b'Marianist TableSIMPLEyet eloquent PHOTO BY KATHLEEN NELSONWith a dash of panache, Brother Mitch Schweickart, SM, whips up zesty spaghetti sauceBy Kathleen NelsonT with meatballs and transferring them to other slowhe seemingly humble Spaghetti Dinner servedweekly to students at University of Dayton (UD) cookers, warming until the students arrive for a help-earns rave reviews, thanks in large part to the chef: Mar- ing of spaghetti with salad, garlic bread, and cookies.ianist Brother Mitch Schweickart, coordinator of Instead of meticulously calibrating the spices forMarianist student programs at UD. He learned to cook the sauce, though, Bro. Mitch lets the Spirit move him. out of necessity but has honed a sense of panache I measure by the that-looks-like-enough method,along the way.he said. The son of working-class parents, he and his three So, to get family-sized portions for his spaghettiolder sisters took turns cooking on weekdays while sauce recipe included here, we had to dust off ourtheir parents worked.math skills. To feed 50-70 students a week, Bro. MitchMy older sisters forced me, once they deemed me uses three 106-ounce cans of tomato sauce and spicessafe in the kitchen, he said. I learned along the way. from institutional-sized canisters. Knowing that aThat learn-as-you-go approach continues to inspire canister lasts 4-5 weeks and contains about 4 cups his culinary journey. When I joined the brothers, they of spice, we used a little long division to calculatesaid, Youre OK, but you need to up your game. the quantities listed in the recipe. Through the years we cooked in community, some The first to receive the family-sized recipe?of the brothers did the same thing time after time. My sisters, he said. They dont get to attendThat was never me. Some of us learned to experiment. our Thursday dinners, but now they can make it forI like variety. themselves. And judge for themselves.The tradition has culminated with the student Other than holidays and in the summer, Bro. Mitchsdinners, held for the past three years at 6 p.m. every opportunities to cook are fewer than in the past. WhetherThursday during the fall and spring semesters.with the students or among themselves, though, theBro. Mitch starts at 4 p.m., blending nearly a gallon sense of community forged over a meal remainsof tomato sauce with spices. He then moves half of foundational to Marianist Charism and hospitality.this batch of sauce to a small slow cooker to simmer It is around the table that we come to know oneas a vegetarian option. He combines the rest with another, Bro. Mitch said. Those things that separatepremade frozen meatballs and puts that mixture inus disappear. All are welcome. another slow cooker. He repeats the process two moretimes, combining the huge cans of sauce and spices Kathleen Nelson is a writer/photographer from St. Louis.18Call 1.800.348.4732'