Meet a volunteer: Esther, who cooks for a hundred
Every Thursday for eight years, Esther Gross has walked into our kitchen at seven in the morning. We asked her why.
If you've eaten the chicken soup at a Friday night dinner here, you've eaten Esther's soup. A retired schoolteacher from Castle Hills, Esther has run our Thursday kitchen crew since 2018. We caught her between batches.
How did you start?
"My husband passed away and I didn't know what to do with Fridays. Chaya said, come Thursday and peel potatoes. I peeled potatoes for a year. Then one day the cook was sick, and nobody stopped me."
What's a Thursday like?
"Seven o'clock, coffee. Eight, the chickens. By noon we've got soup for a hundred and sixty challahs rising. The teenagers come after school to braid. It's loud. I love it."
Why do you keep coming?
"Because on Friday night I sit at the table and watch a student from out of town eat three bowls. I don't know his name. He doesn't know mine. That's fine. He ate."
Join the Thursday kitchen
No experience needed — Esther will teach you. Send us a note or call (210) 555-0170 and say you'd like to help cook.
