Once a month at the Rainier Valley Community Center, located at 4600 38th Ave S, there is a community dinner. This event is part of the Community Kitchen’s NW program and is free for the community to attend.
According to the Rainier Valley Eats Facebook page, this month's dinner will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday Feb. 15. They will begin cooking at 2 p.m. and clean up ends at 7:30 p.m. There is no sign up required to join in the cooking or clean up.
This month, in honor of Black History month they will be serving soul food. Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands and Seattle Tilth usually contribute food to this program.
The menu will include:
- Fresh green salad with ranch dressing
- Red beans and rice
- Smothered chicken and gravy
- Boiled green cabbage with smoked turkey neck
- Cornbread
- Sweet potato pie
- Sweet tea
The point of such meals are of course to feed those in need, but more importantly to get to know the community. This group is always in need of folks to help plan, cook, serve and clean up. But even if you just come to eat and enjoy trying new foods and getting to know your neighbors, then the dinner is serving its purpose.
Last month the cooks at the community dinner gave us a sampling of Ethiopian food. The meal consisted of injera bread, a red lentil dish, potato soup, greens, and a dish of chicken with eggs. It was a mild sampling of ethnic dishes to introduce even the pickiest eaters to new foods.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, contact Robert Hartner at rhartner01@gmail.com. The Community Kitchen Program Manager for Seattle Tilth is Leika Suzumura, and she can be reached at info@communitykitchensnw.org.
For more information about the Seattle Tilth's Community Kitchens Northwest program visit their website: www.communitykitchensnw.org, or visit the Community Kitchens Northwest page at the Seattle Tilth website.
If you are on Facebook, be sure to visit and like the RainierValley Eats page. They post information about the events and have photos of the last community dinner. This is most likely your best source to learn more about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and classes through Rainier Valley Eats program.
To learn more about how community kitchens in Seattle work, and find other programs, be sure to visit my previous article: Community Kitchens: Gatherings that nourish individuals and neighborhoods
*This article has been updated to include the menu for Friday, Feb. 15 dinner.
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