By Jessica Easthope
You can acquire a lot of secret ingredients over 40 years as a professional chef. Michael Edmonds says his favorite one is no longer a secret; his faith is a part of every meal he makes.
“My faith is very, very strong, if anything this is the fun part of my faith because this gives me the opportunity to give back,” said Michael.
Michael’s owned his own restaurant, cooked for celebrities and royalty but these days he finds himself in a very different kind of kitchen.
“This fabulous life, what are you doing here, this is part two of that fabulous life to me because I get such pleasure here,” he said.
Now he cooks full time for the Brothers of the Sacred Heart at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Maspeth where he’s worked for five years.
“It’s nothing fancy, they live simply, it’s very easy to take a chicken breast and make it spectacular or salmon and make it something unusual and pretty because you eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth and that’s key,” said Michael.
Michael can barely remember all the big names he’s cooked for, but technique, he can never forget. He whips up meals on a modest budget, he says that’s when his training kicks in. And the brothers seem to love it, but more than that, they love Michael.
“Michael is a tremendous person, I know he’s a great cook and a good chef but over and above that he’s a great person to be around and he adds a lot of our community here,” said Brother Xavier Werneth.