In a previous issue, we discussed the discernment for the Abbey of St. Nicholas’s location and its budding connection to the Brookline community. Previously, we also mentioned the fact that the Abbey is aimed at becoming financially self-sustaining. In this issue, we will expand upon the entrepreneurial aspect of the Abbey.
Fr. Biff shares his vision for this part of the Abbey’s ministry in saying, “I was a chef for nearly a decade and so this is a skill I can contribute to the ministry to the ministry to help it become self-sustaining. I also worked for several catering companies and realized that there are all of these wonderful markets that are untapped and so I thought ‘ok, if we’re going to do this financial piece, there’s not going to be the time to do committee meetings and church vestry meetings and stuff like that so we’re going to have to adopt a whole new approach to this ministry.’”
After much research and planning, Fr. Biff has plans to use his experience as a chef to launch a boxed lunch delivery and catering service. Already, opportunities for this have organically presented themselves. Upon hearing about this idea, one employer said to Fr. Biff, “We can never get food to my workers. Could you cater that?” On another day, an executive at PNC witnessed Fr. Biff’s patience in dealing with a trying catering situation at Giant Eagle and “I have to tell you, you have the patience of a saint. I have never seen someone hold back what was righteous anger…Are you on your way to cater a lunch?” When Fr. Biff replied that he was, the executive asked if Fr. Biff does corporate lunches. “Well, I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it” was Fr. Biff’s response and the executive gave him his card in case he would consider catering corporate lunches.
Fr. Biff plans to identify specific buildings or job sites which will use a separate ordering website. The individual or employer will go to that website and use their credit card to order by close of business the day before. The ministry plans to have an air-conditioned trailer and will bring the boxed lunches to the site, delivering them to the customer after they scan their QR code.
As a new venture aimed at making the Abbey something that can financially sustain itself, the Abbey has an advantage in that the ministry will use the church kitchen which means that it will have no overhead or rent. The Abbey also plans to operate with volunteers who, as they are trained and begin to understand the flow of the operation, will allow Fr. Biff to handle at least an entire office building. He says, “If this whole Abbey thing starts to grow and flourish, we can take on another and another and another. And then what we’ll do is use those proceeds to number one, first and foremost, to fulfill the financial needs of the Abbey. But then after that we’ll be able to use that money toward food insufficiency, partnering with Meals on Wheels, with food agencies and a whole slew of other ministries.” Fr. Biff’s gifting both as a chef and a priest will offer a serving presence in the community and an opportunity for others to join in this ministry as well.
The Abbey can be found on the web at saintnicksabbey.org and can be contacted at saintnicksabbey@episcopalpgh.org. Fr. Biff can be contacted on his cell phone at (814) 521-8003.