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The Food + Grief Project

What Is the Food + Grief Project?

Food finds many contexts in grief. The Food + Grief Project explores that important intersection.

A community forum, the Food + Grief Project publishes recipes, stories, personal essays, interviews, and food memories about where we experience grief in food.

We would love to hear your voice.

If you would like to contribute to the Food + Grief Project, or would like to reach out, write to inquiries[at]unpeeledjournal.com.

Where there is grief, there is food.

bowl of brown eggs with linen

How does it work?

Even in the depths of grief, we have a relationship with food — albeit one that may be greatly altered. Food connects us, and food heals us.

The neighborly casserole; holiday cookies that tie us to a grandmother; eating alone; food shopping in a new reality: We want to cover it all.

We generally publish content in the following three broad categories:

food and grief project

The Food + Grief Project is inspired by Unpeeled founder Lisa Kolb Ruland’s experience as young widow.

A full-time food writer at the time of her husband’s death, Lisa was continually struck during her grieving process by the many ways her loss impacted her relationship with food: learning to eat alone, making foggy-headed cooking mistakes, learning to food shop for one, being too sad to throw out his now-long-expired yogurt. And on and on.

The Food + Grief Project connects people in ways that heal, nurture, and provide strength in numbers.

This project needs your voice.

If you have experience with food and grief, we invite you to share your story and anecdotes. Please click the link below to get in touch with us and tell us about your experience.
Get In Touch
Woman cooking vegetables

What’s your food & grief story?

Your story is part of the Food + Grief project. We want to hear from you and welcome you into our community. Please leave a comment below or send an email to inquiries@unpeeledjournal.com to share.

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Salmon and quinoa dish