HUNGRY FOR GOD

Father Leo Patalinghug stands at the front of St. Clement’s Church in Saratoga Springs wielding a knife. And also an onion. 

The Baltimore priest and renowned chef paid a visit to the Albany Diocese on March 30 and 31 for a Lenten cooking series on food, faith, family and staying hungry for God. 

For his two-day visit to Saratoga — which was co-sponsored by the parish and Pyramid Life Center — the priest cooked up a delicious presentation. Inside St. Clement’s Church, filled with close to 60 attendees, Father Patalinghug set up his cooking station just below the front altar: a portable grill, pans, spoons, tomato sauce, garlic, onions and spices on a table covered in white cloth.

“I know this is weird to see your church like this,” Father Patalinghug said, gesturing to his cooking table. “But maybe it’s an opportunity to see how the original churches were … that were in people’s homes, and after or during a meal they would commemorate the breaking of the bread.

“So today, we’re going to be breaking bread,” he adds, “it’s just going to taste a lot like vodka sauce.”

Attendees watched and laughed as Father Patalinghug chopped, sauteed and prepared his dish. On the first night, which was open to anyone, he cooked up a savory dish of penne alla vodka and a few selected guests were able to try the final product. The morning presentation on March 31 was for people in ministry and Father Patalinghug concocted a berry parfait.

“It was excellent,” said Ray Angelina,  who received a sample of the penne alla vodka. “We’ve been to Italy twice and this is very good.”

Father Patalinghug has been feeding the faithful with food for years, and if you’re a fellow foodie, the priest’s name might sound familiar. In 2009, Father Patalinghug starred on the Food Network’s “Throwdown! with Bobby Flay,” where he beat the famous chef with his special take on Funky Fusion Fajitas with Holy Guacamole and Screamin’ Sour Cream.

At St. Clement’s, Father Patalinghug used food as a metaphor for elements of the Catholic faith. When the pasta sauce started to boil, Father Patalinghug noted that we also should “learn how to turn the temperature down a bit in our lives, and understand the temperament of our family members.”

In faith, the priest said that when preparing a meal for your family, you can’t expect people to enjoy the meal if you don’t enhance the eating experience. The same goes for attending church: “If you come to church full of yourself, you won’t enjoy it,” he said.

Faith is “an opportunity to gather around the dinner table,” Father Patalinghug added, gesturing to the altar behind him, “for some good food and good news.”

Much like the dish, Father Patalinghug was full of spice. The priest cracked jokes that sent laughs roaring through the pews. Little quips, like his hope that his microphone would make him look taller, or his suggestion that the apple from the Garden of Eden was bacon-wrapped to entice Adam, made the event a night of fun.

In addition to his role as a priest, Father Patalinghug is a renowned author and TV host of “Savoring Our Faith’’ on EWTN, ­radio co-host of “Entertaining Truth” on ­SiriusXM and contributes restaurant reviews to Baltimore’s “The Catholic Review.” He also founded Plating Grace and The Table Foundation, which both focus on the importance of families and communities gathering together for dinner and food. And if that isn’t enough he also has a food truck called “Plating Grace and Grub.”

“(My family) always ate together as a family,” Father Patalinghug told The Evangelist, “and that’s why I’m trying to get families to return to the practice of eating together. It is a lost cause, almost.”

Funny enough, Father Patalinghug says he wasn’t a fan of church growing up. “I hated it,” he said. “I hated church.” That all changed when a pilgrimage opened his eyes to his faith and got him to step outside the “normal Catholic, one-hour-a-week” method of praise.

In seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Father Patalinghug carried his love for food with him and took cooking lessons at Le Cordon Bleu in Perugia. Now, more than just skilled at serving a good meal, Father Patalinghug hopes that food can serve as a way to spread the good news.

“I ask the question a few times (during the presentation), ‘Are you hungry for God?’ ” Father Patalinghug said. “And hopefully this gets people hungrier for God.”

Watch a video interview with Father Patalinghug discussing his St. Clement's visit and his love for God and food, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ENG5o1fJI or go to the Albany Diocese YouTube channel.