Highlights Cover Feature - Fall/Winter '25

Rooted in Flavor: How Three U of D Jesuit Alumni Found Purpose in Food, Faith, and Community

From a Detroit food truck to an urban micro-farm and California vineyards, three University of Detroit Jesuit alumni have found purpose in cultivating flavor and feeding others in every sense of the word.

For Godwin Ihentuge ’02, food is a form of storytelling, a way to celebrate culture and build community. For Mark Grzybowski ’73, urban farming offers both sustainability and service, transforming forgotten land into nourishment and opportunity. And for Patrick McGuire ’78, the craft of winemaking has become a lesson in patience, gratitude, and generosity.

Though their paths span decades and industries, each traces his inspiration back to the same place, the Jesuit values of hard work, discernment, and being a Man for Others. Whether through a shared meal, a farmers’ market stand, or a bottle raised in friendship, they continue to serve others, one plate, plant, and pour at a time. To read their complete interviews, click on the images below.

Full Circle: Serving Through Flavor

Across decades and disciplines, Ihentuge, Grzybowski, and McGuire have discovered that success in food and beverage isn’t just about what’s on the plate or in the glass, it’s about what’s behind it: faith, service, and connection.

Each carries forward the lessons first learned at U of D Jesuit, discipline, reflection, and being Men for Others. Whether mentoring young chefs, sharing crops with neighbors, or donating wine to support scholarships, they continue to live those values through the work of their hands.

Their stories remind us that vocation can take many forms. Sometimes it’s found in a busy kitchen, sometimes in an urban greenhouse, sometimes among the vines. But the essential ingredients never change, purpose, generosity, and the desire to serve.