chef paul

if you hang around the ministries that i lead at the church,
hopefully it won’t be long
before you meet some one that is
homeless, hungry, or hurting.
this has been sort of a theme in my circle of influence:
i feel that helping those in need
is always relevant,
and always has something to teach us.
and because of this focus,
i’ve been to all sorts of homeless shelters,
soup kitchens, women’s shelters, and recovery centers.
i’ve met some incredible people-
and i’ve served a lot of food.


tonight, i was serving the homeless and hungry
with some college students
and i experienced some things that i never had before.
when i uncovered the dish with the night’s dinner,
it smelled
good!
like really good!
my mouth was watering!
there was a whole tray of steak that was covered in spices-
another tray had roasted potatoes-
that were also all spiced up.
there were cooked vegetables
and a salad that could be served in a nice restaurant.


this is crazy- because most of the food
for the homeless that i have served
has been a bunch of leftovers thrown together,
without any real concern
about the taste or presentation.


the food looked awesome,
but chef paul thought it could look better.
he fussed over the salad
and wanted to make sure it was mixed up just right.
he wanted to make sure that every bite
had the right mix of vegetables.
he told us how to prep the plates
and when we prepped them incorrectly,
he told us,
and then fixed them personally.
he told us, “it’s very important
that the presentation is just right for our guests tonight.
I want it to taste delicious, and look delicious.”


what?
come on paul, it’s a free dinner!


chef paul cared.
and it showed.
he personally handed out the plates to hundreds of people
that knew his name.
he was thanked over and over by his guests
for making such great food-
the entire group of 200 guests applauded him at least 3 times.
one guest said to paul,
“when i strike it rich, i’m going to hire YOU as my personal chef!”
i shouted out-
"me too!"


ok- i understand him going the extra mile
if its his first year on the job-
only it wasn’t.
more like his 22nd year on the job!


after dinner, paul shared his story with us.
he was a doo-wop singer from back in the day.
he was a restaurant chef,
and when bad times hit;
he found himself in line at a soup kitchen.
but the food was awful,
so the next day he made high-end pastries
for the staff of the shelter
from the leftovers in the kitchen.
they were amazed.
and he did that every day
until they gave him the job as the kitchen chef.
22 years ago.


he said that he could have just given half effort,
thinking that “its just for homeless people,”
“its just a free meal.”
“it doesn’t matter how it looks or how it tastes-
its good food and they should be happy.”
but that food represented him.
and not just that, it was for people that he cared about,
so he gave it his very best-
and not just to feed his guests’ bodies,
but their souls as well.
he told us how he hosts monthly talent shows
for his guests- with the guests themselves
providing the entertainment.
he told us that the level of talent within the shelter
is unbelievable:
singers, poets, musicians.
again, he gives it his very best,
for a section of our city that is largely forgotten.


he is a celebrity-
not among the wealthy,
but the poor.
and they know that he cares,


because he gives them his best.
i think that a lot of us in-ministry
and out-
can learn a lot from that attitude.


speaking of attitude,
he said that his never changes-
and in 22 years, he’s never been bored;
he always looks forward to work
and he smiles all day long.
tonight, i was the preacher,
but paul gave the sermon.
and we all walked away inspired.


thanks paul, for reminding me,
and the unis
that everyone deserves the my very best.


“whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward.
it is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
(colossians 3:23)