The uncommon cooks of A Common Table
From the moment you put a piece of bread in your mouth, you are part of the world. Who grew the wheat? Who made the bread? Where did it come from? You are in a relationship with all who brought it to the table. We are least separate and most in common when we eat and drink.
—Thomas Merton
In October 2009, I reached out to my friends and family, inviting them to be part of what I initially conceived of as a one-year project of cooking every month for a local homeless shelter. Inspired by the Merton quote, above, I called this project “A Common Table.” Now, more than nine years later, we are still going strong.
These days we meet every other month, which is more manageable for my schedule. Thanks to a faithful and committed core group, we always have plenty of helping hands. But other cooks join us when they can, and friends of friends are always welcome! Everyone contributes as they are able — providing financial support, home-baked bread and homemade desserts, contributions of seasonal fruits, wine and snacks for the cooks, delivery services, occasional hosting, and lots of chopping and good cheer. My job is to plan the menu, do the shopping, coordinate the cooking tasks, and host the gatherings.
Sunday was our most recent cooking day, and the seven of us put together a summery meal consisting of:
- roasted chicken — purchased from Costco at a hard-to-beat price and cut into manageable pieces (Sara likes cutting up chickens, bless her!)
- sweet and sour squash salad
- green bean potato salad dressed with tapenade
- Sara’s rosemary semolina bread
- watermelon
- for the cooks’ dessert: a French yogurt cake w/ fresh blackberries from Craig’s garden
Our aim is to provide fresh, healthy, flavorful food for the women and children at the shelter — and to do it on a budget. And, to be honest, I also try to make it interesting for the cooks (including me!) by regularly trying out new recipes. Over the years, we’ve gotten a pretty good idea about which sorts of recipes work for this project and which don’t. (We all remember the infamous — but fabulous — lasagna that wasn’t ready until 9 p.m.!)
Clockwise from upper right: green bean-potato salad; Monica (L) and Sara (R) chop celery for the salads;
right to left: Judith, Sara, Sandy, Lina, Jenny, and Monica (and Barbara, behind the camera) sit down for the cooks’ dinner.
Think you might like to create a Common Table project in your area? In the coming months, I plan to post more menus, plus recipes and tips under “Cooking.” Check them out — or feel free to get in touch with me directly, using the “Contact” link at the top of the page.
Have recipe suggestions for us? Please post a comment!
And if you’re free on the second Sunday of September, come cook with us!
Here’s a toast to the marvelous cooks of A Common Table:
thank you for showing me how eager people are to help others
and how grateful to be given that opportunity!
Connections
- Thomas Merton’s Life & Work
- This is the shelter we cook for: Building Futures with Women & Children
- My original blog for A Common Table (2009-10)
- More information about A Common Table (in progress)
- Recipe: Sweet-and-Sour Squash Salad
- Recipe: Green Bean-Potato Salad with Tapenade Dressing
You might also enjoy…
- More postcards from A Common Table:
- All postcards
- Cover photo of Lina slicing onions for A Common Table
6 thoughts on “The uncommon cooks of A Common Table”
Kudos to Jenny for her vision and perseverance! And for being the inspiration that brings us together in chopping, conversation and communion at Common Table.
Thank you, Judith! And thanks, too, for being a faithful participant for so many years — and for all the fun and creative desserts (fancy cupcakes! gingerbread men!) you’ve concocted and coordinated. Not to mention hosting our annual backyard barbecue cooking event, which is always so much fun!
What an excellent and practical project!
I would love to come and cook with you but am not sure I would be home in time for bed.
Have any of your clients joined in the cooking at any time?
Hi, Liz—
No, we haven’t involved the clients in the cooking process, mostly because of logistics. We cook at my house, rather than at the shelter site.
It’s true that it would be rather a long commute for you. 🙂 But if you’re ever in California, we’d love to have you!
So happy to see this blog! I wish I could participate more often, but thank Sara for introducing me to you and your wonderful project and group. Thank you for all you do Jenny to bring people together for fellowship, laughs, COOKING (yay!), and for a great cause.
Thank you, Beth! I hope you’re doing well and (selfishly) that you’ll be able to come cook with us again sometime. 🙂
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