Have you been looking for a delicious meal, that feeds the whole family, is easy to make, and everyone will love? Look no further. This Salisbury steak was featured on TheFoodNetwork.com as one of the most searched for recipes of the year. The best part about it is that it is ready in just over 30 minutes. To watch the video on how this meal is prepared, click here.
1 whole onion, halved and thinly sliced (or diced if you prefer)
2 cups beef broth, more if needed for thinning
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon seasoning sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet, optional
4 dashes Worcestershire
1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
Salt and pepper
Directions
For the meat mixture: Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, ketchup, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon and some salt and pepper. Knead until all combined. Form into 4 to 6 oval patties, and then make lines across the patties to give them a “steak” appearance.
Fry the patties in a skillet with the butter and oil over medium-high heat on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the skillet and pour off any excess grease.
For the gravy: Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook until golden brown and somewhat soft, for several minutes. Add the beef stock, ketchup, seasoning sauce, if using, and the Worcestershire. Then combine the cornstarch with a little beef broth and add to the sauce if using. Stir and cook to reduce.
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more broth if needed for thinning. Then return the patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.
Enjoy this delicious salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, green beans, or any of your favorite side dishes.
Benny Cenac, Houma philanthropist and owner of Cenac Marine Services, has always been a big supporter of the Bayou Community Foundation (BCF). Rightfully so, as it has invested more than $1 million in grants for critical community needs since 2013. Cenac had a large part in the creation of the foundation as he secured the initial funding given from The Gheens Foundationtotaling upwards of $250,000 which was used to jumpstart it. The Gheens Foundation, Inc. was established in 1957 by C. Edwin and Mary Jo Gheens to continue their lifelong interests in education, religious programs and human services. Mr. Gheens, a Louisville native whose father and uncle were successful in the wholesale grocery business, was the owner of a large, successful candy manufacturing company in Louisville. The family also owned a working plantation in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana which was rich in mineral resources.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gheens were leaders in their church and active in other philanthropic, educational, and cultural endeavors in Louisville. After Mr. Gheens’ death in 1961, Mrs. Gheens selected several friends to serve as Foundation Trustees. The trustees continued to oversee the work of the Foundation after her death in 1982. At that time, foundation assets were valued at approximately $23,000,000.
The Gheens Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in Kentucky. The Trustees oversee approximately $6.5 million in grants annually. Most of the grants are made in the Louisville area and support a wide variety of endeavors, including public education, economic development, medicine, the arts and social/health services. The Gheens Foundation has distributed over $118,000,000 in charitable grants since its inception and today is valued at approximately $147,000,000.
Their mission? Much like Arlen “Benny” Cenac, Jr.’s mission for his community: “To improve the quality of life for all citizens and institutions of Metropolitan Louisville and Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes in Louisiana by creative grant-making and philanthropic leadership to meet the present and emerging needs of our communities.”
Since the initial securement of funds by Cenac from The Gheens Foundation, Mr. Benny Cenac, Houma businessman and philanthropist, has donated $10,000 yearly to help ensure the program has what it needs to continue serving the community. As an avid community enthusiast, Mr. Cenac was thrilled when the BCF announced “grants totaling $230,000 to 29 non-profit organizationsworking in Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Grand Isle as part of the foundation’s largest grant program to date.”
“Today is an awesome day of celebration for BCF as we award grants for nonprofits that are changing people’s lives for the better and making our entire Bayou Region an even better place to live and work. We always say that Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle are special communities, and these 29 grant awards demonstrate the care and compassion we have for our fellow residents and our commitment to strengthening this unique place we call home,” said BCF Chairman Dr. James Leonard.
Benny Cenac, Houma entrepreneur has had a passion for supporting services, education, workforce development and coastal preservation for years. He is known for donating resources to these causes both personally and professionally. Therefore, the Bayou Community Foundation holds a very high level of importance to the Houma, LA based entrepreneur. Since the birth of BCF in 2012, the foundation has been focused on building and sustaining our Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle communities by supporting local nonprofits that help our neighbors in need, provide educational opportunities to residents, and work to preserve our valuable coast. This year’s grants will fund innovative programs that fill critical needs in our community by providing mental health care and addiction recovery programs, food and medicine for the poor and elderly, advocates for children in foster care, and tutoring and mentoring programs for at-risk youth, just to name a few.
Gifts from the Gheens Foundation, local family foundations, and other generous local donors support BCF’s grant-making program, focused on addressing the region’s most critical needs. Since 2013, BCF has awarded $1,012,270 in competitive grants to local nonprofits working in human services, education, workforce development, and coastal preservation. The organization also conducts workshops for nonprofit organizations, coordinates the “Give Bayou” online giving effort, and conducts other programs designed to sustain and strengthen local nonprofits and our precious coastal community.
The Benny Cenac Towing Company, Cenac Marine Services, was proud to provide a stage sponsorship for the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence (TFAE) 5k Run for Excellence and Food Fest on Saturday, May 12. As stated in the Houma Times, by executive director, Katie Potier, “This popular race travels through historic downtown Houma, ending at the Houma Courthouse Square where you can then enjoy the best after party in town. With more than 1000 race participants and more than 3000 attendees, the TFAE Run for Excellence is one of the largest 5K and after parties in town. One thing that makes it unique is that once you pay your admission fee (or race fee) you don’t take out another penny while here. It’s all-you-can-eat-and all –you-can-drink and I think people appreciate that it is all inclusive.”
Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence (TFAE) began in 1991 as local leaders recognized the need to provide additional support to Terrebonne Parish public schools. TFAE, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was created to assist in fundamentally improving education for our local students. They believe that our future is in the hands of our children. Their purpose is threefold: to create a partnership of responsibility between educators, business, community organizations and parents; to stimulate the learning of our children so that they may become responsible citizens capable of competing in the global economy and; to provide educators with resources that encourage creativity in the classroom.
Since the inception, TFAE has awarded more than $1,000,000 grant dollars to Terrebonne Parish public school teachers. In 2012, TFAE expanded their efforts in promoting education and literacy in the Terrebonne community by implementing the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This program provides one age-appropriate book per month to Terrebonne Parish children until their fifth birthday and is free to all participants.
TFAE continues to support education through grants, the Imagination Library, Lending Libraries, as well as recognizing and honoring Distinguished Scholars and Inspirational Educators at their annual TFAE Celebrates Excellence event.
As an avid supporter and advocate for education, the Benny Cenac Towing Company has been a longtime supporter of TFAE and was thrilled to partner alongside other main sponsors for this event. Other sponsors included TGMC Community Sports Institute, The Times, and Blue Cross Blue Shield- especially when it came to supporting such a noble cause. The Run for Excellence is the primary fundraiser for TFAE. The funds are used to help local educators fund their programs through grants. TFAE has become a valuable source for Terrebonne’s public schools– funding various projects including classrooms with Google Chromebooks.
There are several ways to get involved and to support the Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence. Be on the lookout throughout the year for ways to help this phenomenal group including next year’s 5k run and food fest slated for May 11, 2019. Benny Cenac Towing is always on the lookout to be a part of these great community events that are also for a wonderful, charitable cause and they continue to be involved in or donate resources towards local education efforts.
On March 17, 2018, The Houma based Benny Cenac Towing Company, partnered with the 54th Governor’s State Conservation Achievement Awards Program banquet as a sponsor for the remarkable occasion. The ceremony was held at Boudreaux’s in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “The banquet was held to recognize and celebrate three individuals and three organizations for their outstanding achievement in natural resource and conservation and education in 2017,” according to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, who hosted the event.
The 2017 recipients celebrated at the conservation awards ceremony included individuals, Bren Haase who received the Governor’s Award, Conservationist of the Year, Edward Jame Bodker who received Volunteer Conservationist of the Year, and Nova Clarke who received Conservation Educator of the Year. The organizations that received awards were the Red River National Wildlife Youth Conservation Corps that received the Youth Conservationists of the Year award, the Louisiana Public Square “Coastal Restoration: The Next Wave” produced by LPB awarded the Conservation Communicator of the Year, and South Wings which received Conservation Organization of the Year. The awards themselves, handsome statuettes of majestic wild animals, are unique to the program and highly coveted by all who receive them.
The Louisiana Wildlife Federation was incorporated in 1940 and was part of a movement that focused on conservation throughout the United States. An early focus of statewide conservation advocacy groups was removing politics from fish and wildlife management decisions. The popular concept to achieve this was to create a bipartisan citizens commission to set policy and oversee the operation of the state fish and wildlife agency. This idea was vigorously promoted by the Wildlife Management Institute and was one of the first objectives of the Federation, achieved in 1952 with the establishment of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC). Today, the organization continues to work on initiating the protection and preservation of our state’s natural resources.
According to Terry L. Melancon, LWF president, “For over 40 years the federation’s annual conservation awards program has recognized those individuals, organizations, and businesses who have gone ‘above and beyond’ in their efforts to conserve fish and wildlife resources, to enhance opportunities for all of our citizens to enjoy the outdoors, to improve the quality of the environment, and to educate and advocate on behalf of our natural resources here in Louisiana. Thanks to the participation of hundreds of Louisiana citizens who have, over the years, encouraged good conservation work by submitting nominations to the program, these awards are widely acclaimed as the most prestigious recognitions of conservation accomplishment that are presented annually in our state.”
Mr. Arlen “Benny” Cenac, CEO and owner of Cenac Marine Services, is well known as an avid outdoorsman in addition to his passion and interest in coastal restoration and conservation. He has event developed his own levee system on his personal ranch in order to preserve the land he loves. The Benny Cenac Towing Family has also contributed to coastal levee maintenance and restoration in the past. When asked about the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and his support of it, he stated that sponsoring this event wasn’t even a question. “The conservation and education of Louisiana wildlife and coastal restoration are two things that have always been significant to me. To be a part of celebrating the people who cherish the importance of these things just as much as I do is a dream come true.”
Thank you to all of those who were able to attend the event and congratulations to the very significant men and women who have conquered these achievements. We look forward to celebrating and supporting this award program in the years to come.
To learn more about Mr. Cenac’s philanthropic efforts and the causes he supports, please visit the philanthropy section of our site.
Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist and CEO of Cenac Marine Services, has always been dedicated in his endeavor to providing the absolute best for children and young adults when it comes to education. It has become a natural part of his practice to donate time and funds to several different schools, charities and programs. When he came across the opportunity to assist the Stella Learning Centerin Houma, Louisiana, this was no different.
Stella Learning Center (SLC) is made up of highly skilled teachers in a positive teaching environment prepared with scientifically tested tactics that are used for instructional decision-making. SLC’s highly qualified staff works with individuals with Autism and related disorders. This school provides a program that Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist, feels is important to the Houma area.
When describing the growth and changes of Stella Learning Center over the years, Lead Teacher, Daisy Alviar says, “When we originally opened the center, it was the first Autism and Related Disorders Learning Center in the tri-parish area. We started out by accepting children ages 10 years and older. Our goal was to reach a population that so easily got lost in the public school system once they entered their Junior High School years. As time went on, we expanded by adding two daycare classrooms that we could use as a way of mainstreaming children and doing our best to get them ready for their elementary school years. All the while, we continued to work with young teenagers. Since, our young teenagers are now young men and women. They have begun transitioning into group homes, high school, and adult programs. We continue to offer services for families of children with Autism and Related Disorders as a public service. However, the demographics have changed from older children to a younger population. Yet, the mission remains the same: To improve the lives of individuals with autism and related disabilities through the provision of high quality, accessible educational programs designed to enhance the individuals’ opportunities to achieve their full potential.”
Some of the many donations Mr. Cenac made to Stella Learning center included two scholarships for older students, the purchase of a curriculum for Stella Learning Center’s Pre-School classroom, much needed mulch in their playground, 2 computers that will be used both for book keeping and classroom lessons as well as assistance with operational costs that help SLC continue to stay open.
Schools like SLC are few and far between although the need is great. The current protocol in most school districts is to integrate children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Separating kids based on ability—the old model of the special-ed classroom—is now seen as discriminatory and stigmatizing. Advocates for integration say it helps children with special needs build social skills and it develops compassion among non-disabled ones. But like so many ideas that are terrific in theory, integration is often disastrous in practice. Because of this, many children with special needs fall between the cracks once they hit junior high.
Here’s the problem: Teachers in mainstream classrooms rarely have the education or expertise to work with complex disabilities that include difficulties with behaviour. Rates of diagnoses of autism, for instance, are growing exponentially, and kids with conditions like this require very particular accommodation, including high teacher-to-student ratios, educators with extensive and specialized training, additional therapists and mental health workers, and environments designed to reduce stress.
Typically, though, integration involves simply sticking children with special needs in a regular classroom and providing them with limited and inconsistent support. Managing a busy classroom with ever-dwindling resources is demanding, and teachers are already overextended. Now imagine adding a child (or several children) who are hyper-sensitive to sound and touch, or who require one-on-one attention to decode a paragraph of text, or who are prone to explosive fits.
What’s more, research indicates that a teacher’s attitude toward integration is a huge factor in whether it will succeed or fail. Not surprisingly, a lot of teachers begrudge being assigned children with special needs—especially when they know they won’t get the resources to support those kids properly. All of this results in the exact opposite of what integration is supposed to achieve. Instead of making children with special needs feel included, they wind up feeling unwelcome and resented by both their teachers and their classmates. And instead of non-disabled children learning compassion, they end up afraid or disdainful of disabled kids.
The overuse of suspensions, expulsions and exclusions suggests that schools don’t have the funding or proficiency to meet their obligations to children with special needs. Integration—however noble the original intent—is failing both children with disabilities and their non-disabled classmates.
SLC is highly trained and knowledgeable and they know exactly what accommodations students need to succeed so that they don’t fall through the cracks. Daisy Alviar replied to the donation with gratitude by stating, “Mr. Cenac has provided us with the funds needed to continue working toward our mission.” Mr. Benny Cenac and the Cenac Team are so happy and proud to assist this amazing educational organization that has the best vision in mind for our local youth. We look forward to seeing the growth of Stella Learning Center over the years to come.
To learn more about Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist, and his community efforts please visit us here.
According to the Department of Education, “two Louisiana educators were surprised with the 2017-2018 Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national recognition that comes with an unrestricted check for $25,000.”
Those teachers come from Edgar Martin Middle School in Lafayette and Alice M. Harte Charter School in New Orleans.
What an amazing accomplishment give to two of our own! Congratulations to these people are changing the lives of our youth.
For more information on each of the recipients and to see a live recorded video of them receiving their awards, click here.
