June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION June 2015 Issue | Page 2

June 2015

Deacon Jim Rooney’s “Secret Skill” Raises
Funds for Café Hope
Café Hope is a wonderful
still earns money. At Café
program that helps at-risk youth
Hope’s recent Local Food
learn all aspects of the restaurant
Fest Fundraiser, Deacon
business. Located on Barataria
Jim and wife Joan were
Blvd. in Marrero, Café Hope
awarded the People’s
features a contemporary dining
Choice Award in the
room where lunch is served
amateur division for their
Tuesdays - Fridays, and dinners
homemade roast beef
on Friday, all at very reasonable
poboys. What made these
prices. Many of the menu items
poboys so special?
L. to R., Joan Rooney, son Aaron Rooney, Deacon Jim
are prepared with vegetables
The roasts were
Rooney, and friends Jennifer and Michelle Ballay
freshly-grown in gardens right
hand-picked and
volunteered at Café Hope’s recent Local Food Fest, where
they were awarded the People’s Choice Award in the
outside of the restaurant.
professionally sliced by
Amateur Division.
Fundraising is a crucial
Deacon Jim. Part of the
part of the program’s success. Fundraising events have
meat was roasted, and part was pressure-cooked.
included auctions, a fashion show, bunco games, and
The gravy was made from scratch using fresh
the most recent fundraiser, the Local
ingredients.
Food Fest. With all this activity,
As if the aroma of this
volunteers are always needed,
delicious roast beef and gravy
especially ones that help on a
weren’t enough, Deacon Jim
regular basis, like Deacon Jim
wanted to call more attention to
Rooney and his wife Joan, who have
his food booth at the Food Fest,
been longtime supporters of Café
so he decided to throw some
Hope.
fresh bell peppers on a griddle.
The Rooneys are great
His plan worked a little too well.
examples of good stewards, using
After being drawn to the aroma,
their talents and skills to give back
customers began ordering roast
to others. Joan, a registered nurse,
beef poboys with a special
has extensive knowledge in the
request: grilled bell peppers!
Café Hope awarded the Rooneys the People’s
medical field, and Deacon Jim
Choice Award in the Amateur Division for their Deacon Jim was happy to fill the
knows a thing or two about our
orders. By the end of the day, the
delicious po-boys
Catholic faith.
Rooneys sold every bit of their
But Deacon Jim has a secret skill
six pounds of roast beef, and raised
that many don’t know about: he is quite
the most funds out of all the amateur
skilled in culinary arts.
food booths!
His love of cooking is rooted in
When Deacon Jim’s father
his childhood. When Deacon Jim was a
taught his son about hard work,
boy, his father was a skilled butcher and
persistence, and charity, he instilled
owned a meat market. He created special
great values that would prove to help
seasoning blends for his homemade
others for many years.
sausage and taught his son to be fearless
Congratulations to Deacon
in trying new spices and seasonings in
Jim and Joan Rooney on their
recipes. Today, Deacon Jim still has that
People’s Choice Award. You are
fearlessness and is constantly creating
truly blessings to our community!
new culinary masterpieces.
If you would like to make a donation to
Although he is not a paid
professional chef, Deacon Jim’s cooking Joan Rooney welcomes customers to Café Hope or volunteer for an upcoming
the po-boy booth at Café Hope’s
recent Food Fest

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