At Caritas Community Center and Café, a Committed Team Serves Good Food and an Even Better Mission

By Brooke Luna

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The two-story red brick building nestled in a residential stretch of Binghampton at the corner of Harvard and Merton looks unassuming with its minimal landscaping and single sign out front.

But, as I step inside, lured by the sound of a piano and the delightful scent of garlic and rosemary coming from the kitchen, I realize something special is going on at Caritas Community Center and Café.

Symbols of love and peace on vibrant paintings hang above the heads of hungry people from all walks of life gathered to escape the chill of the brisk October air. Near the back, a women’s prayer group meets for lunch. By the windows, a young mom plies her two children with pasta Bolognese, the restaurant’s special of the day.

Even those who are unable to pay have a seat at a table thanks to pay-forward donations from other customers. As I look around, I can’t help but think that the different kinds of diners — young, old, black and white — represent Caritas’s mission to unite the community in fellowship through food.

I turn back around as it’s my turn to order from the menu crafted by Executive Chef Spencer McMillin, deciding on a simple grilled cheese on sourdough. McMillin, who worked as personal chef to former Grizzlies superstar Mike Conley, also taught for nine years at L'École Culinaire before the school closed last year. He joined Caritas in January when former executive director Mac Edwards needed a new chef and asked him to come on board. McMillin’s wife, Kristin McMillin, who is now the center’s executive director, supported the center’s mission, too.

The husband-and-wife duo work to provide nutritious, affordable and local food to the community, and their dedication shows. Fresh meat and produce from farms like Old World Farms are brought in daily.

“It’s really important to support the local economy; not enough chefs are doing it,” Chef McMillin says. “Why would you get this kind of stuff from California when you could get it from 10 miles away?”

As for the menu, salads, burgers, sandwiches, quesadillas, and daily specials rotate regularly with prices ranging from $6 to $12. All sandwiches, such as the grass-fed Marmilu Farms hamburger and Mac Edwards’ sloppy joe, are served with a side of roasted potato salad drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Every Tuesday, the special is Chef McMillin’s Rigatoni Pasta Bolognese, which he learned how to make with his former culinary students while visiting Umbria, a region of central Italy near Tuscany. The dish is a must-try, a hearty concoction of bacon, ground pork, and ground beef all browned in garlic, tomato paste, red wine, rosemary, and butter (even though the Italians will never admit it, McMillin says), and topped with parsley and grated cheese.

“It’s as Italian as you can get in Memphis at an affordable price,” Kristin McMillin says of her husband’s dish.

Other specials include roast pork loin, bacon wrapped meatloaf, pan-seared catfish, and coq au vin, a French dish of chicken with red wine sauce popularized by Julia Child.

Amidst a flurry of activity, my sandwich arrives in a red basket with a red and white gingham wax paper liner, and I take my first bite. Remember how I said earlier that I ordered a simple grilled cheese? Wrong! A trio of swiss, cheddar, and Boursin cheese — a creamy, garlicy cheese named after creator François Boursin —hit my taste buds all at once. As a child, I loved the Kraft Singles between two slices of white bread that my mother would make for me, but this grilled cheese shatters my childhood expectations of what a grilled cheese could be.

While the food is the best reason to come to Caritas, the center’s mission and the support for the under-served Binghampton community is the reason to stay.

“If you have a heart to volunteer, or just want a place to plug in and get good vibes and positivity, come to Caritas for the food, the community, and everything else,” Kristin McMillin says.

Three to Try:

B.L.T. with Guacamole: Holy guacamole! The B.L.T. at Caritas adopts the popular avocado-on-everything trend but flips in on its head for a detour of salty and savory goodness. ($9)

Rigatoni Pasta Bolognese: No need to go all the way to Italy when Chef Spencer McMillin’s authentic Pasta Bolognese is right here in Memphis every Tuesday afternoon. ($12)

Black Bean Burger: Calling all vegetarians. Arriving on a fresh brioche bun and topped with crisp lettuce and cheddar cheese, the black bean burger is good enough to make any carnivore jealous. Try pairing it with the house-made potato salad. ($9)

2509 Harvard Ave. (901-327-5246) $