Staying in quarantine with a family can be a challenge, but cooking fresh meals together can help pass the time and create a great bonding experience. A few local chefs have made cooking with the family easier by hosting tutorials online through Facebook Live. Check out how each of these chefs can help you have fun while staying in ― and make the most out of the food you have at home.
Joe the Baker
Joe the Baker, whose last name is actually Baker, runs a website where he posts recipes and sells his own baked goods, like pastries and macarons. The Coppell chef has started a Facebook Live series called “Quarantine Cooking With Joe the Baker” that features his son, Blais, who will be turning 6 in a few weeks and enjoys wearing a fun costume while he helps cook. Each video includes kid-friendly recipes that are also useful for families struggling to find foods and ingredients that are in high demand right now.
“I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the community because everybody’s out trying to shop, and they’re trying to make sure they get what they need,” Baker says. “Something that I’ve heard a lot is people are running out of sandwich bread and other breads.”
This feedback inspired Baker to film a video on how to make dinner rolls and bread. Some of his ready-made items can be purchased online and are available for contactless pickup at Baker’s home in Coppell. For the classes, viewers can log onto Facebook every weekday from 3 p.m. until around 3:30 p.m. to watch Joe the Baker and, of course, Blais in his crazy costumes.
“My son now is the driving force, and he’s really excited about it,” Baker says. “The first day, he walked out in a dinosaur costume and I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it!’” joe-the-baker.com. facebook.com/pg/chefjoebaker.
Annette Baker and Marianne Lacko of Nature’s Plate
These two vegan sisters are the brains behind Nature’s Plate, a grab-and-go shop that offers vegan meal plan subscriptions, individual dishes and cooking classes. Marianne Lacko and Annette Baker (not related to Joe Baker) are moving their cooking tutorials online, with plans to start posting on Facebook Live every Tuesday at 5 p.m., and possibly on Thursdays in the future. Their first video, “Live Demo: Healthy Eating,” will run Tuesday, March 24, from 5 to 6 p.m.
“We feel very strongly, all the time, that eating whole plant foods is the best thing we can do for our health and it’s why we do what we do,” Annette Baker says.
The first Nature’s Plate video will include a demo on cooking with kale, which is high in antioxidants. Future videos could include tutorials on how to make plant-based chili taco fillings, including beans and lentils, which many people have stocked up on. The sisters’ biggest piece of advice for eating healthy while in quarantine: Avoid processed foods.
“That’s a problem across the board,” Lacko says. “It’s a huge problem because processed foods are almost completely devoid of nutrients. When your body needs nutrients the most is when it’s trying to fight off disease.”
The Nature’s Plate sisters also recommend cooking with natural immune boosters like mushrooms, onions and garlic. After all, there’s no use worrying about garlic breath while staying home. naturesplate.com. facebook.com/events/622057785313839/.
Chef Uno Immanivong of Red Stix Asian Street Food
Chef Uno Immanivong, whom you might recognize from appearances on Food Network, has also started a Facebook Live series she calls the Quarantine Cooking Show. Immanivong says she plans to post videos to Facebook every night at her Dallas restaurant, Red Stix Asian Street Food, which is still open for takeout meals. So far, Immanivong has recorded four episodes, including cocktail tutorials for adults, like how to make a “quarantini" with Emergen-C in it. But there are also easy recipes for kids to enjoy.
“As far as kids go, that’s probably what I’m most passionate about,” Immanivong says. “Just making sure they get healthy doses of fruits and vegetables in their diet. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible and getting the kids involved and participating.”
Immanivong has personal experience creating dishes for her daughter, Emma, who was on the first season of Chopped Junior. When it comes to cooking for the family while under quarantine, Immanivong says the key is to be resourceful and get creative, and she hopes she can inspire viewers to do the same.
“I just want them to say, ‘OK, these are the things that I did during the quarantine of 2020,’” Immanivong says. “So, when they do make their grocery store run, they’ll think about, ‘Oh, yeah, remember when chef Uno did this? Let’s pick up a couple of extra things that we wouldn’t normally do.’ And maybe it gets in the rotation of what they do together as a family.” redstixstreetfood.com. facebook.com/unoimmanivong.
Soraya Spencer of Gather Kitchen
Gather Kitchen in downtown Dallas continues to offer gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan- and paleo-friendly dishes and meal plans for pickup. Founder Soraya Spencer has started doing quick, easy-to-follow cooking tutorials on Gather Kitchen’s Instagram and Facebook stories with plans to do longer videos on Facebook and Instagram Live or Instagram TV. Spencer says the tutorials are an effort to stay "connected with the community,” and her goal is to post videos every weekday, starting March 25 or 26. One of her videos will include a sweet treat made from avocados.
“I made ice cream for my 3-year-old,” Spencer says. “I did avocado, peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup ― raw maple syrup.”
Some future video ideas that Spencer has in mind are how to make chickpea bread, chickpea chocolate cookies and other comfort foods that are healthy and high in protein and fiber. Like Joe the Baker, Spencer hopes to get her son, Ethan Zeine, who goes by EZ, involved in the fun. She says cooking with kids is a great way to teach them counting and colors.
“It’s a great opportunity to get together,” Spencer says. “Everybody should cook. The husband should get on it, the kids should get on it. We’re just trying to learn how to live together again.” gatherkitchen.com. facebook.com/gatherkitchendallas. instagram.com/gatherkitchen.