Sometimes during travel, the most pleasure is derived from unexpected encounters. Such was my exquisite lunch in Jacksonville at a historic downtown Cathedral. While the setting was lovely, it was the other details that made this an extraordinary lunch.

First there was the beauty of the setting in an impactful Gothic Revival building. The dining room had 20+ foot ceilings lined with large glass windows. As we entered, a pianist played Frank Sinatra; during lunch, the music varied from Dionne Warwick standards to the occasional ragtime and the ethereal Claire de Lune by Ravel.

If it doesn’t sound like lunch was the point, perhaps that is partially true. You see, I was at Clara’s at the Cathedral, a training café for people battling homelessness. Although it was a "meal with a purpose," there was no compromise on flavor or ambiance. I had a Monterey Fish dish so flaky and aromatic that I nearly went back to have a second piece. It was accompanied by a tossed salad with strawberries and almonds and succulent vegetables. My favorite was the butternut squash.

Clara’s at the Cathedral features friendly service and family-style seating each Friday, with arriving parties filling tables of ten to break bread together. Operated through a collaboration with St. John’s Cathedral Church, it is the culmination of a certified 20-week educational course for previously homeless or low-income students. After receiving extensive, hands-on training in the production and presentation of the meals and front of house restaurant service, graduates work at Clara's for experience.

Earlier this year, it was highlighted on NBC's Today Show after Al Roker selected Clara's to receive $50,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Clara's at the Cafe is part of the Clara White Mission, established in 1904 although its origins date to the 1880s when Miss Clara English White, a former slave, fed many of her neighbors.

Years later, her daughter, nationally-recognized humanitarian Dr. Eartha M. M. White, founded the program. The Clara White Mission offers more than meals for the hungry and shelter for the homeless. Its vocational programs provide those who are homeless with hope - and the skills - to create a new life.

Lunch was delicious, but knowing that it was also meaningful added a different flavor altogether.

If you go: