COOKING FOR COMMUNITY

To SERVE not just a shelter meal, but a (nearly) from-scratch meal prepared as for our own families to nourish and enjoy.
So often, the prospect of meeting food needs within the urban community seems daunting enough to justify serving a lackluster product.  It's no secret that the health and wellness of the communities served are the casualties.  To avoid this, we follow a simple parameter- we don't serve a meal we wouldn't be happy to serve our own families in our own homes.  We wouldn't skimp on nutrition or compromise on quality when cooking for our mothers, sisters, uncles or grandfathers, so we won't do it at the shelter either.  We agree that navigating the ever-changing landscape of nutritional yeahs and nays can easily induce a session of stress eating, but we've found that a healthful meal need not be complicated.  There's a culinary synergy between healthfulness and simplicity and, serendipitously, simplicity is what's needed to produce a meal for 40 in an hour.

To help others STAY CONNECTED to good health, family and community through the meals we prepare. 
Losing the ability to prepare food for oneself in a communal living situation can be disheartening.  Imagine having that fundamental act of independence, what to eat,  suddenly out of reach.  Food is a primary layer in the terrain of our identity, connecting us to good health, family history and our own communities.   Can the meals we prepare help to maintain those connections for women living in a shelter community?  We don't know that full answer, but we do know how important it is to join in the table conversation and sincerely listen to feelings and concerns about food and health.  It's a universal topic and one of the most accessible for people of divergent backgrounds and experiences to discuss.  We don't typically hear what people don't enjoy eating given the gratefulness we find at the table, but we often hear what they wish they were eating. Those foods are intricately tied to what they ate as children, how their mothers prepared dishes, what they ate when they lived abroad, down south or out west, what they made for their own kids and what they like to eat to get or stay healthy. We've found that it's hugely important to maintain this ongoing conversation and enact the ideas brought forth.  When we cook on a regular basis, we meet the same guests at the table several times, learn pieces of their food histories and have the opportunity to connect them with meals they love.  We do this naturally for those dear to us; we can't think of a better way to befriend a stranger.

To RECOGNIZE and RESPECT God's provision in the way we procure and present food for ourselves and others.
Food procurement has become a hot topic these last few years.  It involves issues of economy, transportation, environment, flavor and culture.  What it means for us is a bit simpler.  God designed the food cycle and we think it's pretty brilliant.  We try our best to buy local and seasonal products whenever possible. This keeps our meals fresh and provides a great framework for menu planning.  When the seasons are such that nary a fresh tomato can be grown within 2000 miles of home, we rely on frozen or canned foods that don't require a heap of artificial preservatives.  By default, this tends to eliminate foods that were extruded, reconstituted or flat-out invented and prohibits us from serving things named nugget, pocket or tot.  Our attitude toward presentation is similar.  In it's natural state, fresh food is beautiful.  It's loaded with unique colors and textures and engages the senses on multiple levels.  It's no secret that life in a shelter, though certainly a huge blessing when faced with the alternative of homelessness, can be devoid of experience like this.  Spaces can be cold, lighting can be harsh and objects or moments of beauty can be few and far between.  Are these critical for life?  Perhaps not.  Are these critical for the spirit?  We would argue so.  So we try our best to present food as beautifully as possible within the bounds of a shelter kitchen.  We aim for colorful and lively food and we try to serve it as neatly and cleanly as possible to respectfully pass on God's bountiful provision.