By Bella Butler COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT EDITOR
BIG SKY—As
the world battles pandemic and normalcy crumbles, communities are mining
through the rubble for nuggets of human culture to offer a glimmer of light in
the darkness. One such relief is in the kitchen.
The
treasured American novelist Truman Capote famously articulated the therapeutic
value of cooking in his first book “Summer Crossing.” “Oh, I adore to cook,” he
wrote. “It makes me feel so mindless in a worthwhile way.” Perhaps we all should have such a chance right
now to feel so mindless, and maybe learn something new with others while we’re
at it.
The Big
Sky Virtual Kitchen, a program presented by the Big Sky Community Organization
as part of the Big Sky Behavioral Health Coalition, will bring free cooking
classes to homes throughout the community via Facebook Live to offer an
opportunity for community members to engage with one another through a fun
activity, while also bringing attention to chefs and their businesses during
the challenging period.
“Cooking
is a great way to connect with people, even if it’s just at home,” said Richard
Sandza, Camp Big Sky manager and one of the coordinators for the virtual
kitchen. “There are a lot of benefits of just having a place where people can
just come together.”
Every week,
local baker Ashley Dodd will host “The Great Big Sky Baking Show” on Monday at
4:30 p.m., followed by a cooking class taught by a rotating local chef on
Tuesday’s at 5 p.m. Alex Omania, owner of the Lotus Pad, will teach the first
class on April 14, following Dodd’s first baking class on April 13.
When
Sandza started working out the details of the program, he said it was a
no-brainer to include The Hungry Moose Market and Deli. He brought on the
grocery store’s marketing director, Andrew Robin, to organize prepared
ingredient bags to make it even easier to successfully participate in the
virtual classes. Participants can order ingredient bags by calling The Hungry Moose
a few days prior to the class and pick them up outside of the store’s Town
Center location.
Robin and
Sandza said that while everyone will be cooking in independent locations, the
virtual classes, which offer opportunities to comment and interact with other
participants, are good opportunities to connect with others during this time of
physical separation.
“There is
a nice reward, you get to eat a fun meal [and] everyone can share their meals
together,” Robin said.
In her
upcoming class, Omania will teach students how to make red curry and fresh
shrimp spring rolls. The chef and restaurant owner offered to help The Hungry
Moose obtain unique specialty ingredients, like lemongrass, so that the
culinary artists-in-training at home have access to all of the necessary
ingredients they need to make a satisfactory Thai meal. Dodd will kick off her
baking class installment with a banana espresso chocolate chip muffin recipe.
The BSCO, a partner in the Big Sky Behavioral Health Coalition, recently began offering a number of other virtual programming options to meet needs from after school activities to virtual fly-tying lessons.
“The Big Sky Community
Organization is committed to keeping our community connected during this
difficult time,” said Ciara Wolfe, BSCO CEO. “By reaching out to all of our
wonderful program partners and working together we have been able to put
together a community calendar of virtual programming that offers something for
everyone.”
For more information
on additional BSCO programming, visit bscomt.org.
