Pictures: Restaurant hosts Cork Penny Dinners volunteers 

A CORK restaurateur who every year gives Penny Dinners volunteers a free slap-up meal has said he does it partly for his late son.

It has become a New Year tradition in recent times that Cook Street Italian restaurant Il Padrino treats volunteers from Cork Penny Dinners to dinner, and this year proved no exception, with 40 people sitting down to a three-course meal.

Peyman Nasser, proprietor of Il Padrino, told The Echo he felt it was the least that volunteers from the Little Hanover Street charity deserved after a busy Christmas in which they served over 1,000 meals most days.

Mr Nasser, a Tehran native who has lived here for over 30 years, revealed that a personal tragedy had informed his involvement with the charity.

“I’ve been involved in Penny Dinners the past five years since my son passed away, because my son Shayan was very active with them.”

Shayan was 19, a first-year social sciences student at UCC, when he died unexpectedly five years ago from a pre-existing medical condition.

“I remember before he passed, on January 31 five years ago, Shayan woke up on Christmas Day and about 6am or 7am he came over to the restaurant and he cooked about 200 turkey dinners for Penny Dinners, I joined him later, but it was his initiative,” Mr Nasser said.

He said that in the years since Shayan’s passing, he had made close friends among the volunteers of Cork Penny Dinners.

“It became customary for us to help Penny Dinners on a regular basis, in whatever way we can, and we found that the volunteers feed thousands of people on a weekly basis. If we didn’t have these volunteers, this city would have a huge crisis.”

He added that he was in awe of the work of the volunteers, and of Penny Dinners volunteer co-ordinator Caitríona Twomey. “I adore that woman because she is so courageous and I’m proud to be associated with her in a very small way.”

Among the Penny Dinners volunteers to enjoy a free dinner at Il Padrino was Cork Special Olympian gold medallist Colm Monaghan, who said he works in the charity at Christmas time, in between his other work commitments.

“I work with Lota canteen three days a week in Glanmire and I work in the Chapel Gate Café in Ballincollig Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” he explained.

Mr Monaghan was wearing his Olympic medals for the occasion, having come first in the world in singles in badminton and fourth in the world in doubles at last summer’s World Games in Berlin.

He has taken the Christmas rush in Penny Dinners in his stride — “It was busy enough” — and he said the meal in Il Padrino was a very generous treat for all of the volunteers.

Anthony Hennigan, who also works in the Mercy University Hospital, said he had been volunteering “since I was 15 or 16 and I’m 28 now” and now he works in Penny Dinners on his days off.

“I try and help out whenever I can, going in around 8am and staying until about 2.30pm,” he said.

Fausto Gil, a volunteer from Honduras, has been part of Penny Dinners for a year.

“We arrived just in January last year, we learned about the place the first day we arrive here, they opened their doors to us and it has been a great help to us in our integration here. It’s a great place to spend time and help others,” he said.