Meet Nate!

Introducing wonderful Nate! Nate discovered Brother Andre's through his brother, Noah, who is one of the magnificent musicians of Divine Mercy Parish. Father Chris knew Nate because Nate prepared the nightly meal at the Red Door (a homeless shelter in downtown). Father Chris asked him if he'd be willing to help out, the rest is history!

Nate equals 'Mr. Kitchen' here at Brother Andre's. He is the 'chief' cook -with some serious help from the employees, of course. His wraps and salads are famously delicious. If you haven't tried them yet, you should get on that. Nate is also the source of 'Beignet Wednesday' -you should really, really come on Wednesday and try one!

Nate loves it here at Brother Andre's -and he especially loves the employees. He says that they are always a joy, and one of his favorite employee activities is the Chaplet and chat. If you don't know, our employees recite (with an employee leading) the Divine Mercy Chaplet every Wednesday after noon Mass. It is amazing. We also chat with the Mass Celebrant, - and we chat a whole lot! Nate thinks the word to best describe Brother Andre's is 'inclusive'. I think that's a perfect word; all are welcome in this place.

One thing Nate and I have in common is our love for creating Art. Yes, Nate is an Artist and a really good one, too. He got into it in high school and has been exploring Art ever since. It helps him to relax and to be less stressed. I can totally agree with that statement! I love working and creating Art all the time, but especially when I am stressed. It helps my mindset and calms me down. Nate says his goal with his Art is to make people happy. I think that's a great goal which he has probably already achieved. If you read one of my recent blogs, you would know that Nate took part in an Art Show. He was the host as well as having some of his own work on display. I went to the show, and it was incredible.

Nate is a big family guy and that's where he loves to spend time. Nate's 7 year-old son , Ollie, is a great kid with lots of energy. Together, they play games, run around, and garden. I'm happy that they are so close. The family also includes one dog and one cat. Clearly, Nate is an animal person, and I bet Ollie is too.

Also, Nate's original family, the Pepmyers, is a big family: six boys and one girl. (I cannot even imagine what it is like to be that sister...) Another thing about the Pepmyer family is that two of Nate's brothers are 'the significant others' of two great Brother Andre's people! I asked Nate how he feels about the potential for Bridgette (our extraordinary Cafe Manager) and Emma (our soon-to-be Occupational Therapist) to be his sisters-in-law. He insisted that that eventuality would be "sooo exciting"! Personally, I think he'd really have his work cut out for him.  (Just kidding, those girls are wonderful and they're two of my good friends!)

Nate mentioned that he would like to have lunch with Sidney Crosby. Maybe someday we could get Sid to come to the Cafe, since PPG is right next door. I bet if Sid and Nate had lunch together at Brother Andre's, it would be delicious. (I don't know the exact menu but it might even include some part of a Heath Bar, since Nate loves them.)

We realize that Nate is a hard worker and we appreciate his talent and time. Nate said if he could have a superpower, he would like it to be 'being in two places at once'. I suspect he means that he could be at Brother Andre's and the Red Door at the same time during the day. I think that's a genius idea.

We're so lucky to have Nate as part of our team. He brings so much joy and light to all of us. We hope you'll come to the Cafe to meet this lovely guy and try some of his delicious food. See ya there!