COOKING IN QUARANTINE
Facebook food group provides practical help
The Facebook group Quarantine Cupboard started on March 27 with just a few members. The online assemblage began with the intention to “help people figure out what they can cook with limited and oddball supplies,” says Anthony Lee, a founder of the group.
Early adopters suggested creating some kind of app to help home cooks figure out what to make for their meals amid COVID -19-related closures and shortages, using (some long-lost) items that sat on the shelves in their pantries. But Lee was adamant that he wanted the Quarantine Cupboard to be accessible, and, to have a face — albeit a virtual one.
“The human creativity and community is what I am trying to foster with my group,” Lee says. “I think people who cook show people their love though feeding others, and of course, the compliments! We cannot express ourselves to our friends and family, so this gives an outlet to enable people, creatively, to show that love with advice and food posts. To get the food compliments fulfils that need without social contact.”
The group has since grown to include more than 1,000 people from more than 10 countries — and counting.
“What first started out as a way to participate and help has grown through our network, even as a private group,” Lee says. Most of the group’s members are women in their mid-30s to mid40s, he says. They’re people who “cook on a regular basis” but are perhaps feeling frustrated or uninspired by ideas for how to “get creative” with the ingredients they have on hand at home. Members share notes on available ingredients, make suggestions for what to make and share reviews and thoughts on recipes of their own.
“The food posts are also inspiring to see when you have similar ingredients in your home to try it out as well,” Lee says. “There has been like three pickle breads made after the initial post, if you can believe it.”
While easing food frustrations and fostering a sense of community are key motivations behind the group, Lee says another is to see less food waste overall.
“There is always something in your fridge that is not going to make it another few days, and you should find a use for it rather than throwing it out. And this group will be here to help,” he says.
A better understanding of food — from source to consumption — has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. And it has become more heightened as lockdowns prompt more people to use what they already have in their homes rather than shop at a crowded grocery store.
“I think it has placed greater value on being aware of where our food comes from, and how it’s grown. There already was an awareness building about food waste and how to prevent it at home, but now it’s become a need, so more people are sharing methods of storing and using food so it’s not wasted,” Maria Verdicchio, community manager for Foodmesh, says of the impacts of COVID-19.
Through its Retail Food Recovery Program and virtual B2B
Marketplace, the Vancouver-headquartered company helps businesses and charities “rescue” surplus food that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
“Our mandate is to help sell or donate unsold surplus from farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and suppliers, to businesses, non-profits and charities,” Verdicchio says. “Most of the food on the marketplace is there due to orders that were cancelled or projected sales not coming through — not because they are ‘bad.’ ”
Verdicchio says there has been an uptick in interest in their operations, both on the supplier and recipient side of things.
“There are more people in need of food donations, and the regular food-supply chain has been disrupted for many food suppliers, so they don’t have anywhere for their food to go,” Verdicchio says.
Foodmesh connects the two by offering an outlet for food to be collected, and then sold or donated.
Other online resources for optimizing the contents of your cupboards during lockdown include social media profiles of professional chefs, both local and international talents.
Verdicchio pointed to Vancouver chef Taeyoung Chang of Kitch/ In Collective, who “does amazing things with surplus produce,” as a valuable resource for people eager to learn more about what they can make with what’s already in their home.
She also pointed to Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura, founder of Foodforsoul. it, who is sharing recipes and suggestions to eliminate food waste on his Instagram account.
“It’s a great time to learn more about food in general, and how to prepare it,” Verdicchio says. “We all have to eat, and, the more you learn about something, the more you value it.”