Soup & Bread & That’s All She Wrote

Soup & Bread: Chicago starts January 8, but we’ve got one event on the horizon before then. On December 11 we present Soup & Bread & That’s All She Wrote — an evening of soup, bread and live lit at the Hideout to benefit Karen Gerod (above), owner of Swim Cafe. Karen has been a stalwart supporter of Soup & Bread since we started up six years ago, never hesitating to lend a pot of soup or a plate of cookies to the cause. Her Chicago Avenue cafe is also home to the monthly Sunday night lit series That’s All She Wrote, hosted by Angela Benander and JH Palmer. What’s less known is that Karen has been battling cancer — and mounting medical bills — since early this year.

To say thank you, and try and give back some of what she’s given us, we’ll have soups from an array of local cooks including La Sirena Clandestina, Milk & Honey Cafe, Hoosier Mama’s Allison Scott, and artist and “Mortified! Chicago” host Shay DeGrandis, followed by readings on the theme of health care and caretaking from Benander, Palmer, Martha Bayne, Tom Wolferman, Sheri Reda, and Dmitry Samarov. Music provided by DJ Lawrence Peters, and bonus cookies and other treats are promised from Celestial Kitchens. There’s a suggested donation of $10; all proceeds will be donated to Karen. If you can’t make it to the event please consider an online donation to help offset Karen’s medical expenses