Soul Food Priest
This is the podcast where culinary and Christianity collide. Each week Fr. Ben Bradshaw will serve up homilies, whip up Teaching Tapas, answer your burning questions, and pass along recipes.
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Episodes
30 minutes ago
30 minutes ago
Fr. Ben serves up one of Julia Child's favorite desserts and it's made of avocado! So what does the pit of an avocado have to do with our relationship with God?? Fr. Ben makes that connection. Take a listen.
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Fr. Ben has spent numerous hours helping parishioners handle conflicts between their spouses, family members, kids, and/or friends. So in this episode of Soul Food Priest, Fr. Ben serves up some amazing mocha dipped shortbread cookies and give great practical advice on dealing with conflict. Sometimes cookies can help with conflict; however, we need to know how to properly handle the conflicts in our various relationships to maintain a healthy and holy life. (FYI: You can see the cookies on the Soul Food Priest YouTube page!)
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
There are many who oppose science at the expense of faith and faith at the expense of science. Fr. Ben provides clarity to this issue and explains what the Church really teaches. Take a listen and you might be surprised.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can visit Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook at Soul Food Priest and on YouTube!
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Fr. Ben serves up a small plate of helpful advice on knowing the difference between cooking vs. cuisine and self-deception vs accountability. We can all be a little confused on these topics. Father helps to clarify and give a great tip on dispelling self-deception.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can visit Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook at Soul Food Priest and on YouTube!
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Fr. Ben's homily is a basic overview of some of the beautiful symbols used in mass and most churches all over the world. You must listen to the end to hear what Catholics believe is NOT a symbol and the simple fact as to why that's so.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can visit Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook at Soul Food Priest and on YouTube!
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Thursday Sep 26, 2024
Fr. Ben, Silvia, and Khira have fun conversation about taste, and the difference between taste and flavor. Fr. Ben also reveals his top 10 Catholic movies! Take a listen to find out what they are and why. We'd love to hear what you'd add to the list. Comment or email us at sfppodcast@icloud.com.
Just a reminder that you can see this episode on YouTube at Soul Food Priest - YouTube!
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) or email us to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Fr. Ben's parish, St. Michael in Memphis, has a mass where persons with special needs participate in the liturgy and prayers are offered for them. It's such a beautiful mass! Enjoy this homily from that mass.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can visit Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook at Soul Food Priest and on YouTube!
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Have you ever heard of Mukbang? It comes from South Korea. Listen to this episode and Fr. Ben will fill you in on this new phenomenon and what it reveals.
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Monday Sep 16, 2024
Monday Sep 16, 2024
Listen as Fr. Ben explains one virtue that will greatly benefit when on the struggle bus. Reaching out for help, growing in our faith, having a continual prayer life, and developing healthy friendships all help in fostering this particular virtue.
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Thursday Sep 12, 2024
Just a reminder that you can see this episode on YouTube at Soul Food Priest - YouTube!
Many people, Catholic and non-Catholics, are confused on the difference between chastity and celibacy. This is a common question he and Khira receive as they teach the Theology of the Body. So, in this episode, Fr. Ben clarifies and reveals the beauty of both. Many even wonder how men and women could take a vow of celibacy! Now you can hear Fr. Ben's perspective as a celibate priest.
Plus, we'd love to hear from you on what your favorite dining experience has ever been! Please comment or email us at sfppodcast@icloud.com!
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? Go to Ask Fr. Ben | St. Michael Church (stmichaelmemphis.org) to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube at Soul Food Priest. Thanks for listening!
Every other week Fr. Ben will be answering your burning questions regarding food and faith. He is joined by two of his friends and staff members, Silvia Vega and Khira Rotty, who will be the moderators for the upcoming Q & A episodes. If you have a question for Fr. Ben go to www.stmichaelmemphis.org/ask-fr--ben or the Soul Food Priest FB page at https://www.facebook.com/soulfoodpriest/.
Fr. Ben Bradshaw S.T.L.
Originally baptized Lutheran, Fr. Ben became Catholic at a young age and attended Catholic schools in Memphis growing up.
He always loved to cook and always considered being a professional chef or a Catholic priest, and so he became both.
At age 17, he began working for a French chef in Memphis and worked in kitchens until age 20. He then entered Johnson & Wales University culinary arts program in Charleston, SC. There he earned an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts.
Fr. Ben then decided to travel to Russia where he lived and worked as a missionary with a religious community. It was there, in a small village, where he began to consider a calling to be a missionary priest. (Since then he has spent time visiting and working in Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, and Eastern and Western Europe.)
He returned home to Memphis and worked as a pastry chef for 5 years. This led him study in Paris, France at the L’Ecôle Lenôtre school of Pastry Arts, where he studied chocolate and pulled sugar artistry. He continued to consider more frequently the call to be a missionary priest.
After returning to the United States he attended The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Beverage Management. After graduating from NECI, Fr. Ben began considering an option he had not yet considered: Diocesan Priesthood. After much prayerful discernment, he entered the seminary at the age of 27 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in June of 2006.
Fr. Ben earned a Masters of Arts and a Masters of Divinity in Sacred Theology. He wrote his Master's thesis on Pope Saint John Paul II's understanding of femininity and womanhood as it relates to writings of St. Edith Stein. He also holds a Licentiate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. The focus on his dissertation was on the response of the Catholic Church to the issue of Same-Sex attraction. Since 2005, his continuing education studies have been at the Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia, P.A.
Fr. Ben is currently the pastor of St. Michael's parish in Memphis, TN.