His name is Juan Andrés Verde, also known as “Gordo,” and he is the parish priest at Stella Maris in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Fr. Verde just finished participating in MasterChef Celebrity, where he competed against comedians, a boxer, a dancer, actors and musicians.
He took second place and prepared several dishes that reflected his faith, one of them was Pope John Paul II's favorite dessert.
FR. JUAN ANDRÉS 'GORDO' VERDE
'For our dear Pope John Paul II, in honor of him I made the dessert: the Papieska Kremowka. It has the colors of the holy father: yellow and white. At the same time I made a cross on it with powdered sugar and I put a candy halo on the plate, which was very difficult to make, and was a little symbol of sainthood.'
When he is not in the kitchen, Fr. Verde leads the Cireneos youth group, with whom he runs the Santa Eugenia Missionary Program, providing a roof over the heads of low-income families.
FR. JUAN ANDRÉS 'GORDO' VERDE
'With the young people we serve different poor neighborhoods, among them the Santa Eugenia neighborhood, which is the neighborhood for which I had the opportunity to participate in MasterChef. There, 236 families live in very difficult situations. With the youth of the parish there we have a missionary program that has school support, adult literacy programs, a children's oratory, and celebration of the word.'
The parish priest was a fan-favorite on the program, and won over the audience with his recipes and sympathy.
Although he didn't win, participating in MasterChef Celebrity was a blessing for Fr. Verde. He says he will now continue working 'in God's kitchen.'
XSA
TR: JM
