Breaking a leg, the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center hosted its first-ever Crab Fest at the Santa Clarita Elks Lodge No. 2379 on Saturday.
More than 300 pounds of crab were purchased for attendees to enjoy an all-you-can-eat dinner during the inaugural fundraiser.
In addition to the Alaskan king crab feast for $100 per person, the fundraising event included a silent auction and a raffle, where all proceeds will go toward “primary health care, pediatrics, behavioral health, substance use disorder and non-emergency services to the Santa Clarita Valley,” according to the nonprofit’s website.
Gloria Mercado-Fortine, chair of the board of directors, discussed how the idea came to be — from a roast to a seafood boil.
“We’ve always had a partnership with the Elks. We used to do the roast with them. We’d have a community leader, and we’d roast them. As we’ve been coming to the Elks, Mike Fisher is an Elk, and my husband is an Elk, and the Elks do their own Crab Fest, so we thought: ‘Why don’t we partner again, and raise money for Sam Dixon,’” Mercado-Fortine said. “I am so excited. This is not just any crab — it’s Alaskan king crab. We’ve gotten great support for a good cause.”
According to Mercado-Fortine, 130 tickets were sold. Elks were in the back seasoning each batch of the crabs, before moving them in full-sized coolers.
“They started around 4 p.m. The reason is because they have to do the mix right. They put Old Bay, and some other secret ingredient in there, and you have to let it heat up, simmer, then the crabs are dropped in,” Mercado-Fortine said.
Michael Fisher, vice chair of Samuel Dixon and member of the Elks Lodge, spearheaded the crab cooking.
“The maximum capacity we can do is 200 people, so we usually get 440 pounds — that’s what I’m used to cooking. We started this years ago. When we first started, I think our first one had under 50 people attending. After we learned our tricks and what we know how to do now, we sold out, 200 almost immediately, just within the lot,” Fisher said.
According to Fisher, the “secret ingredient” is not just in the spices, but in the quality of the crab.
“There’s a little bit of seasoning that goes on. People say it’s something that we make ourselves. I don’t tell anybody. The real trick is to have a fishmonger that can give you this type of product. We worked with Kent Jacobsen with Eagle, Fish & Seafood, and he has been so generous — not just in helping us obtain the crab, which is expensive and is $33.50 a pound — but he’s been so generous with his time,” Fisher said. “We’ve been doing this for 19 years. It ebbs and flows. Sometimes it’s really easy to get. Sometimes it’s super hard. I will try to get the word out at least five months in advance.”
Fisher is determined to grow the Crab Fest for Samuel Dixon in the future and make it a signature event.
“We want people to come down and we can get the message out about what Sam Dixon is doing for the community. Sam Dixon is an amazing health center. It’s been here since 1980 and started in Val Verde,” Fisher said. “We now have four clinics throughout Santa Clarita, and without the generous donations of the people of the valley that don’t have insurance or are underinsured, they have no place to go. But they can go to Sam Dixon.”
Philip Solomon, chief executive officer at Samuel Dixon, discussed how “nerve-wracking” an event like Saturday’s could be, but how rewarding it also is.
“We do primary health care, pediatrics, mental health counseling, substance use disorder treatment. We really broaden our spectrum, and we also have dental services, too. So we’ve tried to incorporate the real, vital services for the patients we serve — they don’t have to go to different places for these services,” Solomon said. “It’s a little nerve-wracking when you do something for the first time, but we’re fortunate that the Elks do this twice a year. They made it really easy for us to have this event.”
