Soup & Bread Returns for an ICE-y Winter

Federal thugs are terrorizing children in Halloween costumes on our streets. Our neighbors are being kidnapped. The government is cutting off food stamp benefits to millions. Health insurance premiums are skyrocketing. And that’s just this week in the news. We know it’s not much but now, more than ever … let’s eat soup.

Soup & Bread returns to the Hideout this winter.  It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been doing this for 18 years now. What started as a small way to pass the time on cold Wednesday nights in a quiet bar has endured through four presidential terms, three mayors, a pandemic, and countless minor derailments as a space where anyone seeking community and camaraderie will be welcomed. In that time we have raised roughly $120,000 in donations for local food pantries and mutual aid organizations, all with your help.

We plan to keep doing this as long as we can. From December through April join us on the first Wednesday of the month for an evening of soup, bread, and solidarity. If you’re new to Soup & Bread, check out our FAQ or read this overview — an excerpt from the second edition of our narrative cookbook, Soup & Bread Cookbook: Building Community One Pot at a Time.

Soup & Bread 2026 kicks off a month early, on December 3, 2025, at 5:30 pm at the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia in Chicago. We are currently lining up soup cooks for this event. If you would like to get on the soup line, please email Martha at soupnbread10 at gmail dot com for more info.

Our guest DJ on the 3rd is the ever-popular John Soss, and all pay-what-you-can donations will go to our friends at the Pilsen Food Pantry. We would love to see you there.