Ninety-year-old 'chef of the poor' cooks it up for Rome's homeless

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', stirs a saucepan of soup which he cooks for the homeless living in Rome and outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Dino Impagliazzo dices onions like a master chef and makes a mean vegetable soup, but most of his loyal "customers" can't afford to buy even a bread stick.

Sprightly despite his 90 years, Impagliazzo is known as Rome's "chef of the poor".

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', stirs a saucepan of soup which he cooks for the homeless living in Rome and outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Three days a week, he and other volunteers of the RomAmoR (RomeLove) association he founded make the rounds of food markets and bakeries for contributions from retailers who help him live out his dream of feeding the homeless.

It all began 15 years ago when a homeless man at a Rome train station asked him for money to buy a sandwich.

"I realized that perhaps instead of buying one sandwich, making some sandwiches for him and for the friends who were there would be better, and thus began our adventure," he said.

A homeless man embraces Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', as he gives food to homeless people living outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, February 1, 2020. Picture taken February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Now the RomAmoR volunteers cook the food on the other four days of the week and serve it in various places in the city, mostly near train stations.

"We try to involve more and more people so that Rome becomes a city where people can love each other, you know?" he said while preparing soup in a professional kitchen. "It's solidarity".

On Saturday nights, they set up under a portico outside St. Peter's Square to feed the growing number of homeless who sleep in the area, where Pope Francis has also opened medical and bathing facilities for them.

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', is pictured by St. Peter's Square as he gives food to homeless people living outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, February 1, 2020. Picture taken February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Impagliazzo, who once worked for Italy's social security department, launched his mission to feed the needy with a handful of fellow pensioners.

They quickly graduated from making sandwiches to cooking hot meals, first at home and then in a convent, and the group now numbers 300 volunteers, both young and old, and uses its own fully equipped kitchen.

Impagliazzo, who received a honorific award from Italian President Sergio Mattarella recognising him as a "hero of our times," never dreamed his initiative would become so successful, or generate such good will.

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', gives food to homeless people living outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, February 1, 2020. Picture taken February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

On a recent Saturday night near the Vatican, four extra volunteers showed up.

"I am happy because we never tell anyone 'we don't need you tonight'," he said. "They stay among us."

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', is greeted as he collects leftover fruits and vegetables from a market stall in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

(Writing by Philip Pullella; editing by John Stonestreet)

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', is greeted in a bakery as he collects leftover bread, which he uses to make sandwiches for the homeless living in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', sits in the 'RomAmor' kitchen as he cooks for the homeless living in Rome and outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', gives food to homeless people living outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, February 1, 2020. Picture taken February 1, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', greets a 'RomAmor' volunteers as they prepare sandwiches for the homeless living in Rome and outside the Vatican colonnades, in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', carries a crate of leftover fruits and vegetables as he walks through a market in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. Picture taken January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

FILE PHOTO: Dino Impagliazzo, Rome's 90-year-old 'chef of the poor', carries a crate of leftover fruits and vegetables as he walks through a market in Rome, Italy, January 18, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli