For the past 20 years, Bob and Amanda Deicke (pronounced DYE key) have added a dash of this and pinch of that to create their savory spaghetti sauce that continues to satisfy many an appetite.
Just don’t ask them for the recipe. “It’s a secret,” Bob, age 80, insists, adding only that it simmers in a pot all day. “It’s my wife’s recipe. Many people ask us for it, but we never give it away.”
You can taste it for yourself, however, during the Hermann Sons’ annual Spaghetti Dinner that benefits Guide Dogs of Texas at 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Hermann Sons lodge, 325 S. St. Mary’s. Tickets are $6. Homemade desserts will be sold separately for around 50 cents to $1.
Bob, who is a member of the Hermann Sons, says the fraternal organization began sponsoring the spaghetti dinner in 1993 for local nonprofits. When a friend told him about Guide Dogs of Texas six years ago, Bob called GDTX to see if they would like to be the beneficiary of one of their dinners. It’s been an annual tradition ever since. So far, Hermann Sons has donated $16,000 to GDTX by selling platefuls of the Deicke’s secret spaghetti recipe. That’s a lot of dough for some very good spaghetti.
“I think they’re a great organization,” Bob says of GDTX. “They get so involved. They promote the event, sell tickets, bring some of their dogs, and they show up to enjoy the spaghetti.”
Although the elderly couple no longer takes on the full responsibility of cooking the spaghetti at the lodge kitchen because of their age, they have passed the pots and pans and utensils to some younger Hermann Sons’ members – and have entrusted them to keep the lid on Amanda’s secret recipe – to ensure that the spaghetti continues to be of such delicious taste and quality that people have come to enjoy.
“Although we’re not working in the kitchen anymore, I sell tickets at the door, and my wife serves spaghetti and bread,” Bob says.
On another happy note, Bob and Amanda will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 14. “It’s wonderful,” Bob said with a chuckle. “We’re still in love.”
Incidentally, the Hermann Sons was founded in July 1840 in New York City as a mutual protection society for German immigrants. Today, it offers low-cost insurance and mutual aid and is devoted to preserving German language and traditions.
You can purchase a ticket for the spaghetti dinner at the door or by calling (210) 366-4081. So bring the family or bring a friend, but, most of all, bring your hearty appetite.
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