Heart & Soul: Recipes and Reflections from Staff Supper
“Food is the ultimate connector. Our restaurants unite us and are places where memories are made and celebrated. Regina’s restaurants have always supported the Food Bank and we encourage everyone to download this cookbook and then support our local restaurants through recovery,” said David Froh, Vice-President – Community, Regina Food Bank.
Visit reginafoodbank.ca to donate and download the cookbook.
The wrap up report for a project that saw over 300 meals created for hard-hit kitchen staff and servers resulted in a 40 page cookbook now available for free to the public, with donations to the Regina Food Bank encouraged.
Staff Supper was an initiative that ran for seven weeks between April and June 2020 in an effort to support food and beverage employees in Regina who had been laid off or experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19. For $5, employees could order a meal and a beer for delivery or pick up, then gather virtually.
Mark Heise, owner of Rebellion Brewing Co., came up with the idea after stay at home orders were issued and indoor dining was shut down. “I was really concerned about the mental health of kitchen staff and servers,” said Heise. “Suddenly a lot of them were without a job and isolated from each other.”
“Mark got in touch and I was immediately onboard,” said Leasa Gibbons, executive director of Regina’s Warehouse District. “Together with Judith Veresuk, executive director of Regina Downtown, we decided on a five dollar meal and a beer, reached out to businesses, and Staff Supper was born.”
Seven businesses worked safely to create over 300 meals: Beer Bros/Bar Willow, Crave Kitchen + Wine Bar, Avenue Restaurant, Legacy Catering and Services, The Copper Kettle, Malinche, and Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ. Rebellion Brewing Co. and Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. provided the beer.
Rather than opting for a standard wrap-up report once Staff Supper ended, Veresuk had a more creative idea. “In addition to getting chefs and business owners to give us their perspective on the early days of the pandemic,” said Veresuk, “we asked them to provide a recipe or two, and Leasa, Mark and I added a few of our own.” The result was Heart & Soul: Recipes and Reflections from Staff Supper, a 40 page cookbook. A PDF version is free to download, although a donation to the Regina Food Bank is encouraged.
Said Gibbons, “We hope everyone enjoys these recipes and can share in the generous spirit found in the kitchens across the Heart and Soul of our city centre. With Regina’s continued support through this pandemic, our food, beverage and hospitality industry will survive and prosper.”