Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company brings back its fish fry

With Lent comes fish fry season, and there's one player who is getting back in the game after a long absence. 

At the Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company on Wednesday, the volunteers were getting the buns ready and chopping onions for a whole new fish fry.

"So what we kind of did over the course of the last couple of years, we've been rebuilding our website, webstore platform," said Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company Lt. Richard Giannoccora. 

They've got a new website with a menu featuring not only fish sandwiches but dishes like citrus-infused baked cod and breaded butterfly shrimp. People can order online, and plenty are. The Ash Wednesday offerings already sold out online, and Friday is about to go too. Giannoccora said he was surprised. 

"Didn't really think it was gonna kind of take the traction the way it did initially," Giannoccora said. 

Shaler Villa has had fish frys in the past but like many, they stopped because of pricing, cost and volunteer issues. This is the first year back, and their new approach is taking off. Eighty-year-old Betsy Gerst was around for the fish frys of yesteryear.

"So when Richard told you he was resurrecting the fish fry, what did you think?" KDKA-TV's Barry Pintar asked. 

"I thought he was crazy with the menu," Gerst said. 

Now, she's a believer, especially because of the success. Eighty to 90% of the volunteer fire company's money comes from donations and things like fish frys. The fish fry funds will go toward replacing an older ladder truck with a $1.7 million new one.

"This is the most important question: is the food gonna be good?" KDKA-TV's Barry Pintar asked. 

"Absolutely!" Giannoccora said. 

At the end of the day, it's important to remember it's not just about the panko crumbs and great fish. A lot of this is about raising money for a volunteer fire company, like this, to keep us all safe.