My grandma always expressed her love in the most delicious way possible - through cooking. It made me realise early on that a nice meal can nourish far more than just hunger. So when a teammate suggested we cook for Die Gruft in Vienna, a few of us decided to trade our Valentine’s Day plans for aprons and see if we could pull off a lunch menu for 150 people.

I won’t lie: cutting 5kg of onions takes a level of dedication (and tears) you just don’t find in the office. But despite the massive task list and unfamiliar terrain, we actually did surprisingly well! The kitchen wasn’t that chaotic at all because the local volunteering team at Die Gruft was incredible at guiding us and cleaned everything (!) while we cooked. Beating all odds, we even became the first volunteer group to bake fresh desserts on-site.

What really stayed with us was seeing how much a warm meal and a chat can mean. The heartfelt thanks, jokes, and smiles from the people dining there reminded us that sharing good food also means sharing warmth, dignity, and care.

If this sounds like something you’d love to experience, Die Gruft is always looking for small teams of 5–7 people to prepare lunch or dinner throughout the year, especially in summer—we can highly recommend it: Kochen für die Gruft.

P.S. Fun fact: On the bus ride there, I saw on the InfoScreen that according to a survey, the average Austrian spends €85 on a Valentine’s gift. We did a quick calculation; this means you could save €20 and gift a warm meal to 150 people instead next time.

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

Team members:

·         Ilayda Ari

·         Melike Tapci

·         Alexander Haberzettl

·         Philipp Gewinner

·         Michael Baron

·         Israel Mesquita

·         Andrea Antoni-Vermes
 

Author: Andrea Antoni-Vermes