It’s not every day that you see a Catholic priest working in the kitchen of a restaurant but Father Leo Patalinghug isn’t your typical priest.

Based in Baltimore, Patalinghug is a radio and TV host — one of those programs is “Savoring Our Faith” in which the priest “talks food and faith” on EWTN. He is also an award-winning chef.

In 2009, Patalinghug was crowned the winner of the cooking competition “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” on the Food Channel. From there, he went on to start his food truck initiative called Plating Grace and Grub, and recently opened a new restaurant in downtown Baltimore called Gastro Social. At his new restaurant, as well as on his food truck, Patalinghug employs those who were previously imprisoned and need a second chance, as well as those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The idea for Gastro Social came after seeing how successful the food truck — which has become a regular site in the underprivileged neighborhoods of Baltimore — was and how lives could be changed.

“So in order to grow the food truck’s efforts we’re going to use this restaurant space as our commissary, but also turn it into a place where we can keep people hired throughout the year,” Patalinghug told EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn on EWTN News In Depth. 

The priest also wants to use the space to “bring people from all different backgrounds to celebrate around food” and continue the mission of his non-profit organization, The Table Foundation, which is to “harvest the power of food to do good.”

Throughout his time serving and helping those in need, Patalinghug shared, he feels at times as though they’re only “putting a Band-Aid on a situation,” but maybe “if with just one of our staff members we can get to the core of their wound and heal them, we know that it can change their life.”

One of these lives that has been changed thanks to Patalinghug’s work is 22-year-old Emmanuel McFadden. The young man grew up in a dangerous neighborhood in Baltimore and got caught up in drugs and other dangers of the streets. One day he realized that if he didn’t make a change in his life he would end up in jail or dead, as many of his friends have. After hearing about McFadden’s desire to become a chef, Patalinghug gave him a chance.

When asked why this ministry is so important to him, Patalinghug said, “For me as a Catholic priest, the most important thing that I have in my life is the Eucharist. It’s food and if I receive that I’m supposed to, as my mom would say, become what I eat.” 

He added, “So I just know that offering food to those in need and also feeding those not just who are hungry in body but mind and soul, really changes people.” 

By Francesca Pollio Fenton