Real Food Works

All Photographs Courtesy of Real Food Works

Last week I was invited to a Farmtable Lunch here in Philadelphia at Real Food Works. Real Food Works is a business unlike anything else I’ve encountered before. It is owned and operated by Lucinda Duncalfe, and clearly an outgrowth of her passion and commitment to healthy eating.   They offer subscriptions to people to get healthy meals made by local restaurants packaged, ready to prepare, and delivered to their homes.  The Farmtable Lunch is also a great and new concept, and yet not.  People from all around Philadelphia gather at a big table to eat a family style meal, and talk about food, community and eat a delicious, healthy, (vegan) meal together.  This meal is about creating community!

Not everyone there was vegan, in fact I was not the only omnivore present (for which I was grateful) and each person had a great story to tell about how they ended up at this particular meal, as everyone has a story of how they end up almost anywhere.  It is our stories that draw us together, that create community and make a meal memorable.   The food was good too.  We had a lovely mushroom soup with fennel, a warm kale dish served with yummy felafel squares, and a salad with a great assortment of seasonal greens and other veggies, finishing with fig cookies and fresh fruit.

Community meals don’t happen often.  When was the last time you sat down to break bread with a table of strangers?  When I lived in a small town there were church suppers, which were communal, but for a business entity to offer a meal not designed to sell anything, but to engage in conversation about food is rare, if not downright unique!  I didn’t have to buy a ticket; to attend you merely send an e-mail from their website requesting an invitation.  Naturally they get booked quickly, but still, this is truly a free lunch!  No one tried to sell me a condo share, or even a meal subscription.  I got a better understanding of what Real Food Works does, how it operates, and the passion Lucinda has for this fledgling venture, and met some really great people.  

Do you have a way you are creating or participating in community outside the confines of a religion?  I am challenging myself to think about it and find ways to connect to people in new ways.  Sharing a meal is always a wonderful way to do this, now to collect the attendees!