“I had six different people’s donation of basil in my dish yesterday, and that’s what made it work.”
This week on the show, we talk with Heather Craig of the Community Kitchen of Monroe County about cooking for a crowd everyday, improvising in the face of uncertainty, and sourcing ingredients from the community.
Plus, stories from Harvest Public Media about rural grocery stores and the effects of the Trump administration USDA cuts on farmers and rural residents.
Cooking-By-Feel, With Community Sourced Ingredients
You might have a picture in your mind of the kinds of meals served in a soup kitchen. Maybe you're thinking of institutional, cafeteria-style food--heavy on the brown gravy and over cooked canned green beans.
Prepare for that image to be shattered!
I recently spent time with Heather Craig, Kitchen Supervisor at the Community Kitchen. We talked about the bonds that form around sharing food and the particular struggles they faced during the COVID 19 shutdowns.
Heather walks us through a typical day of meal planning and cooking for several hundred folks at a time, and shares how she handles uncertainty with improvisation.
The WFIU Newsroom spoke with Tim Clougher of the Community Kitchen this week about how the Trump administration's recent USDA cuts could limit local food assistance at agencies such as theirs.
Music on this Episode
The Earth Eats theme music is composed by Erin Tobey and performed by Erin and Matt Tobey.
Additional music on this episode from Universal Production Music.
Credits:
The Earth Eats’ team includes: Eoban Binder, Alexis Carvajal, Alex Chambers, Toby Foster, Luann Johnson, Leo Paes, Daniella Richardson, Samantha Shemenaur, Payton Whaley and Harvest Public Media.
Earth Eats is produced, engineered and edited by Kayte Young. Our executive producer is Eric Bolstridge.
