what I learned cooking for others during a pandemic

Most of us had plans derailed this summer. My own plans included a job at home in Maine that I found after realizing that my short stay there to finish my spring semester was going last a bit longer. As the start date approached, things got worse and I was let go before even starting. I had cooked for parties and families the past few summers on the side because it was something I found engaging, enjoyable and I was good at it – but it was not necessarily my biggest goal. While thinking about what other jobs I could apply to, I wondered how I could cook for people without any parties, events or big family gatherings going on. 

Not long after I sent some sample menus for delivered meals to previous customers I got connected with an acquaintance who was thinking of supplying something similar to our part of town; which is about 20 minutes from the nearest takeout. We chatted briefly, then met to launch Seal Rock Kitchen. We quickly built a strong customer base through email lists, word of mouth and online marketing. Our business plan was not perfect and we were figuring out our financial systems along the way but return on investment was fast and we were crafting and delivering a quality product. 

What I learned most about this process though was that delivering quality meals to people during a pandemic is a simple thing that can mean a lot. People loved supporting us, and we held ourselves to a high standard to deliver creative and high quality food that people could share with their household. We made traditional dishes, like cod cakes, but served them with a sesame sumac yogurt sauce. We incorporated the delicious Maine seafood into a traditional Cioppino, which combines my own Sicilian heritage with American cuisine. 

Cooking for myself becomes repetitive, I don’t often take the time to make new dishes and my favorite meal to eat is eggs on toast – so I tend to keep it simple for myself. But cooking for others forced me to be creative. I tried new recipes several times over before serving them, altering them to make them my own and making sure they worked in the serving sizes and containers we used. It allowed me to share my own favorite flavors and to take unique pairings from restaurants or places I have travelled and put them together on a menu that people could order and have easily delivered to their door. 

Comfort can be a dangerous thing. It can get you stuck, complacent, and hold you back. But appreciating comfort can offer joy and gratitude.  Living such a monotonous life, as many of us have been living, can cause things to be stagnant. But there is always the opportunity to choose to bask in appreciation of the comfort of a good meal.