Now that the autumn chill has crept into the air, signs of the season also make their return. This is true, too, at the Holy Spirit Parish “Bouja Shack,” which has been slow-cooking the traditional Minnesota part soup, part stew bouja (pronounced boo-yah), since 1970.
September 7 was the first of seven bouja fundraisers this fall/winter. Their first 320-gallon batch sold by 10 a.m.
When the shack was built, bouja had long been cooked in the area, and volunteer chef Harry Rothstein is grateful to local parishes and families who inspired Holy Spirit’s and has hopes the bouja impact will go beyond the million-dollar contribution to the church in its first 55 years.
“We are excited about making an impact. Whether it’s because people buy our bouja or people feel inspired to volunteer at their own parish fundraiser,” Rothstein said.
It’s the camaraderie between volunteers and the legacy of the bouja chefs that keeps Harvey Schmitt coming back after 40 years on the crew even after having cooked up nearly a quarter million gallons of the “world famous” bouja.
“Hundreds of people know about bouja and we have heard endless stories,” Schmitt said.
“It’s nice to listen to their stories of the tradition,” Rothstein added.
Schmitt and Rothstein have their own stories, too.
“I remember a lot of people who have now passed away that dedicated their lives to cooking bouja,” Schmitt said. “Sometimes they even request it to be part of their funeral dinner.”
The two also shared how produce from the gardens of community members years ago were used to sustain the bouja production and how customers would provide a variety of containers — from ice cream pails to slow cookers — to be filled with the steaming product.
They shared how they fed their young sons bouja and now their sons, Nathan Schmitt and Corey Rothstein, are cooking the little-changed recipe of meat, barley and vegetables alongside them in the shack.
They shared how they witness the same father-son traditions with Chris and Alex Jacques and Al and Ryan Kersting. The crew also includes brothers Tim and Jeff Feddema. And to debunk a local myth that bouja chefs are an exclusive, male-only club, Rothstein happily notes that there are at least five married couples who regularly assist.
“You want on a crew, give me your name and number,” Rothstein said.
With all the tradition that has remained, much has changed in the decades of their involvement.
“No one would have believed you would be ordering bouja online with a QR code or that we’d have a Facebook page,” Rothstein said.
Now service regulations require the ingredients be purchased, the bouja shack is inspected and licensed annually and the bouja is packaged in uniform containers.
Their reach of service extends to local nonprofits, too.
Online purchasers are given an option to share bouja with those in need which provides hundreds of gallons annually to food shelves and other social service organizations in the area.
In hopes of continuing the life and legacy that requires 125 volunteer hours a weekend, Rothstein and Schmitt shared the stories, old and new, and samples of bouja with the students at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School.
“They’ve seen this building outside their school and probably didn’t know what it was,” Schmitt said. “I think they got a kick out of [the tour.]”
Now, when Rothstein goes to volunteer at SEAS, he’s famous.
“The kids will tell my grandson, ‘Your bouja grandpa’s here,’” Rothstein said.
Even if the kids aren’t future bouja chefs, they can at least tell their parents to come buy some, the men suggest.
Bouja sells for $20 a gallon and $10 for a half gallon. Bread from Saint John’s Abbey and the Backwards Bread Company is also available.
To get your hands on one of the (up to 400) gallons produced each bouja weekend, you can pre-order online at www.spiritandsaints.org, visit or call the Holy Spirit Parish office (2405 Walden Way, St Cloud; 320-251-3764), visit The Boot Shack (2221 Roosevelt Rd., St. Cloud) or drive through the parking lot at the bouja shack (1615 11th Ave. S., St. Cloud) between 8:30 and 11 a.m. on scheduled dates of Sept. 21, Oct. 5 and 19, Nov. 2 and 16 or Dec. 7. Additional winter dates to be determined.
If you’re lucky enough to know a bouja chef, you can likely reach out to them, too.
“Til the day we die, we’re going to be getting text messages saying, ‘Hey! You got a gallon for me?’” Rothstein said. “It’s a priceless part of our lives.”