CSHM Celebrates Life of Long-Time Chef

 
            Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School (CSHM) celebrated the life of long-time chef Zaven Hadjinian, a man who touched the hearts of many, with a memorial mass on the school's campus October 30th.
            The owner/operator of Mr. Z's Catering, who passed away October 15th, met the culinary needs of CSHM for over 24 years.  However, he was not just the school's chef.  To many, he was family.
            "While he fed us everyday for decades, I don't think he realized he also served us daily with his outlook on life and the appreciation he had for every new day," said former principal Dr. David Chambers.  "He loved people, and particularly the students of CSHM."
            Knowing he had gone through personal struggles of his own, many felt comfortable sharing with him their own day-to-day struggles.
            "He grew up seeing the horrors of war, losing family to hatred and discord, yet he was the most loving, giving, and peaceful person I've known," said Chambers.
            "There is one memory all alumnae have in common, and that is of our beloved Zaven," said Aissa Cerda, class of 2006.
            Cristal Chavez, class of 2009, shared her fondest memory.  "He saved me from cold mornings when I got dropped off at school at 6:30 am," she said.  "One day he saw me as he was opening the school gates and invited me to wait inside the cafeteria.“
            Hadjinian, who loved to play backgammon, would make sure everyone had a good meal whether or not they had the means to pay for it.
            "Zaven wasn’t in the business of cooking to get rich," said Cerda.  "He was in the business of feeding young kids' hearts and souls, in hopes you took that same love and shared it with others."
            "He was kind, generous, loving, and always there for us," said Mary A. Blanco, CSHM registrar. 
            "Zaven, if you're listening from heaven, thank you for everything," said Cerda.  "For teaching us to love even when we may be struggling, teaching us to always give back, teaching us to be kind even if the world is being cruel, teaching us to have a passion even when we're feeling lost, forcing us to eat to feed our mind and soul, and for always having patience for the hundreds of teenagers you had to deal with."
            "It isn't easy to let go of a loved one," added Blanco.  "I know he is in a better place.  God had a plan for Zaven and he fulfilled it.  He will always be in our heart."