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THE NOURISH LETTER
Meet the Team Behind Your Meals NOVEMBER 2019
OctoberKitchen.com | 860-533-0588 | 309 Green Rd., Manchester, CT 06042
How Many Pies Do We Bake for Thanksgiving? APPLE (PIE) OF MY EYE
But when I show up at my sister-in-law’s house, it’s always my job to carve the bird. To be fair, I am the best at carving turkeys. While the week in the kitchen is crazy, I still like doing it. We cater a lot of Thanksgiving dinners with our Thanksgiving in a Box and people are thrilled. It makes Thanksgiving so much easier. We prep everything and create a battle plan. All our customers have to do is put the food in the oven at certain times and they’re able to serve their families a fantastic meal. It’s really great to know we’re able to make Thanksgiving happen for so many people in our community. Of all the prep work that goes into Thanksgiving, my favorite is making the pies. It’s so rare that we get to enjoy a good homemade pie. We make 50 apple or pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and I
When people learn that I’m a chef, the first thing they ask is, “What’s your favorite dish to make?” For a chef, this is basically like asking, “Who’s your favorite child?” There’s no one dish I like making best because there’s something I enjoy about everything I do in the kitchen. But when I’m faced with this question, I say, “If I was on death row and they asked what I wanted for my last meal, I’d have to say Thanksgiving dinner.” Thanksgiving dinner is just the best. I don’t know if it’s the food or the sense of family that comes with gathering around the table for a meal, but it’s terrific. I do still have a love-hate relationship with Thanksgiving though. For us in the kitchen, Thanksgiving week is crazy. We cook so many turkeys that by the time I sit down for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, I’m done with turkey.
“Of all the prep work
that goes into Thanksgiving, my favorite is making the pies.”
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Beyond Generous The Story of Sheila Wiatr Sokolski “My mother first told me about October Kitchen after she got some gift cards for folks from her church. Initially, I used October Kitchen for the same reason, giving their gift cards to a friend who was dealing with breast
T his November, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is hosting their Night of but that’s not the only October Kitchen connection to this wonderful event. One of our clients, Sheila Wiatr Sokolski, is a member of the NKF advocacy committee. This organization is near and dear to her heart because Sheila herself is a living kidney donor. Last year, Sheila learned that one of her friends at work was trying to find a kidney donor for a woman named Debbie Lanagan. Debbie, a special-education teacher and mother of two, suffered from kidney failure for several years and was about to go on dialysis. Though Sheila had never met Debbie before, she instantly connected with her story. “We’re the same age,” Sheila explains. “And our youngest kids are the same age. I’m lucky to be in good health. I can’t imagine dealing with that kind of thing, looking at a future where I wouldn’t be able to do things with my children as they grew up. I wanted to help her.” Sheila filled out a survey and discovered that she Hope Celebration. This is an evening to raise money for the Connecticut kidney community. October Kitchen has donated an item for the gala’s silent auction,
cancer. When I eventually tried them for myself, I was hooked. I work full time, have two little kids and am gluten-free. I don’t always have time to get a hot meal on the table after work. October Kitchen helps me find a balance between home and work.”
—Sheila Wiatr Sokolski
It’s important to make sure a donor is physically and mentally prepared to donate an organ. Sheila and Debbie went in for surgery on July 25 and they both made a full recovery. Donating her kidney and working with NKF aren’t Sheila’s first brushes with serving her community. As assistant vice president of operations at The Hartford, Sheila helps her community by providing the security of insurance. Additionally, The Hartford is a founding sponsor of the U.S. Paralympics. There are plenty of ways to make a difference in your community. If anyone out there is considering donating a kidney, Sheila has this advice: “You need to listen to what’s inside of you. It’s not a decision that’s right for everyone, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If it’s not right for you, there are many other ways to support people and organizations who need organ donations. This was the right choice for me and I’m so glad I could help Debbie and her family.”
and Debbie were a match. But it’s not enough just to be a blood match. Before Sheila could donate her kidney, she had to go through medical tests and meet with a social worker.
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WHAT IT MEANS TO BE T H A N K F U L Can you imagine writing 365 thank-you letters? It sounds like a lot, but the process of writing them (all by hand, mind you) turned one man’s life around when he thought he had nothing left to be grateful for. He made the resolution to write 365 thank-you notes over the next year and the experience changed his perspective. “I became grateful as I noticed the good things in my life,” Kralik says. “Even when nothing external happened to me.” How Putting Pen to Paper Changed One Man’s Life
It started with a thank-you letter to his son, who’d gifted him a coffee maker for
It was New Year’s Day in 2007 and John Kralik was pretty sure he’d hit rock bottom. A failed year of business, a divorce and a move into a tiny apartment all left Kralik feeling hopeless. He went for a hike in the Pasadena foothills to clear his head. During the hike, he had an epiphany that turned his year around. Kralik realized that he was focusing on all the wrong things. “I needed to learn to be grateful for the things I had rather than to focus on the things I wanted or the many things I felt I had lost,” Kralik describes.
Christmas. As he sat down to write the letter, Kralik was dismayed to realize he didn’t have his son’s address. He called him up, and his son offered to take him out to lunch. At a time when money was tight, the gesture meant the world to Kralik — even more so at lunch, when his son repaid him a significant loan.
In the month of Thanksgiving, Kralik’s story is a good reminder of the power of “thank you.”
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find it to be very relaxing. There’s something Zen about making the perfect pie crust, rolling it all out, peeling the apples, putting the pies together and having them come out beautiful. A couple days before Thanksgiving, I get my baker in the kitchen and we spend an afternoon at the assembly line making all the pies. It’s the high point of Thanksgiving for me. While I’m making all those pies, I tend to reflect on what I have to be thankful for. There are so many blessings in my life, but this year, I’m most grateful for the opportunity to work next to my wife. I have a true and equal partner I get to work beside every day. In building October Kitchen, we’ve been able to do something together neither of us could have done individually. I wouldn’t be able to nourish people today if I didn’t have Ali there putting up with my eccentricities. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. May you have nourishing food, great company and a lot to be thankful for this year.
PIE STEPHANIE THANKSGIVING
FALL HARVEST HOLIDAY PAUL
ALISON APPLES CHILLY CROPS
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309 Green Rd. Manchester, CT 06042 INSIDE What’s a Chef’s Favorite Dish? page 1
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Have You Met Sheila Wiatr Sokolski?
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365 Days of Gratitude
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Word Search
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Spilling the Tea on Tea
TEA TIME What’s Swirling Around in Your Cup?
themselves: “The longitudinal study involving 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older has found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50%, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86%.” Your Mood Tea leaves contain the amino acid L-theanine, which stimulates several feel-good neurotransmitters, like serotonin and gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA). These neurotransmitters help boost your mood and alertness. According to a study by the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, tea
Tea has been consumed for thousands of years and is the second-most popular drink in the world, with water being the first. It is the national drink of several nations, including China and India, and is an integral component of religious ceremonies the world over. Drinking tea has been known to reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve sleep. In addition to these instant benefits, tea can also help improve a person’s long-term health through regular consumption. Your Heart According to Harvard Health Institute, several studies show that those who regularly drink black and green tea are at a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These types of tea contain antioxidants and flavonoids, which are plant chemicals that help dilate arteries and reduce bad cholesterol. Studies also link tea consumption with improved vascular reactivity — how well your blood vessels respond to stress. Your Brain Flavonoids don’t only fight heart disease; these chemicals can also reduce any vascular damage to the brain. The National University of Singapore has conducted studies that link reduced risks of dementia in the elderly with regular tea consumption. The results speak for
even has the ability to ward off depression. The study took 22,817 participants with 4,743 cases of depression over 11 studies, and 13 reports found that individuals who drank three cups of tea a day decreased their
depression risk by 37%.
So, the next time you want a warm beverage that will do your mind and body good, reach for some tea and bask in all the health benefits as you sip.
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