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.
Episodes
Jul 2, 2026
Jul 2, 2026
29 min
Jesus tells us in Scripture to "be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:8). This begs the question of how this is possible. We live in a culture that strives for perfectionism, but is this what Jesus is talking about? Fr. Ben, Silvia, and Khira tackle this question as well discuss som of Fr. Ben's favorite show, The Bear.
Jun 29, 2026
Jun 29, 2026
12 min
Fr. Ben continues his homily series on the commandments. This week he addresses the sixth commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Ultimately, this one addresses fidelity. Whether married or not, this homily is so important for all those in a relationship so as to live it out in a holy manner.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com or at Soul Food Priest Facebook page to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on YouTube!
Jun 22, 2026
Jun 22, 2026
13 min
Fr. Ben discusses the value of fatherhood and the important aspects of being a good father. It will take work, but it will be the most rewarding work a man can achieve. This is a beautiful homily for all men, whether they're physical or spiritual fathers.
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? You can submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast through Facebook, or you could email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube @SoulFoodPriest ,. Thanks for listening!
Jun 18, 2026
Jun 18, 2026
27 min
Khira Rotty continues the conversation with Fr. Anthony Baetzold, OFM Cap. to honor this year of St. Francis. Learn some cool fun facts about Franciscans and how they've impacted our culture!
Jun 15, 2026
Jun 15, 2026
13 min
Humans are body and soul. This means that "thou shall not kill" can apply to both. Listen as Fr. Ben explains and how we can correct our faulty habits of offending others.
We'd love to hear from you! You can email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com or at Soul Food Priest Facebook page to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on YouTube!
Jun 10, 2026
Jun 10, 2026
13 min
Fr. Ben discusses the beauty of parenting and creating memories as well as the difficulties of parenting. How children of all ages can respect their parents and how parents can honor their children.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com or at Soul Food Priest Facebook page to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on YouTube!
Jun 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
31 min
Jealousy often times creeps into our lives, even sometimes envy. What's the difference between the two? What do we do when this happens? How do we combat these feelings that often times creep in? Watch as Fr. Ben, Silvia, and Khira discuss these questions on a practical level.
Jun 1, 2026
Jun 1, 2026
12 min
This is the third installment of Fr. Ben's homily series on the commandments: Keeping the sabbath holy. Watch to learn how this practically applies to families today and why it's so important to uphold.
Got a question you'd like to ask Fr. Ben? You can submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast through Facebook, or you could email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com. The questions can be on faith or food! You can also follow us on Facebook and YouTube @SoulFoodPriest.
May 26, 2026
May 26, 2026
12 min
Fr. Ben continues his homily series on the commandments by addressing the second one: You shall not take the Lord's name in vain. What we say matters and how we say it can affect others in strong ways. This is the same with the Lord.
Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you! You can email us at soulfoodpriestmemphis@gmail.com or at Soul Food Priest Facebook page to submit questions and topic ideas for the podcast. You can also follow us on any YouTube @SoulFoodPriest!
May 21, 2026
May 21, 2026
50 min
Fr. Ben, @SoulFoodPriest , welcomes a special guest from HALLOW, Jonathan Campbell. Hallow is the number one prayer app in the world, so this topic of conversation is all about prayer. Topics include how to pray, when to pray, how to pray as spouses, how to pray as a family, etc. Fr. Ben, Khira Rotty, and Jonathan Campbell all speak about their own prayer lives and provide practical tips about prayer in the different vocations and seasons of life one might find themselves in.
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.