The fifth annual Cooks with Collars – a friendly online cooking competition among priests of the Diocese of Allentown – wrapped up voting at midnight on Sept. 30 and proudly announces its 2025 award winners.
This year’s competition offered a rich menu of flavors and creativity. Participating priests shared everything from farm-to-table dishes and family-favorite comfort foods to a taste of Brazil and even a coop-to-kitchen frittata. The videos were filled not only with mouthwatering recipes, but also with plenty of laughter, community spirit, and joy.
Top Fundraising Chef: Monsignor Tom Baddick
The Top Fundraising Chef award goes to Monsignor Tom Baddick of Notre Dame of Bethlehem, whose chili hot dogs captured both appetites and hearts. His entry raised an impressive $44,485 for the parish’s “Stairway to Heaven” project – a project to replace the church’s front steps, estimated to cost $100,000.
On receiving the honor, Monsignor Baddick expressed heartfelt gratitude “to the good people of Notre Dame Parish.”
“They really support their parish. They love their parish,” he said. Now, the parish has over $44,000 and is well on their way to replacing their “Stairway to Heaven.” The project is expected to be completed by next summer.
The donations came from parishioners and anonymous benefactors alike. “They are generous. They are enthusiastic. They have great spirit. There’s great unity here,” he said.
Yet he cheerfully describes his winning dish – chili dogs – as “brainless,” but also “a great recipe,” one he discovered online. His secret is to finely chop the beef for the chili using a food processor or blender, creating the perfect texture for topping hot dogs.
“If you don’t have anything ready for supper, hot dogs with good chili is a very satisfying meal,” he said. “You suddenly have taken simple hot dogs and turned them into a gourmet dinner and the all-American meal.”
For his top culinary and fundraising achievement, Monsignor Baddick receives a personalized commemorative knife.
Top Party Chefs: Celebrating Parish Spirit
While fundraising totals are impressive, Cooks with Collars also celebrates the parishes that bring people together through their joyful participation. The Top Party Chef award honors entries that went above and beyond in engagement, based on a lighthearted but “scientifically accurate” methodology that considered parish participation, YouTube views, average donation size, and more.
This year more than a dozen priests earned Top Party Chef recognition for their creativity and ability to rally their communities. The honorees are:
• Father Patrick Lamb – Assumption BVM, Northampton.
• Father Jose Johnson – Most Blessed Trinity, Tremont.
• Monsignor Thomas Baddick – Notre Dame of Bethlehem.
• Father Marty Kern – Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bethlehem.
• Father Patrick Lamb – Queenship of Mary, Northampton.
• Father John Gibbons – Sacred Heart of Jesus, Allentown.
• Father Michael Mullins – Sacred Heart, Palmerton.
• Father Stan Moczydlowski – St. Benedict, Mohnton.
• Father Brian Miller – St. Catharine of Siena, Reading.
• Father Joseph Kweder – St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Whitehall.
• Father Richard Brensinger – St. Francis of Assisi, Allentown.
• Father Dominic Pham – St. Joseph, Sheppton and St. Mary, Ringtown.
• Father Anthony Mongiello – St. Rocco, Martins Creek.
Each Top Party Chef receives a personalized wooden spoon as a symbol of their parish’s spirited participation.
Record-Breaking Impact
The 2025 competition drew over 2,000 donors from across the United States, raising more than $210,000 for parishes in the Diocese of Allentown.
Collectively, Cooks with Collars videos were viewed over 20,000 times, sparking hundreds of comments and heartfelt messages. One viewer summed up the spirit of the event perfectly: “Thank you for representing our parish with such joy and enthusiasm…. Thank God for bringing us priests who share His abundant blessings!”
More Than a Competition
Cooks with Collars has become much more than a friendly contest. It’s a celebration of faith, food, and community. Through creative recipes, joyful videos, and generous giving, priests and parishioners unite each year to support their parishes in a uniquely personal and uplifting way.
With another successful year complete, the Diocese of Allentown looks forward to seeing what’s on the menu for 2026.
By Gia Myers
