The pots are empty, the party’s over

The crocks are washed and the tablecloths are clean — or as clean as they’re going to get, at least. Soup & Bread 2013 was a joy. A messy, soupy, ridiculously themed adventure through our fifth year of this cockeyed project. We’re not sure what the future holds; we may try to change things up again in 2014 — and, hell, we may well be back again during gazpacho season, at least for a night. But in the meantime, I just want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came and cooked and let us a hand over the last 15 weeks. Your collective generosity of spirit and soup generated more than $7500 for food pantries and hunger relief organizations across Chicago. That’s … amazing.

A few helping hands in this year’s mix deserve extra recognition. Thanks, very much, to: Niall Munnelly, Helen Tsatsos, Alison True, and Perry Kim for general helpfulness; Sarah Bortt and Sarah Dandelles for running last week’s bake sale; Ryan Hembrey for A/V assistance without parallel; Eiren Caffall, for taking the lovely photos on this post; and the Hideout, for just being there and being great.

Thanks many times over to Paul Kahan, Heather Medina, and everyone at Publican Quality Meats for generously keeping us stocked with warm loaves of truly transcendent bread every week. And thanks also to Allison Scott and Hoosier Mama Pie Company, for donations of both soup and pie that went well above and beyond.