WHEN SAN FRANCISCO Solano Catholic Church parishioner Luann Kenmore arrives in the campus kitchen, there’s one ingredient she can’t live without.
LUANN KENMORE, SOLANO KITCHEN COORDINATOR, AND ROSEMARY MORRIS, KITCHEN VOLUNTEER, CELEBRATE SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO’S RECENT KITCHEN RENOVATION WITH SNACKS FOR GUESTS. PHOTO BY MIKE VULPO/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Whether preparing lunch for staff members or feeding hundreds of hungry high school confirmation students, Kenmore, Solano’s kitchen coordinator, and her team of volunteers make sure everything is made with love.
LUANN KENMORE PREPARES SNACKS FOR ATTENDEES OF A RECENT RIBBON CUTTING AND BLESSING FOR SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO’S RENOVATED KITCHEN. PHOTO BY EVERETT JOHNSON/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
“I think a lot of people just think the food just shows up, but it’s the preparation that we put our love into,” she told Orange County Catholic. “I think about how Jesus broke bread with everybody. You’re sharing something together that nourishes our body and our soul and our spirit. I feel like that’s the connection, and I never tire of it.”
On Sept. 4, Kenmore and the Rancho Santa Margarita parish staff staff gathered together to celebrate their renovated kitchen with a blessing from Bishop Timothy Freyer.
The milestone was a reminder of how powerful a strong kitchen ministry can be for a parish and its neighboring community.
“This part of the campus is important,” Bishop Freyer explained. “This is where so many people will come to experience Solano who maybe don’t have a relationship with Christ yet. They might come to a fish fry. They might come to an alpha event and be fed through the ministry of this kitchen. Although it may seem at times not as important as what happens in other parts of the campus, this place is a place where people will find the love of Christ manifested in you, your humility, your service, your kindness and your generosity.”
SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO CATHOLIC CHURCH’S STAFF GATHERED ON SEPT. 4 WITH BISHOP TIMOTHY FREYER FOR A SPECIAL BLESSING AND RIBBON CUTTING FOR THEIR RENOVATED KITCHEN. PHOTOS BY EVERETT JOHNSON/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
At San Francisco Solano, the kitchen is used for joyful events like pancake breakfasts and youth ministry gatherings. At the same time, food made in this space can also provide great comfort for those suffering.
“After funerals, we make a sweet box,” Kenmore shared. “For your moment that’s not so sweet, we try to give you something to take home, and people have written us these beautiful cards saying things like, ‘We were going through my mom’s stuff and we all sat down and we had coffee and cookies.’”
Kitchen associate Rosemary Morris has spent nearly four years rolling up her sleeves and cooking alongside Kenmore. While the role has allowed her to make new friends and see her family at church every week, it has also given her the opportunity to serve in ways she never expected.
“What I remember most was we were feeding younger kids for a long period of time, and there used to be this brother and sister that would always come. I always felt that they didn’t get enough food at home,” she recalled. “They would come up and they’d say, ‘What are we having for dinner tonight?’ They were so excited. I always gave them a double portion.”
For Solano’s pastor, Fr. Duy Le — who praises the kitchen’s signature chili with Fritos and cornbread — he has seen the connections made at his church over food. Without the kitchen ministry, his church’s motto of “Belong, Believe, Become,” wouldn’t be as strong as it is today.
“All are welcome, and this is the easiest way to get people together,” he shared. “Food is something that we all can understand, that we all want and we all need. What Luann and her team do is they create an atmosphere of hospitality, of love, of kindness, of care. We could easily just serve food, but we don’t want to serve it by just ordering food from the outside. We want them to know and feel that we have prepared this with the love of our hands and truly, Luann brings that to everyone that walks through these doors.”
As San Francisco Solano continues raising funds for their kitchen renovation project titled “Feed Solano,” Kenmore is hopeful that she can serve even more meals than the 1,000 she estimates to make every month.
“I envision every Wednesday where we just open the kitchen to the whole community and just serve spaghetti and bring more people to God,” she said. “I think food is the best way because everybody has to eat. When people know that you’re not asking anything of them, you just want to give to them, I think that breaks down a lot of walls.”
Kenmore knows she has the support of Fr. Duy, who has enjoyed everything from empanadas to her signature cookies that have been known to attract lines of hungry parishioners.
“She wants to feed everyone. If she could make the world full and satisfied with her cooking, she would,” Fr. Duy said. “What we have started with the kitchen remodel will help her do that a little bit better. There’s so much more that we could do. … If you read this or you have accidentally stumbled upon this, know that you are welcomed at Solano and that you belong already, and we’re here to feed you with love, with food and with Jesus.”