When chef Shawn Clayborn enthusiastically describes the meal she will prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, the list reads like a lineup of classic comfort foods: turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, collard greens, cornbread and mashed potatoes. earth, all garnished with savory. sauce.

And bringing comfort to the more than 300 people spread across two locations who will receive her meals this Thanksgiving is something that drives the Detroit native all year long.

“It’s an honor to cook for the people I serve,” said Clayborn, executive chef and kitchen director at the Pope Francis Center (PFC), a nonprofit organization that serves hot, nutritious meals to the homeless. from Detroit six days a week. “I fell in love with the Center and my work, and I don’t think they will ever get rid of me.”

A Class of 2000 graduate of Detroit East Catholic High School who grew up near Eastern Market, Clayborn joined PFC in 2023 and quickly rose to the challenge of preparing and serving full meals to more than 200 people a day for a comfortable kitchen of the PFC day center. at Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church (438 St. Antoine) – the oldest church building in continuous use in the city of Detroit.

This summer, Clayborn’s responsibilities increased significantly when PFC opened its 60,000-square-foot Bridge Housing Campus – a one-of-a-kind facility built to move people from “homelessness to hope” – at 2915 West Hancock. For the well-being of residents who are expected to stay between 90 and 120 days before transitioning to permanent housing, the campus includes a 40-unit furnished residential apartment complex; a free medical and dental clinic; a library and classrooms; a chapel; a hair salon; a space for family gatherings and special events, and another space where Clayborn is most often found. It would be a full-size commercial kitchen equipped with two convection ovens, two regular ovens and a tilting skillet that allows Clayborn to make soup for 300 people at a time.

From the gleaming new kitchen, like a veritable Eastern Catholic high school charger, Clayborn wasted no time “charging” a new operation that involves working with a dedicated volunteer staff to regularly prepare 350 servings of ‘a complete meal that is shipped. at the PFC day center. Meanwhile, its kitchen prepares and serves three meals a day to the first residents of the Pope Francis Center’s Bridge Housing Campus, which officially opened in the Core City neighborhood on June 3.

“I’m on the ground floor, right in the middle of things, and I can see the program growing,” Clayborn said on the afternoon of Nov. 20. “And it’s amazing to see that it’s playing out exactly as they planned.”

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The path that led Clayborn to PFC is perhaps just as “amazing” in itself. When Clayborn graduated from East Catholic, she enrolled at the University of Detroit Mercy with the goal of attending dental school with an eye toward becoming an orthodontist. Clayborn would later work 10 years as a dental assistant, but when the dental office where she worked closed, Clayborn found herself at a career crossroads. And that’s when the proud daughter of Eddie and Veronica Clayborn began to turn her attention to the lessons she learned from her father, a Detroit autoworker, who learned the art of cooking in the South with his grandmother in Fort Deposit, Alabama.

“My dad was always the main cook in our house, and if he wanted turkey and dressing in mid-July, he would make it and it would be delicious,” said Clayborn, who in 2012 draws on everything his father taught. her as a student in the culinary arts program at Dorsey College. “Dad gave me the basics and culinary school allowed me to learn about food safety and develop a skill set. »

But, as Clayborn explained Nov. 20, about an hour after serving lunch to Bridge Housing Campus residents, good cooking isn’t really learned from a book or even in a classroom. Clayborn firmly believes that the art of cooking requires extensive real-world practice. And over a years-long journey, she acquired this practice – and attracted many admirers in the process – at places like the Roostertail, the former St. Ce Ce’s Food and Spirits in Corktown, the Westin Book Cadillac, Detroit Reception Hospital and more. .

“At the hospital, we served meals to patients in 350 beds, which helped me a lot in planning,” said Clayborn, who relies heavily on community allies like the Gleaners Community Food Bank, which provides 2 500 pounds of food every two weeks. the PFC Kitchen — and Panera Bread, as well as food contributions from community groups and individuals to prepare dishes for its 12-week rotating menu, which is subject to change based on donations. “I also bring my catering and banquet experience to the table: this means that all our meals are well balanced, with 4 to 6 ounces of protein, 4 ounces of starches and 8 ounces of fresh vegetables.

“And like in a banquet hall, we want our dishes to be presented in a pleasant way. At our salad bar, you’ll see our cucumbers look like flowers because you eat them with your eyes, and as long as the food is visually colorful, people will try it.

In addition to bringing a wealth of culinary experience to everything she does, Clayborn says she also comes to work each day with a lot of sincere respect for the people she serves through PFC.

“I was enlightened to the inside of homelessness,” said Clayborn, who also teaches classes focused on cooking and life skills to residents of the Bridge Housing Campus on Mondays and Thursdays. “So often people say things like, ‘Why don’t you get a job?’ or ‘You chose this life.’ I have to admit that I have had thoughts like this in the past about homeless people. But when we say things like that, it’s like we’re not giving a person credit for being a human being. I learned that there are many layers and layers to homelessness. It could be mental illness, a house fire, the loss of a mother, or other trauma. …

“We have people in our program who have a background in food service, and in our classes I ask them to teach others. And after the meals are served (at Bridge Housing Campus), I like to sit at different tables and talking to residents because we all need to know each other and help each other.

On the afternoon of November 20, Clayborn, devoted mother to Joe Harris III (21) and Jayden Harris (17), and grandmother to 1-month-old Jafar Ree Harris, also revealed she was a fan of Thanksgiving traditions in Detroit, including the American Thanksgiving Parade, which she has attended “her whole life.”

And Clayborn will continue that momentum this year when she attends the parade with her family.

Clayborn is also a Detroit Lions fan. But, she said, her eyes won’t be on the Thanksgiving action at Ford Field when the Lions host the Chicago Bears, because she and a team of volunteers Clayborn says are indispensable will be taking care of their own important matters.

“I’m a Lions fan, but I will forgo the game to make sure the holiday meal is a success,” said Clayborn, who expressed excitement for the first holiday meal to be presented to Bridge Housing residents Campus at 5 p.m. a family atmosphere. “I couldn’t do anything without our volunteers, and I hope all the residents we serve stay on track because everyone seems to be doing well. »

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its various forms. On his second tour with the Free Press, which he read as a child, he is excited and honored to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us develop quality community-focused journalism by become a subscriber.

This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Chef Shawn Clayborn feeds hundreds in need