Giving Back

Stories behind the food we love.
Rhiannon Menn making lasagna

Lasagna Love: A Dish that Became a Movement

By Kate Eplboim

So you make a good lasagna. And you decide to help out a few neighbors in hard times. Would you ever have guessed your idea would spread to 1,000 cities?

Good Pizza: A Slice for a Smile and a Good Cause

By Waylon Jin

What started as a love for pizza nights with friends soon turned into “how do I get pizza to the people in a safe Covid-friendly way?” Good Pizza PHL not only delivers pies creatively (say hello to a pulley system!), its founder (a Philly grad student) raises money for local charities.

Maya-Camille Broussard

Meet the Chicago Baker Helping to Change the World Through Pie

By Nicolette Degrassi

There’s a lot of good will baked into Maya-Camille Broussard’s sweet and savory pies, quiches, and tarts – and we’re not just talking buttery goodness. Chicago’s Justice of the Pies is all about giving back and helping the community.

asian american portrait cookies

Jasmine Cho is All About Cookie Activism and Bake Therapy

By Sarah Strong

It’s hard to describe Jasmine Cho in just a few words. She’s a woman of many facets: A baker. An activist. An author. And the visionary behind bake therapy.

three men making dumplings

Big Trouble Little Dumplings: How One Chef Kept Cooking During Covid

By AnnMarie Mattila

With his Fort Collins, Colorado restaurant closed due to the pandemic, chef Sam Graf started cooking dumplings and other Asian dishes and giving them away to hungry neighbors in his driveway. Read on for the story of how Big Trouble Little Dumpling was born.

RED DOOR desserts: Changing Women’s Lives One Cookie at a Time

By Kate Eplboim

Out of a Covid shutdown, comes renewal and inspiration for formerly homeless women in Sacramento, through baking and the ingenuity of one impassioned CEO.

Boston’s Chef Ming Tsai Spreads Kindness Through Vegan Pop-Up Meals

By Nicolette Degrassi

Boston Chef Ming Tsai has been a pioneer in the culinary world for years. A former James Beard award winner, he’s also a prolific cookbook author, restaurant owner and host…

A Story in Every Tuk Tuk Box

By Kate Eplboim

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. So when the pandemic shut down day-to-day operations at California-based charity Courageous Kitchen, a food education organization serving asylum seekers…

Feeding the Soul with Chicken and Potatoes

By Mr. Joe Walker

It’s no secret among those who appreciate food that some of the best dishes include love as the main ingredient. Chef Andre Murphy of Atlantic City, New Jersey puts heaping…