Ask anyone where to get the best fried chicken in Jefferson City, and they very well may say the Eagles Club.
Bill Reinkemeyer has been putting that fried chicken on the table for the club's charity fundraising meals for more years than he can count.
"It's just fun - people helping people," Reinkemeyer said last Friday afternoon during a break between the lunch and dinner shifts at the Eagles Club's annual fried chicken dinner benefiting the Alzheimer's Association.
The club also hosts regular fundraising meals for the Special Learning Center, Senior Nutrition Center, Capital Region Medical Center Diabetes Center and the Heart Fund.
Ten dollars goes a long way at the Eagles Club - meals include mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cole slaw, and homemade pie (Reinkemeyer prefers coconut cream).
But let's not forget this is about the chicken.
Bill's wife, Anna Marie Reinkemeyer, said they don't typically have fried chicken at home - even though Bill did much of the cooking when they were both working full time.
"Ever since he told me I couldn't fry chicken like his mom, I never fried chicken," she said with a laugh.
"Back on the farm, we always had real fresh chicken - Mom killed it the morning of the day we had chicken," said Bill, who grew up on a farm near Argyle. "It makes a big difference; you bet it does."
Reinkemeyer has been behind the fryer at the Eagles Club long enough that he has the process down to a science.
"We have 32 pieces going in the fryer at one time," he explained. "We put all the bigger pieces in the bottom, then go on up with that - you've got your breast pieces, then your thighs, then your legs, then your wings. And then we cook it 16 minutes, and when it gets down to six minutes you stir it."
There's talk here and there in the community that there's some "secret" to the Eagles Club's fried chicken recipe.
When asked, Reinkemeyer said simply: "Yeah."
And, after a pointed pause, added: "But I'm not going to tell you."
In all seriousness, he wouldn't say himself whether he believes the Eagles Club's signature dish deserves the "best fried chicken" title.
"Everybody says it is. All of our customers say it's the best chicken to them," he said. "I can't talk for the customers, but that's what they're telling us - whether they're honest or not."
And there are a lot of customers.
An average turnout might be 400-500 meals between those served at the club along with deliveries and carry-outs. Even with a light crowd Friday due to the winter weather, they had gone through seven cases of chicken at lunchtime and still had dinner to go. (A case is intended to serve 48 people.)
After it's all said and done, Reinkemeyer does the dirty work of cleaning the fryers. However, that's not the hardest part of the job, he said. The biggest challenge is scheduling people to man the fryers with him - the job typically takes four people at lunchtime and three at dinnertime.
Reinkemeyer estimates he's been at the volunteer job about 20 years. He's been a member of the Eagles Club since 1983.
"I just started to take over for some of the older people and enjoyed their company, and it just kept on going," he said. "We're always looking for younger people to take over for us one of these days."