Keep Calm and Cook On, JC
Ordering delivery or takeout is one of the easiest and instant ways to help our hard-hit local restaurant community. We are balancing regular meal orders with reclaiming time in our own kitchen, rediscovering culinary goals and projects that were shelved back in the busy days of pre-COVID life.
“Kitchen projects can be a good way to add rhythm and structure to your schedule,” says JSQ resident Joanna Garnett-Raeppold. A former NYC-based food stylist and caterer, Joanna was also the proprietor of Lucinda’s, a Mexican-themed food truck that was one of the first “foodie” food trucks in Jersey City. The mother of two now works full-time for a non-profit providing food literacy and education for students in Newark. Like many parents, she is now juggling working remotely with overseeing remote learning for her two boys, both under 12. Keeping creative and even busy in the kitchen helps; “Right now, there is so much out of all of our control. So being mindful and purposeful in the kitchen offers a little respite. Freezing bananas for smoothies or baking banana bread. Chicken bones maybe would have been tossed before but are now used for stock. I do not waste anything – no scraps left behind. Stretching and saving things in the kitchen helps me limit outside trips and inspires creativity.”
Joanna is also all in on two trending food projects. Homemade sourdough, for one. “It’s so delicious and satisfying. My whole family is enjoying it in the morning, hot and buttered, and for lunches with avocado, cream cheese and smoked salmon, or as a grilled cheese. It’s a cheap staple and the whole process takes 24 hours, so it’s a nice long project.” She recommends the King Arthur Flour website as a great place to get started learning the process. Another popular trend right now is pantry dishes – i.e. using everything you have to make pasta bakes, casseroles, etc.; “Food52.com has a great selection of one-pot pantry dishes. And if you need more inspiration, get on Instagram. Our favorite chefs are busy on there.”
Kudos to all of you juggling multiple roles now, and we hope you find that passion project – in the kitchen or another room in your home – that can bring you some purpose and pleasure. Be well!