Every Cook Every Kitchen: Cookbook aims to reduce barriers

LOUISVILLE — Feed Louisville, a nonprofit that distributes food to houseless and food-insecure populations across the city, has produced a cookbook to help individuals discover the skills to cook for themselves.

The cookbook, titled “Every Cook Every Kitchen,” was a project spearheaded by Feed Louisville Chef Madeline Karcher, who also manages the organization's research and development. Karcher was responsible for creating, writing and photographing each of the recipes.

The recipes include main dishes, Crock-Pot meals, cold dishes, sweets and elevations to standard meals (like ramen or boxed mac and cheese). Every ingredient included in the recipes can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as the Food Stamps Program.

Photos provided by Madeline Karcher.

The idea came to Karcher while delivering Feed Louisville's pre-made meals to houseless individuals living in hotels across Louisville and was approached by someone who used to live in the Arthur Street Hotel.

The individual had since moved into permanent housing and been set up with SNAP benefits amounting to $23 each month, which is the minimum SNAP allotment according to the USDA’s 2023 cost of living adjustment memo.

"You move someone into housing, but there's still a lot of life skills that somebody who's been on the street for 20 years does not possess and cannot be expected to learn quickly or without help," Karcher said.

Some of those skills include cooking and budgeting for food, so when the individual approached Karcher saying he was hungry and asking for a meal she obliged and then realized the need for something to help bridge the gap of knowledge.

Thus the concept of “Every Cook Every Kitchen” was born.

While Feed Louisville is providing a necessary service that prevents houseless individuals from worrying about food while staying at the hotel, Karcher pointed out that the structure does not allow them to learn how to cook for themselves.

Karcher and Feed Louisville as a whole are hoping that this cookbook will provide culinary guidance for individuals who have been without homes or who need help simplifying the cooking process.

“The hope of it is to make it at the lowest barriers to entry as possible in terms of prerequisite knowledge about cooking in general, ability to multitask, equipment and cost," Karcher said.

In order to increase accessibility for those with varying levels of reading comprehension, Karcher broke each recipe down into many, simple steps, whereas a traditional cookbook might combine several steps. Karcher also ensured that all of the recipes feature a photograph to give a visual of the meal.

Each recipe is also accompanied by a modifications portion that gives the reader ideas on changes they can make, be it alternative ingredients or cooking methods. Karcher noted two reasons for including this section.

“One, to give ideas to people very specifically if they don’t have what the recipe calls for…Two, to encourage creative cooking and using what you have and helping learn that skill of not just following a very specific recipe,” Karcher said.

The cookbook also includes a glossary for the culinary terminology used, including the definitions for dice, mince, simmer, tablespoon, etc.

Additionally, there are sections dedicated to describing pantry/kitchen essentials, how to best utilize the freezer, how long foods last in the freezer, how to make stock from scratch and boiling times for soft/hard-boiled eggs.

The cookbook can be purchased for $23 at the ‘Merch’ page on Feed Louisville’s website, FeedLouisville.org, or its LinkTree at linktr.ee/feedlouisville. Those who buy the cookbook online have the option to purchase an extra copy at $20 to donate to a recently housed person.

"Every Cook Every Kitchen" can also be purchased at the Douglass Loop Farmer's Market on Saturdays for $20. The profits from the books will go back to the organization.

Feed Louisville chefs pose with copies of Every Cook Every Kitchen. Photo provided Feed Louisville's marketing director, Christian King.