Heal, Grow and Serve

Good Food

The Greenhouse x Chef Jenny Dorsey

Every family has recipes.

Some are written by hand and passed down through generations. Others exist only in memory, recreated by taste and instinct. They remind us where we come from and who we belong to.

Many members of The Greenhouse have never had that. Rejected by their birth families, they are rebuilding their lives alongside a chosen family that sees them, accepts them and walks with them in recovery.

Every Tuesday evening, before our recovery meeting begins, clients, volunteers and staff gather around the same table to share a home-cooked meal. For many, it is the only meal each week where they can arrive completely as themselves, knowing they are safe, welcomed and loved.

These recipes are the actual meals Brenda prepares for our community. Once a client herself, Brenda now welcomes others at the same table that welcomed her, and is affectionately known by many as our "recovery mother". Chef Jenny Dorsey joined us week after week to lovingly document these dishes so that they could be shared beyond our dining table.

In 2024, The Greenhouse became a fully vegetarian centre. It was a practical decision, but more importantly, a reflection of the kind of family we want to be. By serving meals that everyone can enjoy regardless of faith, health conditions or dietary restrictions, we hope every person who joins us can simply take their seat at the table, knowing there is a place for them.

Whether you already have a family around your table or are still searching for one, we hope these recipes find a place in your home. Cook them often. Share them generously. Make them your own.

From our family to yours, may every meal remind us that families can be chosen, and there is always room for one more at the table.