WELCOME HEART: Living a Legacy Life
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Kendall Vanderslice joins us today to talk bread, food, community, and loneliness—all some of my favorite topics. Founder of the non-profit, EdibleTheology.com, Kendall shares her wisdom regarding cultural polarization, and how eating together is a vulnerable and soul-filling activity. I love her call to include "rhythms of times at the table" in an effort to stave off our default into isolation. And, that when we do, we feel more known, respected and healed.
Author of We Will Feast, By Bread Alone, as well as the digital course, Bake With the Bible, Kendall also promotes a program we can use in our churches to build community and love, even in the middle of an election year! (Maybe especially in the middle of an election year!) And she is offering a copy of her recently released book/memoir: By Bread Alone: A Baker's Reflections on Hunger, Longing and the Goodness of God.
Some gems from our conversation:
Her favorite thing to bake (I asked!) is "Sourdough on Training Wheels." Sounds like my kind of sourdough.
In her own words
Hello! I’m Kendall Vanderslice – yes, before you ask, that is my true name.
It’s just by chance (or the humor of God) that I ended up in a field so fitting. I’m a baker and writer, whose best thinking occurs as I work dough between my hands; I scribble down thoughts on pieces of parchment dusted in flour, until I can parse them out later before my keyboard. When I embarked on a career as a pastry chef, I found that my love of bread transformed the ways I read scripture. Fascinated by God’s use of food throughout the arc of the Gospel, I merged my work in the kitchen with academic study of food and theology.
I founded the educational nonprofit Edible Theology as an outlet for further research and public engagement in this sphere. You can get a taste for our work by listening to our weekly podcast Kitchen Meditations.
I’m a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois (BA Anthropology), where I began engaging questions of food and faith. Interested in commensality—or, the social dynamics of eating together—I studied food at Boston University (MLA Gastronomy). My thesis on church meals sparked a range of theological questions, leading me to Duke University where I wrote a thesis on the theology of bread (MTS). In 2018 I was named a James Beard Foundation national scholar for my work on food and religion.
My first book, We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God, released May 2019. My second book, By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God, releases February 2023.
Ep 203 A Legacy of Less Worry and More Peace with Keri Eichberger
Ep 202 A Legacy of an Accidental Homesteader with Kathi and Roger Lipp
Ep 201 A Legacy of Living Seen by God and That’s What Counts with Whitney Akin
Ep 200 A Legacy of 80 Years of a Life Well-Lived—Bless-able with Hyatt Moore, Christian, Artist
Ep 199 A Legacy of Honesty and Compassion Through Journaling with Jennifer Dukes Lee
Ep 198 A Legacy of Stewarding Good Health with Grace and Good Sense with Robin Rhine McDonald
Ep 197 A Legacy of Rest and Overflow with Sue Donaldson
Ep 196 A Legacy of Singing God’s Gospel Kindness with Country Singer/Songwriter Laurel Taylor
Ep 195 A Legacy of Courage and Entrepreneurship with Ruthie Gray, Authentic Marketing Coach
Ep 194 Is Your Cup of Joy Full? Is That Even Possible? Joy, Part I
Ep 193 A Legacy of Fighting Anxiety and Fear with Christy Boulware
Ep 192 A Legacy of Radical Radiance in the Every Day with Rebecca George
Ep 191 A Legacy of Faith Enough to Get Out of the Boat
Ep 190 A Legacy of Taking Leaps with Rachel G. Scott
Ep 189 A Legacy of an Unbound Life with Stephen David Leonard
Ep 188 A Legacy of Untangled Faith with Amy Fritz
Ep 187 A Legacy of an Open Heart and a New Kidney: Stewarding Well with Dale Masten
Ep 186 A Legacy of Finding Holy in the Suburbs with Ashley Hales
Ep 185 A Legacy of Deeper Faith with Sue Donaldson
Ep 184 A Legacy of Gardening and Losing the Shoulds with Carol Feil
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