Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.
I wrote in March about Rory Kandel of Rory’s Bakehouse in Napa. Her bakery features mostly frozen treats, like gigantic chocolate chip cookies, to bake at home.
The article told of Kandel’s decisions to speak publicly about her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in the San Francisco Chronicle and then to share her Jewish story for the first time in J.
I’ve been following Kandel’s Instagram since then. In the short time since I interviewed her, her mobility has deteriorated, and she’s now using a cane. When she opened her dream bakery at the end of 2024, the uneven tiles on the kitchen floor didn’t bother her; now, they constitute a tripping hazard.
A month ago, she launched a GoFundMe campaign to make her kitchen more accessible.
“Now, every uneven tile feels like a hurdle,” she writes on the web page. “I’m still figuring out the right mobility aids, but even without them, just getting from one side of the kitchen to the other can be exhausting, painful, and sometimes even dangerous. What used to be second nature — moving freely, carrying trays, baking with ease — now takes so much more from me.”
While she has nearly reached her goal, which will allow her to replace the floor with a smooth surface and install a ramp at the back door, she is also seeking support to make further changes.
“It would give me the freedom to move safely through the space I’ve poured my heart into — and help ensure I can keep doing what I love for years to come.”
In an update, she added, “In all my life I never imagined needing to ask anyone for help and I certainly never imagined finding myself disabled.”
She launched the GoFundMe on July 12. As of Aug. 13 she has raised over $22,000.