The rush at Sonny's All Blues Cafe and Lounge, 4040 Reading Road, North Avondale, usually starts about 5:45 p.m. every Wednesday.

That's when Fannie B. Harris spreads a table full of eats, mostly of the home-cooked, soul-food variety.

She has been doing this for several decades, just to make her customers happy.

But mostly, Harris just likes to cook. And she likes to see people eat and enjoy her cooking.

"There is an art to selecting the right food and cooking it the right way," Harris said. "I can cook the right things for my customers because I know what they like, and I also know what they should be eating."

Fannie B. Harris (left), a bar waitress at Sonny's All Blues Cafe and Lounge in North Avondale, with help from Clint Compton, finishes the home-cooked, soul-food meal she prepares each Wednesday at the bar. The Cincinnati Enquirer/STEVEN M. HERPPICH

Harris doesn't do a lot of measuring - a dash of this and a splash of that along with a little taste testing as she cooks.

Her spreads usually include a range of what is typically identified as soul food: collard greens seasoned with ham hocks, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, ribs, fried chicken, catfish and an assortment of deserts.

"I love her peach cobbler and cherry delight," said Tamela Allison, a bar waitress. "She has a special taste and touch that make you keep on eating."

The food is free. But Harris advises everybody to get there early.

"They start lining up as I am putting the food out," Harris said.

One regular customer is Meredith Smith of Bond Hill

"My favorite is how she can cook a ham," Smith said.

The food is Harris' way of showing her appreciation to her customers.

Student saves own life

A 7-year-old student at St. Thomas School, Fort Thomas, was able to save his own life by using the Heimlich maneuver he learned in a class prepared by the American Red Cross.

John Paul Broering was given an award Wednesday by the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross for putting his skills to use.

He learned the maneuver from his gym teacher, Jane Zapp. Zapp said she got the idea while attending the Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in Louisville this year

John Paul was eating an Oreo on May 19 when the cookie became lodged in his throat and he began to choke.

As classmates ran for help, John Paul remembered a Heimlich maneuver, called the "thrust," something he learned in a First Aid for Little People class.

He performed the maneuver on himself and dislodged the cookie.

"It is kind of strange to think of a 7-year-old doing it," said Diana Wood, Red Cross coordinator of Health and Safety Education for area schools. "It involves placing the flat part of your fist just above the belly button and giving it a thrust."

President's list

Alyssa Dennis, a freshman business administration major, was named to the fall semester president's list at Elon University, N.C.

The Madeira High School graduate is the daughter of Patricia and Dean Dennis of Madeira.

Honor society inductee

Melissa Miller, a junior physical therapy major at the College of Mount St. Joseph, has been inducted into the Ohio Gamma Chapter of Alpha Chi, the National College Honor Scholarship Society.

The Clermont Northeastern High School graduate is the daughter of Terri and Tom Miller of Wayne Township.

Student of the year

Matthew Smoot, a senior in the University of Cincinnati's School of Social Work, was named Student of the Year by the Ohio Region 6 Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

The Madeira High School graduate is the son of Sandy Smoot of Madeira and Richard Smoot of Phoenix, Ariz.

Dean's scholarship

Latashia Lewis, an Oak Hills High School senior in the equine science and management program at the Diamond Oaks Campus of Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development, has received a Dean's Scholarship from the University of Findlay, Ohio.

To submit an item, please call 755-4165.