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
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
The news is reporting the increasing rates of teen depression and suicide, especially among women. This topic has been weighing heavily on Fr. Ben's heart, and he wanted to address it so as to provide clarification and hope to all. The Lord wants all to be healed, so do not be afraid to reach out for help.
If you, or anyone you know is struggling with depression or have thoughts of suicide, call 988. Please know you are in our prayers.
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Listen to this homily as Fr. Ben explains some of the differences and similarities between Catholicism and Protestantism. It's important for all people to know their faith and ask the important questions (Father addresses some of those questions). Deep conversions take place when there are beautiful witnesses in the world who can give a reason as to why they believe what they believe.
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
What are some of the rules regarding food during Lent? What about special feast days?
What's the purpose of the Creed? Why is it so important? What does it mean? What does consubstantial mean?
Fr. Ben & Khira tackle some of the questions you have.
Silvia could not be with us during this recording. Her husband underwent surgery and is recovering. Please pray for his healing and their family.
If you would like to submit a question, you can visit the Soul Food Priest FB page or go to our parish website here.
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Loneliness is very difficult because the Lord made us for communion. What can we do to prevent loneliness? What is required of us to achieve communion with others? Listen to this homily and Fr. Ben will answer these questions.
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Thursday Mar 09, 2023
Figuring out how to navigate the spiritual life can be a bit like properly seasoning a dish. Less might be best!
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
We all make mistakes. Our response to our mistakes can lead to harm or transformation. What does Jesus teach us regarding the mistakes we make? How does He treat His apostles? Don't be harsh on yourself because we all are making mistakes.
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Rejoice & Repent cause now it's Lent!! Why do Catholics observe Lent? What's the purpose of Lent? The discussion today will be addressing these questions and hopefully have you think about this season in a new way. Also, Father quotes "The Greatest Showman"!
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Are you concerned what others think of you? We cannot place our peace in the hands of others. There's only one who can give us peace. Listen to Father's homily to find out where to find peace and how to maintain it.
Tuesday Feb 28, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Fr. Ben serves up a description of moral character based on the expectations Emeril Lagasse had on his staff.
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 regarding food or faith email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.org 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.