Read It & Eat™️ is turning two this month! It has been quite the adventure so far.
For those of you that don't know me or are new to Read It & Eat™️, this project was born May 2020, the height of the first year of the pandemic. I had just been laid off from my job in Chicago and had, thankfully, lined up a job, a few weeks later. With that time off, the first time in years, I had an opportunity to think.
During this brief unemployed-inflected sabbatical, I would walk across Chicago to a bookstore a few miles away (about 1.3 miles each way). First off, Open Books Chicago is one of the greatest bookstores in America and I will fight everyone about it. This amazing non-profit bookstore is a used bookstore paradise and I found so many food writing books that my collection is bursting at the seems. But I digress...
On those walks, I started to think about food. Chicago was a ghost town with our mandated shelter in place and I was only allowed to pick up my bookstores in a lobby and then immediately leave. Going to the grocery was stressful, so my husband and limited ourselves to curbside pickup from our favorite grocer, and we only picked the bare necessities. Food was mundane but necessary. Food scarcity became part of the daily conversation - what was missing from the shelves, what people were hoarding, and so on. On the flip side, we started to talk about small businesses suffering, doors shuttering, and those with disposable income were encouraged to order takeout from the small businesses through the plethora of apps we had available.
When I lost my job, the bridge from salary to unemployment was steep. We reprioritized, we worried about how to pay for basic things like food. We felt overwhelmed. How do you support small businesses and find authentic cuisine? How can you be adventurous when you're counting pennies? Shouldn't we be concerned and only eating in pre-portion and wrapped meals?
That's where Read It & Eat™️ came in. The first box we ever made was bread-themed and it allowed people to learn bread at home! It wasn't sourdough bread, but hey, it was a lot of fun! I wanted to reconnect people to food and let them have culinary adventures from the safety of their home. Now, even as we adventure back into the world thanks to vaccinations and boosters, I still want people to have culinary adventures.
Celebrate our birthday with 50% off any one item with the code: RIAETurns2
People want culinary adventures! They want to try adventurous foods and reconnect with old and discover new cultures through cuisines from all over the world. The problem is you are time strapped, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to find an authentic food experience. You know you want to be adventurous, and that food affects more than just your taste buds, but you don’t know where to start
We understand your pain…. The pandemic has taken a toll on our sense of adventure. Our food choices have been limited to safe, pre-package items offering limited opportunity to be bold and try new things. It’s like we’ve all been living in a food bubble.
We specialize curating culinary experiences from your own backyard to around the world…. All while supporting smaller, artisanal businesses and nonprofits across the US. Recognized by Cratejoy's Most Unique Subscription Box selection.
Introducing, READ IT & EAT Box™️, foodie bookish subscription box that will take you on curated culinary adventures. Here’s how we do it:
1. We curate quarterly Read It & Eat boxes that pair books with snacks from small businesses.
2. You take our quiz so we can learn a little bit more about your reading habits and snack preferences.
3. We curate the perfect Read It & Eat box for you. If you’re looking for a surprise, you can try a Blind Date with Book. If you want a culinary adventure mapped out for you, you can choose from our themed boxes like a coffee box or cheese box.
4. We give back! We only partner with small businesses in the United States so your support supports them! Plus, we donate a portion of our proceeds to fight hunger in Buffalo, NY. No one deserves to go hungry.
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