Article by Phoenix writer Kylie Mummendey ’25:
On March 20th, juniors in the Culinary Club had an amazing opportunity to visit the Catholic Faith Network for a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio and a personal cooking demo from Monsignor Jim Vlaun, CEO of The Catholic Faith Network and host of Real Food. This trip was not only incredibly educational but also served as a reminder of the many ways food can bring people together and create lasting connections.
Upon arrival, Monsignor Jim Vlaun gave the group a complete tour of the studio where all broadcasting takes place. Students were surprised to find that the set was almost completely falsified, even without a working sink or stove. In fact, when Monsignor Vlaun moved on to the demo, he used portable hot plates to cook the food. Monsignor Vlaun taught the students, step by step, how to make “Pasta with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce,” sharing his expertise and passion for cooking with each one of them.
Each student was extremely attentive to everything Vlaun was teaching them, even if they didn’t understand the reason behind some of his practices at first. The greatest example of this occurred when making the sauce. Vlaun told the students he was going to add a special ingredient none of them would ever think to use. This ingredient happened to be anchovy fillets packed in oil. Students were wary of this at first, but after tasting the finished product, they were amazed at how much this simple ingredient enhanced the meal and deepened the flavors. Chaperone of the trip, Mrs. Borruso said, “It was sodelicious everyone went back for seconds, there wasn’t a single noodle left.”
The culinary club is incredibly grateful for this opportunity and are keeping in touch with Monsignor Jim Vlaun. They hope they will be able to collaborate more with him in the future and continue to learn from his vast knowledge and passion for cooking!
