re: I need to cook Red Bens and Rice for 50-75 folks....

Have done RB&R for 150 on a very tight budget---discovered it was cheaper to buy the huge cans of Blue Runner & "doctor" them than it was to buy dried beans & seasonings. End product was a hit and extremely easy to do. So unless you have someone donating the raw materials, don't be afraid to start w/Blue Runner.

To punch up the Blue Runner beans, we sauteed some chopped andouille and chopped onions in a little butter until the onions were nicely browned, then added chopped garlic. Once the garlic gets fragrant, deglaze the pot w/a small amount of water. Scrape up all the browned bits, bring to a boil...then add the canned Blue Runners and heat 'em up. The chopped andouille adds some meaty texture & smoky flavor, and the obvious bits of onion & garlic give the canned beans a homemade texture.

IIRC, it was about $25-50 cheaper to use Blue Runner than it was to do Camellia beans from scratch (even buying the 25-lb foodservice sack of beans at RestoDepot). RestoDepot carries the big cans of Blue Runner, too.