REDDY, WILLING AND ABLE

A big Breaking Bread SALUTE to Shiva Reddy, who is chipping in and giving back to hospitality workers with her ‘Reddy to Help’ project. She’s serving up kindness (and curries) for her fellow out-of-work friends in the industry who have been waylaid by the recent shutdown of dine-in service across BC that was announced last Monday.

And she felt the pinch firsthand — Reddy (formerly of Hawksworth, Boulevard, Savio Volpe and many more local hotspots) — was about to embark on her new stint as GM & Wine Director at @barbararestaurant when the latest lockdown suddenly curtailed that venture.

What did she do? This indefatigable industry vet took a breath, hunkered down and got to work in her home kitchen.

Even more heartwarming is the fact that in preparing the meals, she has also been able to enlist the help of her immuno-compromised mother who suffers from dementia and kidney disease and whom she has been caring for in her mother’s home for the past few weeks.

“I won’t sugarcoat it — it’s been incredibly rough,” Shiva says. “Because the hospital system has been so backlogged, she has not been able to get the help she needs. Just last week she was taken to emergency four times. I watch her lie on the couch all day long in pain. She forgets to eat. She forgets to take her medication. She forgets who she is.”

Turns out, however, that this latest venture has been a healing process for both of the Reddys.

“As soon as I start cooking meals for this project she somehow manages to to get up and take the spoon out of my hand and starts cooking by muscle memory. Having her cook with me has really brought back the light in her that I haven’t seen in years. She gets cheeky and sassy and it feels like I have my mom back again.”

Feel free to DM Shiva at @itsreddy91 or email her at shiva.reddy91@gmail.com for more information or to donate to this very timely and worthy cause.

Stand tall. Stay strong. Show love. Support local.