Our good friend Maggie McKelvy of the Crown Hill branch of HomeStreet Bank hosted a table at Solid Ground’s Annual Building Community Luncheon last week. Here is her report on the event:

I had the pleasure of attending Solid Ground’s Annual luncheon this past Friday and what a great event it was! I was joined by a group of fellow bank employees, customers, and community partners.

Maggie McKelvy, Solid Ground Luncheon table host and Manager of HomeStreet Bank's Crown Hill branch

The highlight of the luncheon, for our table, was truly the keynote speaker, Bryant Terry. Mr. Terry has obvious passion for his work and as he sang to us, holding a cooking spoon as a microphone, told tales of his grandparents and talked about his personal journey, I watched the faces around our table light up. I saw some smiles and nods when he demonstrated his technique for preparing collard greens. I, personally, was feeling flashbacks from my childhood, spent watching my dad cook the foods enjoyed during his childhood years in the South.

I bought Bryant Terry’s cookbook on the way out and test drove several of his recipes over the weekend, including his collard greens. The coconut rice was awesome, by the way, and there are some great tips for cooking with alternatives to milk. Apparently, I was not alone!  My coworker, who also sat at our table, told me that he too spent the weekend in the kitchen, freshly inspired to enjoy whole foods, good health and quality time with his family.

Even if you missed the Solid Ground Luncheon, you can still get Bryant's recipes.

I think that Bryant Terry’s message about connecting through food, looking back in time, and respecting the wisdom of our grandparents and bringing joy, bringing “soul” to the kitchen are at the core of much of the work that Solid Ground does. I am so happy that I was a part of a wonderful event!