A Potluck Prescription for Loneliness — Margaret Hathaway & Karl Schatz on Food, Stories, and Community

Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz traded New York City for a goat farm in Maine. Then a pandemic-era cookbook project led them to create Community Plate, a series of story-sharing potluck suppers that bring strangers together over food. They've now hosted 51 suppers across Maine. In this conversation, they share what makes the gatherings work, from rectangular tables and real china to phone-free dinners and food-focused story prompts, and how anyone can start one in their own community. This optimistic couple is making a dent in the loneliness epidemic and would love to see more efforts like theirs take off in other parts of the country. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction and Transition to Goat Farming 04:34 From Cookbook to Community Building 11:24 Anatomy of a Community Plate Supper 21:04 Fostering Connection Without Pressure 30:21 Expanding the Vision and Final Thoughts Learn more about Community Plate: https://www.communityplate.me/