By Donna Cornelius
A former Alabama first lady and an event featuring tempting table settings are the perfect pairing.
Patsy Riley will be the main speaker at Tablescapes, an annual fundraiser for the King’s Home Shelby Auxiliary that’s set for April 19 at the Metro Church of God in Vestavia Hills.
Riley should feel right at home at the event, which will present about 30 tablescapes with plenty of ideas for all kinds of parties and dinners. When she and her husband, former Gov. Bob Riley, lived in the Governor’s Mansion, from 2003 to 2011, she was in charge of planning formal dinners. These days, she loves whipping up favorite dishes for her large family at the Rileys’ Ashland home.
“I love entertaining and do it all the time,” she said. “During the holidays, I had four or five little tea parties for all my girlfriends. I have 14 best friends. Sometimes I have two or three of them at a time so that we get to share joys and sorrows.”
But Riley said she’s eager to support the event for a more serious reason. King’s Home serves young people, women and mothers with at-risk children at its two campuses, King’s Ranch and Hannah Home.
“When my children were small, we’d see this Hannah Home truck in our tiny town of Ashland,” she said. “Once a year, I’d tell my children to go through their clothes, shoes and toys because others needed them. My oldest child is 51 now, and he can still remember that.
“When I became first lady, I got involved with Hannah Home again. I’d host their auxiliary meeting at the Governor’s Mansion.”
The King’s Home Shelby Auxiliary, of which Riley is a charter member, uses the Tablescapes event to raise money for the 13,000-square-foot Shelby County facility that houses women and children fleeing domestic violence and experiencing homelessness. Riley said she has a special place in her heart for women in these situations.
“It just hit me one day – that could have been my grandmother or mother, or it could be my daughters,” Riley said. “No one is guaranteed, when they get married, that everything is going to be as beautiful and lovely as their wedding day. We can all make bad judgment calls about men and women we think are safe to be with. Women need a safe place, a safe haven.”
Tablescapes starts at 10 a.m. with a “sip and see” so guests can browse through silent auction items. The program, which includes past auxiliary presidents as well as Riley, begins at noon.
Ann Constantine will cater the luncheon. On the menu are chicken salad, orzo salad, leafy green salad, croissants and chocolate chip cookies.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at hannahhome.org or by calling Barbara Brickner at 837-8175 or emailing her at [email protected].
The event’s theme is Celebrating God’s Faithfulness.
“This will be just after Easter, after our celebration of new life and new beginnings, so my theme will be celebrating life and what God has done in my life,” Riley said. “This will be the celebration of renewed life and a renewed spirit, and that’s what these women are after.”
Riley has experienced changes in her own life since leaving the Governor’s Mansion.
“I have lots of grandchildren, and now I never have to miss a baseball game or talent show or dance recital,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to say, ‘Yes, I can be there.’
“I’ve missed Montgomery. Being first lady was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give back to my beloved Alabama, and I miss the doors that were open to me to help charitable causes. But now, I’ve been able to sit for hours and study God’s word and to open my mind and heart to more possibilities. It’s been a wonderful time for me.”
Riley said she taught the young women who worked at the Governor’s Mansion “how to cook from scratch.”
“If we had a formal state dinner, I’d usually have different restaurants come in,” she said. “But there were several of those occasions when I cooked right alongside the ladies in the kitchen. I was the executive chef – and pot washer.”
She’s the author of several books, including “Alabama First Ladies and Their Governors” and a popular cookbook, “When the Dinner Bell Rings at the Governor’s Mansion.” Proceeds from the cookbook helped restore the mansion and the 100-year-old Hill House next door. She also has written about her daughter, Jenice Riley, who lost her battle with cancer in 2001.
“The book about Jenice – that was not for sale,” Patsy Riley said. “It was for her girlfriends and for my grandchildren to know their aunt.”
She’s now working on another project with her youngest family members in mind.
“I’m writing a book now for my grandchildren to let them know what growing up in a little Alabama town in the 1950s and 1960s was like,” she said. “We rode our bikes from 8:30 in the morning until when the town clock struck at 6 that night.”
Riley said hospitality is more than providing good food for your guests.
“One thing I’ve learned is that your home can be part of your ministry,” she said. “If your home is comfortable and loving, people feel like they’ve been ministered to.”
Preparing special dishes is one way to make guests feel welcome, she said.
“I’m like everybody else. When my kids come, I try to fix everyone’s favorite,” Riley said. “Chocolate angel pie started out as my son’s favorite, and now everyone claims it. I have to make homemade mac and cheese for my grandchildren; it’s my mother’s recipe.
“I know my girlfriends’ favorites, too, like chicken and asparagus casserole or my homemade chicken salad. I try to remember the dishes that they raved about. I have a group of friends in Ashland, but other friends have to travel to visit me. They’re making a special effort, so I try to do that, too.”
The Rileys have a Birmingham base in addition to their family home in Ashland.
“We have a house next door to my son’s house in Birmingham,” she said. “It’s small, but I’ll have friends for lunch. The space doesn’t matter.”
The former first lady said she encourages women to get involved.
“Find that passion, that special charity, and pursue any of the many opportunities to help those who need help,” Riley said. “If you’re going to do it, do it. We’re not promised tomorrow. If you’re passionate and the Lord is encouraging you, go for it.”
