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It is with profound sadness that we tell you of the death of our good friend, Brother Martin Joseph Fragala, CFC on Monday, July 12th in Albany, New York.

Br. Joe had been in Mahwah, NJ on a retreat the week before and then was spending time visiting family and former students at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School in Schenectady. On Monday morning he failed to keep a breakfast date with an alumnus. He was discovered in his hotel room and died of cardiac arrest a short time later in a hospital.

Joe has been in the Christian Brothers Volunteer community in New Orleans for the last three years during which time he was a full-time volunteer at Cafe Reconcile. He was 69 years old.

Martin Joseph Fragala, CFC
May 15, 1941-July 12, 2010

Wake: Thursday, July 15, 2010 at Griswold Funeral Home, 1867 State Street, Schnectady, NY 12304, 518-374-6188

Mass: Friday, July 16, 2010 at St. Paul’s Church, 2777 Albany Street, Schenectady, NY 12304

A memorial service in Brother Joe’s honor is being planned for his New Orleans family.  Details will be announced as they become available.

May he rest in peace.

Br Charles Avendano, Br. John Casey, Catherine Drennan, Nick Roland

Gifts to the recently established Br. Joe Memorial Fund will support the cause he was so passionate about: the continued education and training of New Orleans youth.  Please click here to donate online or make checks payable to: Cafe Reconcile, 1631 O.C. Haley Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70113.   Thank you.

The third installment of the Omni Royal Orleans’ “Sips in the City” dinner series was a great success, attracting a large crowd to support the mission of Cafe Reconcile. Chef Anthony Spizale and his staff prepared yet another inspired meal, and the Belvedere Vodka pairings complemented each course beautifully.  Live music added a festive spirit in the Rib Room’s historic dining room.  We are so grateful to our friends at the Omni Royal Orleans for their continued support of our mission!

Here are some pictures from the evening:

The table is set for another inspired meal by Chef Anthony.

Seared Sea Scallops

Zach & Mandy Strief and friends...

Lightly Smoked Duck Breast

Renee & Scott Zeitzer, Mary Alexander, Mel Harris, and Sister Mary Lou!

Our favorite Super Bowl Champ's new ring!

On Monday morning we were privileged to welcome Mr. Hakim Kashif for breakfast with the students and staff.  A native of the Lower 9th Ward, and a graduate of St. Augustine’s and SUNO, Mr. Kashif had all the ingredients in place for a successful life.  Soon after college, however, Mr. Kashif became involved with drugs, quickly becoming one of the highest volume cocaine dealers in the Lower 9th.   He aspired to have all the things that money could buy, and dealing drugs provided a quick and easy way to get rich.  In his pursuit of material status, Mr. Kashif was eventually caught and sentenced to 22 years in the federal penal system.  A few months ago he finished serving his sentence.

Ironically, it was in jail where Mr. Kashif found his voice and developed his innate leadership qualities.  He read every book in the prison library, finding hope and strength in the person he knew he had the power to become, and using the example of Jesus as his inspiration.  He quickly became a model inmate, serving as a counselor and role model to his fellow prisoners.  Now, as he reclaims his life, Mr. Kashif has devoted himself to helping young people avoid the mistakes that he made.  He spoke to our students about the word ”resurrection,” and how he has risen to new heights by putting his trust in God. 

Mr. Kashif expressed his wish that programs like Cafe Reconcile had been in place when he was making the negative choices that would lead to his eventual incarceration.  Though he was quick to point out that young people need to find their inner leader, he acknowledged the importance of having someone to help you figure out how to find it.  Mr. Kashif’s words of wisdom certainly helped us today.  We are very grateful for his visit!

Recipe of the Month: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding — our award-winning dessert served daily at the Cafe!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup rum

1/8 cup banana extract

4 cups milk

1/8 cup butter

Enough stale french bread to fill a 12×12x2 pan

Procedure:

Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Tear bread into two-inch pieces.  Whisk to combine eggs, sugars, cream, run, and banana extract.  In a sauce pot bring milk to a boil, melt butter, and temper in eggs to milk mixture.  Pour liquid over the bread and fold it into the bread.  Place pan in a water bath (place the baking dish into a larger baking pan and add enough water to come up to one inch on the sides of the baking dish), and wrap it with plastic wrap and foil.  Bake for one hour at 300 degrees.  Remove foil and plastic and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  For sauce, flavor a little caramel with 1/4 ounce rum and 1/4 ounce banana extract.  

A soft-spoken, humble young woman, Angel lifts the spirit of everyone she encounters. She is blessed with a positive attitude and a strong determination to succeed. Though she has encountered many obstacles in life, she remains focused on the opportunities that lie ahead.

Angel (19) grew up in the Calliope Projects of New Orleans, an infamously violent and crime-ridden housing development in Mid-City. When she was still a young child, Angel’s family moved to the 3rd Ward, where she experienced the close-knit community of her neighborhood. Nonetheless, daily violence still infected her street. She was determined not to let it get in her way.

As a young student, Angel thrived in the classroom and looked forward to going to school everyday. She cried on days when her mother kept her home. At just nine years old, Angel experienced her first personal tragedy, losing her father to Lupus. Immediately, she began to shoulder a heavier load of responsibility for herself and her three siblings. As she started high school, Angel began to regain her stride, thriving in English and throwing herself into her work. Within a few months, her mother became sick, and Angel once again found herself cast into the role of primary caretaker.

Like so many New Orleans youth, Angel’s high school experience was irreparably broken by Hurricane Katrina. Angel evacuated with her family to Baytown, Texas, and for the next two years moved constantly throughout the South, with longer stays in Baton Rouge and Monroe, Louisiana. During her entire absence from New Orleans, Angel was not enrolled in school.

When Angel and her family finally returned to New Orleans in 2007, she enrolled at John McDonogh High School, but she was frustrated by the environment she found there. Post-Katrina, students from throughout the city were often placed in the same high school, and neighborhood rivalries often led to senseless violence. This violence made it impossible for Angel to focus on her school work, and she decided to drop out of school at age 17.

One of Angel’s best friends told her about Café Reconcile’s job training program and she enrolled in November of 2009. Angel said “I loved everything about Café Reconcile because there were so many opportunities to learn. I learned what I need to do to be successful in the workplace.”

During her time in Café Reconcile’s program, Angel attended a cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Alon Shaya of Domenica. She earned a two-week internship in Domenica’s kitchen, and she has never looked back. Now a chef at Domenica, Angel makes all of the lasagna and gnocchi for the restaurant. She’s gone from being an “extra hand” to an important part of the kitchen staff. Angel plans to attend the Culinary Arts Program at Delgado Community College to expand her culinary knowledge and gain the skills necessary for continued professional advancement.

On the evening of May 13, Chef John Besh hosted a four-course meal to benefit Cafe Reconcile.  Below are some pictures from this magical evening.  Thank you to photographer Han Nguyen for the photos.

On the left, Chef Besh serves Crawfish Beignets, Petite Beet Salads, and Fried Oysters with Caviar.  On the right, guests enjoy the evening’s signature cocktail, a French 75, which is a combination of Dry Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, and Sparkling Wine.

On the left, the evening’s table setting. On the right, Café Reconcile’s students providing table service are introduced to the guests.

On the left, Chef Besh explains his inspiration for each course.  On the right, guests prepare for the first course.

On the left, Chef Besh plates the First Course, Stuffed Blue-Crabs “Grand-mere.”  On the right, the café glows during dinner.

On the left, Chef Besh prepares mushrooms and crabmeat  for “Breaded” Trout Ponchatrain.  On the right, Chef Besh plates a piece of Trout.

One the left, Reconcile Graduate Derricka Sanchez serves Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake.  One the right, Reconcile New Orleans Founder Craig Cuccia speaks to the guests about the mission of Reconcile New Orleans.

On the left, Chef Besh thanks his kitchen staff.  On the right, Chef Besh signs a cookbook for a guest.

On a sparkling evening, students, friends, family, and staff gathered at Café Reconcile to celebrate the graduation of eight more young men and women. After a welcome by one of the night’s graduates, Wayne Gettridge, the graduates smiles glowed as they processed to their seats.

After Judy Wallace offered an opening prayer, General Manager David Giardina offered a brief history of the café.He was followed by Bishop Germaine Davis, one of the newest members of the Board of Directors of Reconcile New Orleans. Bishop Davis played the keyboard as he sang “Thank you, Lord,” an inspiring number about the blessings in our lives. Another graduate of the night, Jasmine Cox, introduced the night’s keynote speaker, Maurice Ruffin, Esq. Mr. Ruffin talked about his life and how he realized that with hard work and focus almost any goal could be accomplished. Mr. Ruffin graduated from the Loyola Law School in 2003, and he has since become one of the more prominent young lawyers in the city. He ended his speech encouraging the graduates to give back and mentor youth because of the positive influence just one person can have on another.

Certificates of Completion were then handed out to the students by Executive Director Sister Mary Lou Specha, PBVM, Program Director Donna Bowie, and General Manager David Giardina. Following the certificates were reflections by Tyriane Madding and Brandon Sabatier. Tyriane told the crowd that she came to Café Reconcile with a friend who constantly made her late and was holding her back. Realizing that she would be unable to change with this friend in her life, Tyriane made the choice to take a different path. She now works for the banquet staff of the Loews Hotel. Brandon talked about personal changes during his time in the café, such as the realization of the importance and reward of hard work. He also changed his appearance, making the decision to cut off his dreadlocks when he had the opportunity for employment at the Loews hotel. He now runs his own station in the kitchenat Café Adelaide, one of the City’s finest restaurants..

For the first time at a graduation employers who have created a partnership with Café Reconcile spoke. The first was Ray Bruce, the Director of Human Resources for the Loews Hotel, who spoke about the quality of workers the café produces and how rewarding it is for the hotel staff to build on the training Café Reconcile students receive. Amy Landry, Human Resource and Training Manager of the Roosevelt Hotel, spoke about how proud she was that five of the evening’s eight graduates completed their internship at the Roosevelt. She said she was highly impressed with their eagerness to take on new tasks, and she as inspired by their sense of team spirit. Mr. Bruce and Ms. Landry were followed by Sister Mary Lou Specha and Donna Bowie who offered words of encouragement and Congratulations.

Congratulations to our graduates: Ebony, Jasmine, Demetrius, Wayne, Tyriane, Jasmine, Kenione, Brandon, and Dominique!

Last week a new group of students transitioned from life skills class to the café. It was a perfect time for Jeff Gulotta to pay us a visit. Mr. Gulotta is the General Manager of Restaurant August, John Besh’s flagship restaurant, and he spoke with the students about how to provide outstanding service in a fine dining restaurant.

Mr. Gulotta started his presentation by focusing on interactions with customers. In particular, he highlighted the importance of focus and enthusiasm. In a fast-paced restaurant, a waiter must constantly anticipate the needs of the customers. Lack of focus makes it impossible to provide excellent service. Enthusiasm with customers is also important because it can be contagious. If you show customers that you are excited to have them dining with you, they will be more likely to enjoy their experience. If diners have a good time they will leave bigger tips and be more likely to return. Learning these facts about fine dining service intimidated the students at first, but Mr. Gulotta assured them that anyone can provide excellent service. It just takes practice.

The second part of the presentation covered serving and bussing. Mr. Gulotta set a table to show students the typical place setting at August, and how to use the different dishes and flatware. He then showed students the proper way to serve and remove dishes teaching them tricks such as “tucking your thumb” so you don’t touch the top of a patron’s plate. He also suggested using the largest plate on the table to stack all the other dishes on so you can remove all dishes from a table at once.

Having worked his own way up through the restaurant industry, Mr. Gulotta concluded by assuring the students that if they work hard and focus any of them could work at a restaurant like August. Thank you, Jeff Gulotta, for your support of Café Reconcile! Our students really enjoyed your visit and now believe that they can be successful in a fine dining restaurant.

On Thursday evening the Café glowed as Chef John Besh and his staff from Restaurant August stormed our kitchen to host the first in a series of fundraisers to support our culinary training program.  The remaining dinners will feature the executive chefs from each of Chef Besh’s other restaurants: Lüke, The American Sector, Domenica, La Provence, and Besh Steak.  Chef Besh has been a longtime supporter of Cafe Reconcile, employing a number of our graduates and donating a portion of the proceeds from his new cookbook, My New Orleans, to support our program.

The sold-out crowd of 70 included many old friends and supporters of Café Reconcile, and we were thrilled to welcome some new faces to our mission as well.  Guests arrived at 6:30 to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, including fried oysters with caviar, jambalaya riz en boule, shrimp remoulade, pissalidiere, crawfish beignets, and petite beet salad.  Café Reconcile students and graduates worked alongside members of Chef Besh’s own wait staff to serve the guests.  After Sr. Mary Lou Specha offered a brief welcome,  Rev. Mark Lewis, SJ, said Grace.  Chef Besh then took the stage and talked about his inspiration for his four-course meal from his cookbook, My New Orleans.

The first course was a Stuffed Blue Crab “Grand-Mere” paired with a Chateau St. Michel Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc.  Chef Besh told the crowd that his inspiration for this dish came from his Grandmother.  He recounted how he never ate crab cakes growing up; instead, his grandmother always made stuffed crabs.  The second course was a “Breaded” Speckled Trout Pontchartrain paired with a Droughin Macon Villages, a White Burgundy.  Chef Besh prepared this classic New Orleans dish with pan-fried local trout, brabmeat, and mushrooms.

Paired with a Concannon Pinot Noir, Chef Besh presented as his third course a Navarin of Local Lamb with wild mushroom, fava beans, and cavatelli, using lamb from Chef Besh’s farm on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain.  The meal concluded with Strawberry Shortcake using Ponchatoula Strawberries and paired with a St. Supery Moscato.

As the evening wound down guests mingled with Chef Besh and received a signed copy of My New Orleans.

Perhaps those in attendance who had the most fun were the students and staff who worked the event.  The students enjoyed the wonderful food and were surprised how comfortable they were working next to Chef Besh and his staff. Chef Joe, Executive Chef of Café Reconcile, felt especially honored to work with Chef Besh, commenting,  “In any profession it is always an honor to work with those who are the best at what they do.  Working with Chef Besh was like watching a world class artist paint a beautiful picture.”

Thank you to Chef John Besh and your staff for a wonderful evening.  Your support of our program, mission, and students is inspiring.  Thanks as well to our friends at Chevron, Republic Distributors, and Destination Kitchen for helping to make our fundraiser dinner a big success.  Thanks as well to Tom Fitzmorris and nomenu.com for helping us spread the word about our cause.  Stay tuned for our next “Celebrity Chef Dinner!”

Click here to view pictures from the event.

Chef Carolyn Shelton joined our students in the Café on the morning of February 4th to speak with our students about what they need to do to create a bright future and to demonstrate her Zydeco Crab Cakes. Chef Carolyn has been featured on CNN, BET, and 60 Minutes. She currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Chef Carolyn was born in Louisiana and grew up in Texas learning how to cook Creole food from her mother who she said was the greatest influence on her life. Her mother made all her children believe that you can attain any goal with hard work and determination. Carolyn started her professional life as a flight attendant traveling the Pacific Rim where she was able to sample the diverse cuisine. Carolyn decided to change careers after working with youth in the Cabrini Green Housing Projects of Chicago, one of the most dangerous projects in the city. Carolyn believed that by teaching etiquette to young men and women this would build self esteem and they could use this foundation to create a successful life for themselves. Carolyn started opening Creole restaurants in Louisiana and worked with youth as an Etiquette Consultant.

Chef Carolyn spoke with our students at our breakfast discussion about her life and the different influences that helped her achieve so much success. She also told our students that the first step to success is to realize their personal value and how they can be positive influences for others. Chef Carolyn prepared her Zydeco Crab Cakes for our students and Café Reconcile’s daily special. They are “Zydeco” because they have some extra pepper and kick to them. As usual the crab cakes were a hot item at lunch. They sold out quickly.

Thank you Chef Carolyn for coming in to teach our students about Creole cuisine and the heights they can reach after our program.

For more information about Chef Carolyn Shelton and her newest cookbook, “Zydeco Blues and Gumbo,” visit her website www.chefcarolynshelton.info.