What is Empty Bowl?

Here are the details you need to know about Empty Bowl to fill your belly with some DELICIOUS soup and helping a great cause in the Northland.

It's the 19th Annual Empty Bowl is Tuesday (tomorrow!!) April 3, from 10 am–6:30 pm. It will be held at The Depot, 506 West Michigan Street, Duluth.

Empty Bowl benefits Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, providing food for more than 3.3 million meals annually to people in need throughout northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

$20 includes a handmade bowl and a simple, delicious soup meal and live entertainment. After 4 p.m., cost is $15.

A press release sent out from the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank outlines a few things you may like to know about this event.

Despite operating 19 years, Empty Bowl still holds secrets that organizers say they would like the public to know. “We often hear, ‘I didn’t know ______’ and it surprises me that our event still may not be completely known to the public,” said Shaye Moris, Executive Director of Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank who has been with Empty Bowl over its last 15 years. “There are no secrets and there are things we really want the public to know.”

Of the items Moris would like known:

• Sea of Bowls – the Empty Bowl Preview event on Monday, April 2, 2012, 5-7 p.m. at the Depot is not an invitation only event. The public is invited to attend. There is no cost for entry. Bowls range in price from $25 to $100 but you get first pick.

• Empty Bowl on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 10-6:30 p.m. is open to the public and you do not need to purchase a bowl to have a simple meal of soup. Empty Bowl is an event open to everyone. It is actually modeled after a soup kitchen in which the community receives a meal, together. Everyone is welcome.

• Soup isn’t typically served in the bowl you purchase. Truly the bowls have been handled by multiple people and if you’d like to wash your bowl and use it great – if not we provide a compostable bowls for your soup.

• Empty Bowl is a “green” event too thanks to the support of WLSSD, Hartel’s/DBJ

Disposal and St. Luke’s Hospital – all flatware, bowls, etc. are made for recycling and

items like butter, sugar packets, and creamer are acquired in bulk so they produce less waste.

In 2012, Empty Bowl will also be gluten-free. Participants simply have to notify staff in the kitchen and a special soup will be available to them.

And the soups, if I might add, are AWESOME!  I'll be down there around noon to help out serving soup, so if you see me, say hi!  Just don't ask what my favorite soup is, because they're all fantastic.  See you tomorrow!  Get there early to get the best pick of the fantastic handcrafted bowls!