SOUP MELTS ICE

Federal thugs are ripping families and communities apart, abducting our neighbors and terrorizing children in Halloween costumes on our streets. The government is cutting off food stamp benefits to millions. Health insurance premiums are skyrocketing. The airports are shutting down. 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 on December 3, 2025, at 5:30 pm at the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia in Chicago. We are still in need of 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, as a special bonus, our friends from GnarWare Workshop, a ceramics studio in Pilsen, will be on site to sell beautiful handmade bowls for your soup! All proceeds from bowl sales as well as your pay-what-you-can donations go to our community partner this month, Pilsen Food Pantry. You can RSVP online via the Hideout, or just show up with your empty bellies and full hearts.

We would love to see you there.