We often hear our partners in peacemaking, AKA our customers, talk about what’s happening in the world and wonder what they can do to make a difference. Many of the ways people can help reduce violence, protect and heal the planet, stand up against oppression, and fight for human rights, other than making a financial donation to an NGO, are out of reach for the average person who has to work, support their families, and struggles to just keep their heads above water. There is something each one of us does, however, several times every day, where we can mindfully and purposefully make a difference, which is summed up in the simple phrase ‘you gotta eat!”
We’ve got two books we’re recommending to folks either for themselves or as gifts to others that we believe can help change ourselves and the world for the better. You can order these books through our web site and pick them up at the shop, OR, we can send them to someone on your naughty or nice list (hey, everyone deserves a gift) anywhere in the country!
Here are the two books!
Our dear friend Julie is giving everyone on her list The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope. In their first cookbook, WCK shares recipes inspired by the many places they’ve cooked following disasters as well as inspiring narratives from the chefs and volunteers on the front lines. Photographs captured throughout the world highlight community and hope while stunning food photography showcases the mouthwatering recipes.
Each chapter reflects on each key value for this organization. “Urgency” focuses on food that can be eaten on the go, including the Lahmajoun Flatbread served after a devastating explosion rocked Beirut in 2020. In “Hope,” readers will find soups, stews, and comforting meals such as Ukrainian Borsch served to families living through an unthinkable invasion and Chicken Chili Verde prepared for California firefighters. Famous WCK supporters have shared recipes too, like Breakfast Tacos from Michelle Obama and a Lemon Olive Oil Cake from Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. Other contributors include Marcus Samuelsson, Ayesha Curry, Reem Assil, Brooke Williamson, Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Sanjeev Kapoor, and Eric Adjepong.
The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope is a celebration of dignity and perseverance—and about building longer tables, not higher walls. All author proceeds from The World Central Kitchen Cookbook will be used to support World Central Kitchen’s emergency response efforts.
The second book on OUR giving list is The Just Kitchen: Invitations to Sustainability, Cooking, Connection, and Celebration.
For food and faith writers and podcasters Derrick Weston and Anna Woofenden, The Just Kitchen is about a passion for food, sharing meals, showing hospitality, and understanding cultures, faith traditions, food histories, and local foodways.
Their authentic podcast conversations spill over the pages of this book and explore how the kitchen can be a place where the things we care about most in the world are reflected in the foods we prepare and the way we prepare them. In a world where disconnection from the earth, our food, our faith, and each other is becoming the norm, Weston and Woofenden bring together voices of hope who are working for a world of organic reconnections. They invite us to dig deeply into the complexity of ecology and food systems, as well as how faith communities are connected to them.
This is an invitation to reprioritize the kitchen as a space for healing, community, activism, and celebration. Be inspired to see the sacred in the daily mundane, forge connection with the people and earth around you, and join the call of a just kitchen.
