Many moons ago, we touted the wonderful work of a woman who has become one of my dearest friends in the food industry- Jeanie Gruber.
At that time, the experienced therapist and caterer was sustaining and supporting her clients’ and friends’ minds, bodies, and souls by making amazing homemade foods in her shop in Newton in between visits to her second hometown of New Orleans.
When COVID shut that down, Jeanie quickly devised a new plan that allows her to keep cooking and sharing but for a very different community.
WISHDISH is an organization that serves the homeless. But instead of just doling out food at a soup kitchen or making dishes with whatever the food pantry has available, WISHDISH engages and serves individuals in the community directly. After partnering with area shelters, Mis Jeanie visits the residents, asking each of them about the dishes they most remember. Once she has been offered each of international recipes (which range from curries gumbo to plov and porridge to eggplant parm and frybread to Mulligan stew and Shepherds pie, and even to a take on her own famous matzo ball soup), and Jeanie crafts enough of an authentic edition of each request to serve the entire community! In this way, Jeanie and her WISHDISH team not only feed the body but satisfy the soul by showing care and respect for people who many others simply pass by without even a look or smile.
Having established the program in Boston and New Orleans, Jeanie is looking for other communities to support and is also planning a series of city-specific cookbooks that will also share the stories of those who shared their favorite recipes so she can continue to show love through food while supporting those most in need.
As I have touted many times before, there are many organizations that support people in need. And while many of them make a truly vital difference, as is the case with so much of what she has done, nobody does it like Miss Jeanie does!
For more information and to offer support, please go to www.thewishdishproject.org