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Chef David Yost: ‘A serving heart and a gentle disposition’

By Philip A. Holmes 7 min read

Sitting in the dining room at Sojourner Truth Ministries (SJM) on High Street, David Yost was wearing a blue T-shirt with the words "Number 1 Chef" on the back.

"I try to provide a good, healthy meal in a setting that is safe, a place that provides fellowship," he said. During one recent week, he provided a variety of meals ranging from bean soup to a ham dinner with scalloped potatoes to chicken wings with rice. For many years, SJM has operated a soup kitchen, six days a week, offering a hearty, balanced lunch to many who are struggling in the community with poverty, joblessness and a host of other problems.

Yost has a lifetime of experience in preparing meals. Before joining SJM in the spring of 2020, he was a chef for 17 years at the nearby American Rescue Workers. His official title is kitchen manager.

"I manage the dining room, the kitchen, the pantry, pretty much everything that goes on in this section," he said, motioning his hand over the area. "Today we served 78 people. Yesterday we did 127 meals," he said.

However, spend any time with the 55-year-old Yost or with those for whom he works, and one will quickly learn that he is a lot more than a chef. He is not just some kitchen manager overseeing meal preparation every day with a small staff of paid and volunteer workers.

While some people coming through the door at SJM are just passing through, for others, the soup kitchen is a place for them "to eat, to experience fellowship and to get help. For some, we're their family," Yost said.

In addition to being the chef at Sojourner's, he also is an evening monitor at Saving Grace, one of three shelters the American Rescue Workers operate for those who suddenly find themselves homeless. He seems to be the ideal fit for both positions because years ago, Yost went through a very painful time in his life in which he was homeless not once, not twice, but three times.

"David gets it. What I mean is, he gets what we are trying to do here at Sojourner Truth Ministries," Pastor Angelique Labadie-Cihanowyz, executive director at SJM, who hired him, said.

"He has a serving heart and a gentle disposition," the pastor said. "He has life experience that allows him to see things on the other side of the table or serving window. His whole purpose is wanting to give back and encourage people who are struggling in life.”

"Because of his experience of being homeless, that puts him in a real advantage of having a better understanding of the very problems homeless people are facing," the pastor said.

"David is great with connecting (with people) and perceiving," Labadie-Cihanowyz said.

Down the street in her office at the American Rescue Workers, the faith-based non-profit organization whose mission is to help those dealing with hunger and homelessness, business administrator Dawn Astin said, Yost "brings hope to everyone who comes through the door at Saving Grace. That's the major thing." Saving Grace is a 30-day 24-bed emergency shelter for men, women and children.

When one is homeless, their life is filled with a lot of pain as they struggle with loneliness, fear, rejection, anger, depression, a lack of income, hunger and a sense of helplessness, Yost said, adding that he had many of those very same feelings during his times of living on the streets.

One of the lowest points in his life was around 2000. He had already been homeless briefly twice and now, once again, he found himself out of work and no place to stay. He was really hurting.

"I couch shopped a few times, lay my head wherever I could, outside or inside," he said.

As he had before, he landed at the American Rescue Workers, but this time he completed an intense long-term program while living at the shelter.

"I did everything they asked me to do when I was in the program. I followed all the rules," he said.

Upon completing the program, Yost was put on the shelter's payroll as a chef in 2001, and continued to live there for about a year until he saved enough money to begin to live once again independently. The American Rescue Workers literally rescued him from a life on the streets. Had it not been for the organization, "I'm not even sure where I'd be today," he said.

"When he was our chef, he was very good with the residents because he was one of them at one time," Astin said, adding that "Dave was a model resident and he is a model employee. He has been the most stable, reliable employee that we have had.”

In 2018, he moved from being chef at the rescue workers to serving as a monitor at Saving Grace, a very responsible position, she added. At the emergency shelter, he registers people as they come in, assigns them a bed, explains to them the shelter's rules and policies, and makes sure those rules are followed.

Yost has a true understanding of homelessness because he has been there, Astin said.

She and her husband, Pastor Sam Astin, have been with the organization for 40-plus years. Sam Astin has been the executive director since the mid-1990s.

"There are not too many people like David. He can tell our residents 'I fought the same battles that you're fighting right now,’" Dawn Astin said. "David is the perfect example of consistency. He encourages the residents, telling them 'You just keep going. Even on days you don't feel like it, you've got to keep going. You're going to make it because if I can make it, you can too,'" she added.

Back at SJM, Yost said he sees those that he serves "as my friends. In a way, sometimes I feel like they are my sheep and I'm their shepherd. Some of them have issues. I'm very protective of them. I'll do whatever it takes."

He and the staff will not tolerate troublemakers, period.

“If I see someone getting harassed by another, I'll put a stop to it. I want the people who come in here for a meal to feel safe here. I want all drama, all worldly stuff, to stay out on the street. 'This is not the place for it,' I tell them," Yost said.

"Some people who come here are coping with poverty or spiritual problems. A lot of times, a group of us will get around someone and just pray with them. Some have disabilities, physical or mental. All they need is someone who cares, someone who shows them compassion, love and prayer. All the staff is here to help them," he added.

Pastor Labadie-Cihanowyz said Yost will often respond to someone's personal need if he can, but he will do it behind the scenes because he does not like to draw any attention to himself. Recently, after learning that someone needed a pair of heavy waterproof gloves, Yost came in the next day with a pair, the pastor said.

"He heard of the need and responded personally to it. He does things like that out of pocket. That is absolutely the kind of man Dave is. It embodies who he is," she said.

"We love having him here. He lives out a life of service not just when he is here, but in his personal life as well," Labadie-Cihanowyz added.

Yost said, "I feel I'm meant to be here. God didn't just give me a kitchen, but He gave me people."

When serving at either the soup kitchen or the emergency shelter, Yost said, "I just try to give the people what I was given at the American Rescue Workers; help, love, compassion and direction."

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