More Than a Meal
Melissa, our Director of Customer Support, recently introduced me to the phrase "more than a meal". Four simple words explain why you and I are taking meals to friends and family. In addition to the ingredients we use, the meals we take are chock- full of care, concern, love, hugs, let me help, and HOPE.
We have a new soup meal in our store that is "more than a meal". This soup meal is not only delicious, but the story behind it introduces you to a compassionate, brave woman, Heide Vickers. Her daughter, Tiffany Davis, is the co-owner of Nourish and she provides the meals for our west coast store. Tiffany was more than generous to us by sharing her mother's story, and making her delicious soup available for all of us to enjoy and send to our friends.
Tiffany shares the story of her precious mama's soup in her own words:
"My mother's name was Heidemarie Vickers (she went by Heide - spelled with the E at the end which is unusual). She was born in East Germany before the wall was constructed and part of the exodus that put her family in a port town in North Germany called Bremerhaven. She met my father when he was in the Air Force stationed in Germany. They married there and both my sister and I were born there. We moved back to my dad's hometown of Winston-Salem, NC when I was 1 year old.
My mom, who was fluent in about 4 languages, worked many, many jobs. During much of my childhood, she was a Hospice Nurse. She really took care of those folks. She found her passion as a flight attendant in her early 40s. She was always a VERY GOOD cook. We had crepes for dinner and lots of pork chops with mushrooms and onions. She made her lasagna and chicken soup in huge batches to give away to admiring friends. She also constructed elaborate gingerbread houses for our teachers when we were small.
When my mom was 50 years old, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer. At that time, it had a 4% survival rate. She had every treatment you can imagine (radical bilateral mastectomy, stem cell replacement, chemo, radiation, and lots of experimental stuff). She finally went into her own Hospice the Christmas of 2007 and passed away the day after Valentine's Day in 2008.
In the year before she died, I got her to show me the process for her chicken soup. We had all been in love with it forever and I wrote it all down and sent a copy to my sister as well.
I am grateful that my mom left my sister and I great food memories and some good wisdom on caring for others with and without food."
Thank you, Tiffany, for sharing a piece of your mom with us. We love knowing that tables all over the country will be filled with bowls her delicious soup.
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