Chef Meronica Finch works her magic at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission with a Chicken Stir Fry for 250 people. Meronica and the kitchen crew were spotlighted on this week’s Positively Fort Wayne for the love and care they put into the meals they make for the residents.

The chef’s love of connecting with people through cooking is passed down through generations.

Lakesha Finch is Director of Food Services at the Rescue Mission– she’s also Meronica’s daughter.  “Mom is special,” she says. “Not only is she my mom, but she’s everyone’s mom out here. You don’t hear them calling her Meronica. You’ll hear them calling her mom.”

As Meronica prepares the main dish, she brags on her daughter as Lakesha turns regular bread into yummy cinnamon rolls.

Meronica, who grew up cooking alongside her family and went to Cordon Bleu School, enjoys cooking “down home meals” and does it all without measuring much– she goes off instinct.

“The food that we’re giving them isn’t just food,” Lakesha says. “It’s love on a plate.”