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By Rebecca Rakoczy
Special to the Georgia Bulletin
MARIETTA--Goose liver mousse. Beef Wellington. Creme brulee. Apricot sorbet.
The elegant menu is a gastronome's tour de force.
Father Paul Berny, pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Marietta, pulls out all
the stops in a special meal prepared as a fond farewell to a couple moving from
the Atlanta area. With training as a souse chef under a Michelin star-studded
restaurateur in Germany; and an admitted gourmand, Father Berny loves any
excuse to cook.
On this particularly sweltering day he is stationed at a hot stove in the
St. Joseph's rectory kitchen, methodically stirring a custard base for homemade
peach ice cream. A contented smile of satisfaction is on his face.
Opportunities to spend time in the kitchen happen less frequently these
days. For as pastor of St. Joseph's, the passion for the Bread of Life he
shares each week with his parishioners takes precedence over his passion for
the culinary arts.
That's not to say Father Berny's penchant for fine food goes unrequited.
It's a passion he's shared with members of the various parishes he's served at
over the years, starting with his first assignment as assistant pastor at St.
Jude's, where he cooked as a member of a gourmet club and hosted special
dinners. It's a passion for entertaining that's reflected in his collection of
Wedgwood and Waterford crystal, and in the aged wines he pulls out for guests.
And it's a passion that's apparent in his pantry: few rectories can boast of a
larder he personally replenishes with such "staples" as white truffle
paste from New York's famed Balducci's, and transparent sliver-thin slices of
gelatin from Germany.
A family legacy of good cooking led Father Berny to the kitchen 30 years ago
in his home in Buffalo, N.Y.
"My mom was a good cook and a fantastic baker--and I guess you could
call me a frustrated chemist," he said, alluding to his fondness for
mixing and measuring ingredients.
"Before I went into seminary (at St. Meinrad's in Indiana) I was
thinking about a career in chemical engineering."
Time in Europe living on his own as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force
prompted further "study" of the world's finest restaurants, he said
with a grin. While stationed in England, Parisian restaurants were less than a
two-hour train trip away.
"Wherever I was stationed, I would consult the Michelin guide to see if
there were any rated Michelin restaurants. I would make sure I visited it as
soon as possible," he said. Michelin is an independent agency that rates
fine restaurants with stars. While stationed in Hahn, Germany, he was a
frequent visitor to one particular "two star" Michelin-rated
restaurant.
"I must have been there at least a dozen times, and I joked that the
chef should hire me," he recalled. To his surprise, the chef agreed. With
accumulated leave time from the Air Force, Father Berny began a joyful -- but
intense - five-week stint at LaVal d'Or Restaurant in Guldenthal.
"It was a baptism by fire. I moved from department to department, but
mostly I was the souse chef. I learned to reduce, reduce, reduce," Father
Berny said, in reference to the slow process of cooking liquids down to their
essence. The intensity of the kitchen -- at the time there were just 40 tables
but seven cooks in the kitchen -- amazed him, but he worked hard, even at
tedious chores.
"One of my jobs was to clean every little vein of the goose liver for
fois gras," he said. "The chef liked his fois gras very clean, very
white."
And then there was the fish night. "There was one horrifying night when
I had to be the fish chef--I was horrified, because I thought, what if one of
the Michelin men were out there, and I sent out some underdone fish, and well,
there goes a star."
Fortunately, no such calamity occurred. When he left, the staff awarded him
a special jacket with the restaurant's logo and his name on it; plus a half
case of Moet Chandon champagne. It was a rewarding endeavor for a man who
gained his cooking skills at his Polish mother's side and from the archives of
gourmet cooking magazines.
Those magazines are the basis of many of the meals he puts together. He's
compiled a database of more than 10,000 recipes, culled from his favorite food
magazine--Gourmet. He has collected 30 years of the magazine.
"I've arranged it so I can type in one word-- for example, 'hazelnut,'
and pull up dozens of related recipes," he explained.
It also extends to his wine cellar, which was converted from an old shower
room in his quarters at the rectory. The tiny "cellar," where more
than 150 bottles await consumption, has a small humidifier that keeps the room
a chilly 60 degrees. In the racks: a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne, given to
him when he celebrated his silver jubilee (he entered the priesthood in 1972).
"That's one we're saving to pop open for New Year's Eve this
year," he said.
These days, Father Berny "shares" his kitchen with Andrew
Hamilton, an accomplished cook in his own right, who prepares the meals for the
rectory staff. The two men have joined forces on several occasions to create
meals to remember for friends and parishioners.
But despite his enjoyment of fine food, Father Berny points out that the
best meals aren't distinguished so much by the menu, as they are by the
atmosphere and companionship.
"I think I get the most satisfaction of seeing people who respond to a
special dinner when they're leaving and say 'I can't believe it - we've been
sitting at the dinner table for five hours -- it doesn't even seem like an
hour!' The hallmark of a good liturgy is the same for a wonderful meal."
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