The Annual Crab Feed, a memorable event for alumni and the Riordan community, took place on Jan. 20.

    Archbishop Riordan High has held this event for many years, bringing together former graduates and their family to share dinner and exchange their stories. This also gave Riordan students the opportunity to interact and know more about the alumni, as they helped in serving.

    Benny Willers ’08 said, “It was nice to see a few Crusader brothers and catch up for a bit. It definitely brought back some good memories. It’s a time to get together with alumni, friends, and family and help give back to the Riordan community.”

    Willer continued, “The food was very good! Two of my best friends graduated from Riordan with me, so I see them often. I am also in contact with several other classmates and occasionally get together with them to catch up once in a while. It was very beneficial. It reminded me how strong the culture here at Riordan really is.”

    Paul Cronin ’93, Alumni Director said, “The crab feed is special because it brings together alumni, students, parents and friends of the Riordan community for a family style feast. It is a wonderful way to get together, break bread and enjoy each other’s company in NorCal’s best gymnasium, Kevin Restani Court.”

    He added, “We ran out of crab too early and [did not have] enough parent and alumni board volunteers to manage the kids and food distribution. It is an event put on by the alumni association and overall, it was positive.  We are always striving to improve the event and make sure everyone has an exceptional experience with an overabundance of food, drink and laughs.”

    This year, according to Cronin, they ordered the same amount of crab, “650 pounds of crab (1.6lbs per person based on 400 guests), which is standard, but running out will not happen again. I will double the order just to ensure everyone has plenty of crab throughout the night.” The attendance was “almost the same, 385 last year and 390 this year.”

    Cronin added, “The student volunteers play a critical role in the success of the event. Responsibilities include big time hustle to provide our guests with exceptional service. This experience teaches them life skills of communication, representing what it means to be a Crusader, dealing with unsatisfied guests, hustle and the benefit of earning some money for their hard work. It paid off as 25 Crusader volunteers earned $150 each, such great generosity from our guests and I was very proud of them all.”
    “Overall, people were happy and feedback was very positive except the handful that got shorted crab,” Cronin said.  At a cost of $65 per person, [with a ] slight discount for tables of eight or 10 that were booked, this year was the most profitable the event has ever been, with a net positive $12,000, which will support financial assistance.”

        Filip Brazdil ’21 one of the students to volunteer for the event said, “It was great to see to how Riordan is just like a family even after high school. Everyone got together and just spent a great  night together, which I really loved to see.’
    He continued, “It was great to meet them, great to know their story, great to to know what they did here.  Some of them talked about their achievements, like the basketball team that won the state championship.”

      He went further, saying, “It was a great night and a great thing to do every year to get together with all alumni and celebrate the fact that we went to Riordan. It was really rewarding because now I really feel Riordan means more to me than any other high school ever could. We are all a big family here, which I really love to see, and really feel proud that I am part of this family.”