola “Vi” Skogen of Montgomery, a Polar Star member and lefse chef for 67 years, will return as the instructor.
Skogen dons a sweatshirt proclaiming herself “The Lefse Lady.” She provides a handout titled “Our Cultural Heritage–Lefse,” that includes her recipe and culinary background.
Reservations are requested. Call or text 630-632-2329.
Skogen said she learned lefse cooking after marrying Tom, a Norwegian-American. His aunt, Huldah Skogen Gilbertson of Whitehall, Wis., near Lacrosse, supplied her first recipe. Another aunt, Marie Nerby, provided a recipe that Skogen uses today “with good results.”
An Illinois resident since 1958, Skogen said she spends November through March making lefse. Formerly she sold her pancakes to Aurora-area residents. Her recipe includes Russet Burbank potatoes, butter, salt, sugar and flour, Skogen said.
Scheduling the class was delayed until Barb Johnson of Yorkville, Polar Star cultural director, found appropriate potatoes.
Polar Star Lodge 5-472 is a member of Sons of Norway, a Minneapolis, Minn.-based non-profit founded in 1895 to promote Norwegian culture and heritage and offer financial products and services to members. The organization offers activities including language classes, cooking classes and sports programs to celebrate members’ Norwegian heritage.
The organization has over 330 locally-governed lodges in the United States, Canada, and Norway. Members celebrate their Norwegian heritage at their local lodge and participate in district lodge activities and events.
For more information, call 630-553-7389 or visit polarstarlodge.com/5.html for more information.
—Al Benson