Would you like a side of faith with those fries?

Sharing a meal together was a gesture of community, solidarity and love even before Jesus asked his disciples to share in his body and blood during the Last Supper, but since then it has become a cornerstone of the Catholic faith. Sharing in the Eucharist connects the faithful not only to Christ, but also to each other.

CNS photo by Nancy Wiechec

Sitting down for dinner together is also a practice that many say can bring families closer to one another and helps them stay together.

Seeing the connection between food and fellowship, Elvira Go decided to open a Catholic-themed restaurant in her home country, the Philippines.

The Manila-based restaurant is the first of its kind in the Philippines, where 82 percent of the population is Catholic. Its name, Ristorante delle Mitre, is a take on the miter worn by Catholic bishops.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines endorses the restaurant, so it is only appropriate that the menu is designed to honor all bishops of the church and the restaurant is decorated with church memorabilia.

The menu features price-fixed meals for those looking to splurge, a budget meal that’s less than one U.S. dollar and moderately priced fare with Asian, Italian, Western and Filipino flare.

Sister Evangeline Paras, a Theresian nun, is the head chef at Ristorante delle Mitre. She told Agence France Presse, “We want to show the positive side of the church… I consider this another ministry of the church.”

Sister Evangeline first put her cooking skills into the service of the church when she managed a religious retreat house. Her talent impressed Archbishop Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, now retired as archbishop of Cebu, who then hired her as his personal chef.

“Cooking for God’s people has always been my calling,” Sister Evangeline told AFP.