photograph by karen pulfer focht
Father Ben Bradshaw inside the kitchen at St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
Father Ben Bradshaw takes the concept of feeding his flock seriously, and literally: This priest is passionate about pastry. As Lent approaches, he sacrifices some sleep to open the kitchen at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Summer before daybreak. In the wee hours of the morning, he prepares to make hundreds of king cakes, a Mardi Gras tradition. As the story goes, whoever finds the tiny plastic baby tucked inside their slice of cake will become lucky and prosperous in the year to come. That person also must bring their own cake the next year.
Before becoming a priest, Father Ben was a chef, trained in France. Now, he shares his gift with his church. “We will make close to 700 cakes,” he says, with frosting stuck to his elbows. For a week, he rarely stops, and neither do his helpers.
Before anyone else shows up, he dons his apron and makes frosting, dough, and sweet and savory specialty fillings, as he prays in the still hours of dawn. When they arrive, 20 volunteers squeeze, roll, and decorate the cakes, following an orderly system. Some roll out the dough, carefully piping in rich fillings of cream, caramel, or cherries. They fold everything together, before laying it on a baking sheet to form a circle.
photograph by karen pulfer focht
A beautifully decorated king cake, complete with Mardi Gras beads.
Father Ben and his helpers bake and cool the cakes, while another crew waits to ice them. Mixing machines with brightly colored green, purple, and yellow icing stand in the corner, and the icing is drizzled onto the cakes. They tuck colorful plastic babies inside the cakes, and then place Mardi Gras bead necklaces atop the frosting. The boxed cakes are stacked on tables outside the church office.
Looking from underneath his large knit beanie, Father Ben is eager to share his knowledge, asking a visitor to the kitchen, “Would you like to make one?” He squats down, scrapes, and plays with huge globs of sticky icing, then pulls it out of a giant vat, saying, “I love it, it’s fun!”
“It’s not really about the king cakes. Food is a vehicle to build community and to connect with each other. We are communal by nature.” — Father Ben Bradshaw
“What makes a good pastry chef is being attentive to technique,” he says. “For the French, technique is everything. You must be militant about the mixing of ingredients and mix them in a way that works!
He clearly enjoys the challenge and discipline of pastry. Money raised from the sale of the cakes will fund the church’s many ministries. From Souls for Service (for children and adults with special needs) to Burnt Offerings (cigars and conversation for men of the church), St. Michael’s offers something for everyone.
The once-declining parish, in an older, diverse neighborhood in central Memphis, is experiencing a resurgence. The parish has grown to about 5,000 families. Each weekend there are six masses, three in Spanish.
Father Ben smiles, “I wish people could see what I see because there are people from Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Mexico, and South America. I know this because I have eaten in their homes. This is indicative of the church: It is universal.”
He came from a family with two other priests. “I had thought about becoming a priest my whole life,” he reflects. “I was doing a lot of work in the mornings. I spent most of my day alone and it gave me time to pray while I was working.” Praying as the sun comes up became a habit for him.
Father Ben is an extrovert. He has dinner with the people of the church at least five or six nights a week. “It’s never like work,” he says. “To me it is very enjoyable, and it teaches me a lot. When you do that, 25 nights a month, you realize what people struggle with.” He appreciates their candor because, as a celibate priest, while sharing a meal or a glass of wine, he listens as they talk about things he has never thought of. It gives him ideas for his homilies and perspective.
“We see patterns in people’s lives, and it is really helpful to talk to them.” In the end, he says, “it’s not really about the king cakes. Food is a vehicle to build community and to connect with each other. We are communal by nature.”
All cakes are $40 and must be picked up at the church office by February 21. Orders: stmichaelmemphis.org.
