edible notables
PIES WITH A PURPOSE
Good food is doing good for foster kids.
WRITTEN BY STACIE GRIFFIN
PHOTOS BY CANDICE NYANDO
Back in 431 B.C., Hippocrates, the father of medicine, mused, “Let food be thy medicine.” Right here in Reno, Lynette Eddy is doing just that — she’s harnessing the power of food to help remedy a problem in our foster care system and redefining the meaning of comfort food.
While obtaining her master’s degree in social work, Eddy recognized a tremendous gap in the foster care system. Kids who “age out” of the system at 18 often face adult responsibilities without skills or support, and many drop out of high school, live on the streets, or end up in jail.
“When my husband passed away, I was determined to leave him a legacy by helping foster kids,” Eddy explains.
With funds from his life insurance policy, she launched The Eddy House project in 2011, combining a transitional home and restaurant that fully funds the program.
Eddy purchased a five-bedroom house in Northwest Reno to give young men a place to live after aging out of the system. Her vision was to create a business that would cover the costs associated with the house and simultaneously give the boys a way to learn valuable skills. Eddy’s undergraduate degree in restaurant management gave her the confidence to open Z-Pie in 2012.
Residents of The Eddy House staff Z-Pie, taking orders, cooking, and running the till. All proceeds from the restaurant directly fund The Eddy House, while the young men earn job skills, a work ethic, and paychecks.
“At The Eddy House, we place a major emphasis on education,” Eddy says. “If we see that one of our resident’s grades are slipping, we’ll cut his hours at Z-Pie until his grades improve.”
And while Eddy is doing something good for Northern Nevada’s foster kids, she’s also serving up equally good food at Z-Pie. The menu includes a variety of homemade potpies ranging from vegetarian to cabernet steak and dessert pies — some of the best comfort food around. And if the buttery, flaky crust wasn’t enough, Z-Pie also offers a selection of organic, fresh salads and soups to round out its menu.
The fact that Eddy has crafted an out-of-the-box solution to a problem would be enough for some, but the fact that her solution includes tasty food? Well, that’s just an added bonus.
Stacie Griffin, a self-proclaimed foodie, truly enjoyed her mushroom chicken pie at Z Pie and can’t wait for her next visit.
Z-Pie
138 West St., Reno
775-453-1472, http://www.Z-pie.com/reno
Lunch, dinner, and catering are available. Open every day, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Delivery service also is offered in the Reno-Sparks area.
