Hearty helping of community, anyone?

Like many great recipes, sometimes great ideas have humble beginnings. Emily Torgrimson was a college student trying to find a recipe to cook dinner for her coop house. When she found her jambalaya recipe, her housemates ran with idea. It soon escalated just from making the usual house dinner, to inviting a few people over, then to inviting over a ton of people – a party.

Eat for Equity's homemade vegetarian pot pie, mashed potatoes and salad were restaurant quality, but eaten in a home.

After some more brainstorming, Emily and her friends figured that people would chip in a few bucks and they could donate the money they earned to help their larger community.

And so, Eat for Equity began. Now Emily lives in Minneapolis and still cooks up a storm. There have been at least ten Eat for Equity dinners that have taken place at different people’s homes in the Twin Cities. Guests are asked to donate $10-$15 for their meal. Last month’s hundreds of dollars in donations went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which helps support breast cancer research and early detection efforts. The menu included homemade chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, salad, and a homemade pumpkin ice cream cake.

Often the food relates to the cause they are supporting. For instance, one of Eat for Equity’s first dinners featured Sudanese food. The money they earned went to the American Refugee Committee, which operates relief efforts in Darfur.

Guests dig into homemade chicken pot pie. The motto here seems to be "eat, drink, do good, and be merry."

Torgrimson says people give the most when they feel invested in the cause. This month’s Eat for Equity dinner will be held this Friday, November 14th. The money will support the anti-racism work of the Minneapolis YWCA. The food will be centered around the life of Barack Obama -- featuring Hawaiian cocktails, Kenyan coffee, Indonesian-style curried vegetables, Chicago-style hot dogs with homemade sauerkraut, chili, buns, and mustard, and possibly even a White House cake. For more details about upcoming dinners, contact Eat for Equity.