The communal dining hall of the kibbutz was meant to allow women to participate in the construction of an egalitarian society. Moreover, it constituted a social apparatus for reinforcing conformity with the kibbutz ideology. Its outsourcing to non-resident professional caterers that provided meals for which members had to pay, followed by its closure, made women undertake the daily chores of food preparation. This article contends that women interpret home cooking as a progressive step toward the liberation of mothers and families from community control. They use food practices to become active social agents engaged in the formation of a “new kibbutz” in which the family plays a major role. Home cooking and eating meals was found to enable kibbutz members to strengthen their relationship with their children and to develop an autonomous perception of parenthood. These practices form part of a broader pattern of social and economic transformation of the kibbutz.