I'll Have What She's Cookin': Commerce in a Virtual Kitchen
On March 6 Chef Dawn Burrell of Kulture Restaurant posted on Instagram: “What does a first time @beardfoundation award nominee do after all of the excitement? She plans to tackle a week of service.” Burrell had just learned the day before that she was nominated for a James Beard Award in the category Best Chef: Texas.
And then, Covid-19 happened and everything came to a halt. Self-isolation became the new and vital normal in an effort to curtail the virus. In the fallout, Burrell—and everyone in the hospitality industry—had to pivot to deal with a devastating time of closures, furloughs and layoffs.
For I’ll Have What She’s Having—an organization that is all about connecting, community and support; about raising awareness for social issues and women’s wellness in particular—these unsettling times of a global pandemic are all the more reason to gather and affirm the strength of our connections, to do something.
Dr. Lori Choi, founder of IHWSH, shares: “It's painful for all of us to witness our vibrant restaurant industry taking the brunt of the first economic blows of physical distancing, a necessary step to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the stay-home order is bringing increased unpaid work responsibilities and social isolation upon each of us.”
“We’ve never had a moment when health, food and well-being have been so clearly and intimately intertwined. Let history show that we met the challenges with creativity, character and kindness.”
Great minds got together and found a perfect solution to circumnavigate social distancing and connect the community: IHWSH is taking “gather and unite” to the virtual stage.
This Saturday April 4, Chef Dawn Burrell features in the inaugural episode of I’ll Have What She’s Cookin’, a series of interactive cooking classes, demonstrations and conversations that come into our homes and kitchens via a webinar. In this virtual kitchen we make chefs recipes, learn all about wine and cocktail pairings and practice cookie decoration skills right in time for Easter. Options offered include a wine and cheese tasting featuring master sommelier June Rodil from Montrose Cheese and Wine (April 9) and Easter cookie decorating with acclaimed pastry chef Dory Fung (April 11).
With the virtual cooking series as well as another, soon-to-launch program aptly-named Pivot (which will offer a variety of private chef services), IHWSH aims to create new commerce for displaced workers or for contributions to employee support funds.
A ticket to the virtual kitchen comes with a meal kit that contains all needed ingredients (prepped and portioned, and, not least important: sourced locally) along with recipes, including what to do with any leftovers. If you are out of town, already have all the ingredients, or simply want to hang out in the virtual kitchen rather than cook, a webinar-only option is also available.
Chef, writer and Pre-shift podcast host Kate McLean, who moderates the interactive sessions, can’t wait: “Dr. Lori Choi has always been innovative and passionate about caring for the needs of our industry workers. This idea stems from that, and we are so thrilled that James Beard Nominee chef Dawn Burrell will kick off the I'll Have What She's Cookin' Saturday Nite Live interactive series. Not to be missed, the best way to describe this event is in the words of Flo Rida, "it's going down for real."”
Tickets and more information, including about other events in the "virtual kitchen" here.
