Mary Ellen Diaz uses her skills as a chef to help people.

“Pie is a symbol of community, and giving the first slice is like giving the best,” says Mary Ellen Diaz.

Diaz is the founder of an innovative Chicago soup kitchen called First Slice. “This organization gives the first slice to people who rarely get anything special.” A former chef at Chicago’s acclaimed North Pond restaurant, Diaz feeds 400 homeless people each week, preparing delicious meals with fresh, locally grown, mostly organic ingredients—dishes like butternut squash soup or spicy multigrain-vegetable soup.

First Slice soup kitchen is successful partly because of generous people who work as volunteers, donate money, or become customers. Diaz opened a restaurant called First Slice Pie Café. It serves a seasonal menu including made-from-scratch pies. Diaz also started a program that allows busy families to help the hungry. At the same time, they are making their own schedule a little bit easier. Families may sign up to receive three gourmet meals a week. Every meal is nourishing, balanced, and prepared from local organic ingredients. Profits from both the private chef service and the café go toward the soup kitchen.