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Food is one of the strongest ways to connect with the people we've lost.

The way food smells connects us to emotions and memory, turning the space-time continuum on its head.

Grief is incredibly isolating, and sharing a meal can be a way to connect.

When prepared and eaten with intention, food can be a gateway to our loved ones' stories.

The other night I invited several dead people to my home for dinner. I realize of course that this might sound preposterous or a tad delusional, but I assure you it’s neither. These weren’t just any people mind you, they were some of the people I love most in the world – the family members I’ve lost, including my parents, my sisters, and my teenage daughter.

The seeds for the dinner were planted in the soup aisle of the supermarket, when I stumbled on an onion soup mix that had a picture of apricot chicken on the box. I looked at the photo and could have sworn I actually smelled the sweet, tangy chicken I grew up calling “sloppy chicken.” It was my mother’s specialty, and she made it at least once a week when I was a child. I wanted to taste my mother’s chicken again, to fill my kitchen with that particular smell that felt like home. So I threw the mix in my cart, gathered the rest of the ingredients listed in the........

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