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
Monday Aug 26, 2024
Monday Aug 26, 2024
There's a fine line in having a healthy work life and allowing it to dictate life. Fr. Ben discusses this very topic in his homily this week. There is a dignity to work, so take a listen to learn what it is and how to stay balanced.
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 let us know what you think of the podcast.
Thursday Aug 22, 2024
Thursday Aug 22, 2024
Fr. Ben serves up a drink today that you'll either love or hate- Chartreuse. Sometimes our opinions of food, drink, and people can be off or change over time. Listen to this helpful lesson from Fr. Ben.
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 Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Fr. Ben provides this great homily on how often times many in the Church, including us, can use Jesus rather than truly love who he is. Listen as he provides great pieces of advice on what it means to hijack Jesus.
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 let us know what you think of the podcast.
Thursday Aug 15, 2024
Thursday Aug 15, 2024
We are so happy to announce that you can see this episode on YouTube as well!! Go to Soul Food Priest - YouTube to like and subscribe!
Fr. Ben recently received an email regarding if the Blessed Mother had food cravings when she was pregnant with Jesus. He, Silvia, and Khira discuss this topic as well as "what is the Feast of the Assumption and why do Catholics celebrate it?". Take a listen or grab a cup coffee and watch our discussion.
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.
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Fr. Ben gives great tips on seasoning a cast iron skillet and making sure you are able to maintain peace in your life. Both incredibly helpful in life!
Soul Food Priest looks forward to seeing you on YouTube August 15th (this Thursday) @SoulFoodPriest. We will still upload everything on podcast platforms.
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 let us know what you think of the podcast.
Thursday Aug 08, 2024
Thursday Aug 08, 2024
Fr. Ben serves up a spectacular topic this week for his homily- Surrender. What does that mean? How do we surrender to God? Why should we surrender to God? Take a listen to learn some of the most crucial answers to one of life's most common questions.
We apologize for the delay in the release of this podcast.
Check us out on YouTube (Soul Food Priest - YouTube) August 15! We look forward to seeing you!
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.
Thursday Aug 08, 2024
Thursday Aug 08, 2024
Fr. Ben serves up a small plate of quality food. After that he leads you into a reflection regarding the quality of friends one might have. What kind of people do you surround yourself with? Ones that will lead you towards Heaven or away from it?
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 let us know what you think of the podcast.
Thursday Aug 01, 2024
Thursday Aug 01, 2024
Fr. Ben discusses some of his favorite cookbooks, and then quizzes Khira & Silvia on some of the saints in August. Be prepared to laugh as Khira and Silvia pretty much flunk their quiz. You'll also learn all the ways you can celebrate in August with the amazing collection of saint feast days!
Our next episode will be here on podcast as well as YouTube!!! Check us out 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) 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 Jul 29, 2024
Monday Jul 29, 2024
Trying to defend the Faith can be tricky, but Fr. Ben encourages us to learn how to do so. Take a listen to better understand how not to become defensive when trying to defend.
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 let us know what you think of the podcast.
Thursday Jul 25, 2024
Thursday Jul 25, 2024
There are so many details that can go into making food appealing to the one who will eat it. The same could be said about details needed to say the difficult thing to others. Fr. Ben serves us a small plate of prudence and how best to use it when dealing with others.
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. You can also follow us on Facebook at Soul Food Priest.
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.