082: Building Strong Families, Connected Kids with Father Leo of Plating Grace

If having a strong family and raising kids who know how to serve others is important - or necessary - to you, my guest today will inspire, encourage, and challenge you to reach those goals!

He prefers the word "invite" over "challenge," so I'm curious to hear what you think! :)

I was beyond honored to sit down with Fr. Leo Patalinghug, "the cooking priest," to talk about family dinners, sharing responsibilities in the home, building memories around food, and how he's serving many communities at once with his new food truck project.

You'll hear:

• Why being a priest and a chef are basically the same calling
• Fr. Leo's strong thoughts about family dinners and a strict boundary he encourages parents to set about dinner conversation
• The science behind the necessity of gathering together around food
• What Fr. Leo says to adults who don't know how to cook and the impersonal tragedy of processed/delivered food
• A priest's prescription for date nights to keep the marriage strong (and be a good example for the children)
• The Plating Grace and Grub food truck and how many communities and needs it serves (plus, YUM, I'm drooling over the menu!)
• Some pointed words about media consumption, how we digest the words we're told, and what we really need a revival of in America
• Fr. Leo's family experience with food saving relationships

There's a reason Fr. Leo is an internationally renowned speaker and a TV host—he's so great to listen to and has a LOT to say. Take notes!

I'm also so jazzed that he is quoted in my upcoming book on picky eating, coming in fall 2026!

Resources We Mention for Building Strong Families

• Father Leo's book Saving the Family
• Family dinner rituals to promote mental and physical health
• The importance of family dinners
• 10 ways to make veggies more appealing to kids
• More about connected parenting with Jennifer Kolari
• To support Father Leo's food truck ministry, head over here
• Check out his podcast and books
• Follow Father Leo on Instagram and Facebook

Check out the cookbook FOR kids, BY kids at kidscookrealfood.com/chefjr. 

• Kitchen Stewardship
• Kids Cook Real Food
• follow Katie on Instagram or Facebook
• Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates
• YouTube shorts channel for HPH
• Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast

Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!