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RSF resident and Del Mar chef join forces so that underprivileged teens can experience fine dining The March 26 gathering came to fruition thanks to Rancho Santa Fe resident Mary Bradley who is friends with both Sbicca and Father Joe Carroll, who attended the affair with the group of young people who, as Bradley recalled, “were so nice and their manners impeccable.” “I have been interested in the work he’s been doing – he feeds 4,000 mouths a day, and he is just a saint,” said Bradley of Carroll who she has known for years. “I’ve been down to the village and I’ve seen the work that he’s done and I’ve met the children and I think it’s wonderful.” Bradley has coordinated the same kind of dining experience for the group at InnFusion restaurant at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, slated for April 25, and at later Onami in Escondido. She hopes more local eateries will come forward to participate in the grassroots effort that gives the unprivileged teens a chance to practice their table etiquette and social skills while enjoying a top-notch gourmet dinner, which is a rarity for them. The menu at Sbicca included chicken Parmesan, beef skewers, salads, brownies and tartlets. “I see this as a way of treating the kids and thanking Father Joe for his goodness and good will to the San Diego community,” said Sbicca. Bradley first thought of the idea over lunch with Carroll who told her that 20 kids from his villages were now in college and about 35 teens had been saved from the streets. Years ago, Bradley used to take out a group of children associated with another charity organization, and figured it would work just as well with the villages’ children. “I found that these children had not seen napkins, and table cloths and had never been to fancy restaurants,” remember Bradley. “When I mentioned it to Susan she said she would love to help and she prepared a perfectly gracious dinner for them. I am trying to arrange these dinners once every month or six weeks so these children can have this kind of treat.” The teens affiliated with Father Joe’s Villages were at one point homeless. Father Joe’s Villages is an organization aimed at helping people who are down and out on their luck back on their feet. The organization offers assistance through the use of various resources such as job training, education, health care services, substance abuse counseling and childcare. The organization grew out of one center 50 years ago – before the arrival of Carroll – to it current seven villages (St. Vincent de Paul Village, Inc., Martha’s Village & Kitchen, Inc., The Padre Luis Jayme International Outreach Program, the National AIDS Foundation, Inc./Josue Homes, the Toussaint Youth Villages, Inc., A Children's Village and the Mobile Health Clinic). Restaurants interested in participating can call the RSF Review at 858-756-1451 for more information.
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