When a global pandemic forced me to re-imagine my foodie adventures, a virtual cooking class helped me cross off a travel bucket list item from the comfort of my home.
Travel Bucket List Item #13
✅ Take a cooking class with an award-winning chef.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I, like many people, thought,”Oh, I’ll just stop eating out until this passes.”
Ha! So young and naive. During those first couple of weeks, I dug deep in my Pinterest crates and made all kinds of inspired meals – from gourmet burgers to banana bread, I tried it all! I found my cooking groove, then I hit a wall. I couldn’t find inspiration and I desperately missed my restaurant adventures.
Virtual Cooking Class
As I mourned my canceled travel plans and dinner reservations, I searched the internet for cooking classes, and I stumbled across the perfect option! I’ll Have What She’s Having launched “I’ll Have What She’s Cooking” – a virtual cooking class lead by professional chefs. The first installment featured one of my favorite culinary creatives: Chef Dawn Burrell the Executive Chef at Kulture and a 2020 James Beard semi-finalist.
I intended to cook along with the class, but due to a series of unfortunate events I ended up watching from my couch. Dozens of guests gathered in their kitchens (and me on my couch) to Zoom video conference our way through cooking a delicious dinner.
I took notes to make sure I didn’t fumble my way through the kitchen when it was my turn. In hindsight, I should have ordered the kit that came with some items prepped for cooking. However, the sweat equity took the experience to the next level.
Chef Dawn is an amazing instructor! She empowered me to try things in my kitchen that I never imagined. I roasted a whole chicken, whipped up an herbaceous pesto, made compound butter, and even managed to make sweet potato gnocchi (which is much harder than I ever imagined!) I also learned how to make a soubise (and learned what it is.) In just a few hours, I became an amateur chef rock star!
Photos by Raquel Seymone for Black Girl Meets World
Final Thoughts
I will always be a restaurant girl, but this amateur chef kitchen adventure was a welcomed distraction. That experience inspired me to trust myself to explore my kitchen more. More importantly, it reinforced my admiration for the culinary creatives across the country who make my foodie adventures worthwhile.
Photo by Raquel Seymone for Black Girl Meets World
Has social distancing compelled you to explore any cool online experiences? I’m thinking about taking an online craft cocktail class next.
