At the very beginning of Lockdown 2020, I was at home and staring at my phone, computer and television. Like everyone else, I was wondering “What the f*** are we going to do to entertain ourselves?!” and then I started to scroll.
What started as a distraction became research into finding out what some of the best chefs in the world were doing at home, which led to a personal blog about Massimo Bottura on Instagram and then a longer piece about chefs on Instagram for Conde Nast Traveler, April 2020. Take a look.
What’s Cooking in a Chef’s Kitchen
While we’re all dreaming of the next time we’ll have a meal out, peeking into someone else’s home kitchen can at least give you a moment of culinary escape. Luckily, chefs around the world, from the amateur to the Michelin star-caliber, have opened up their kitchens to give us a glimpse of what they’re cooking—with online cooking classes for those of us who could really use them. From step-by-step tutorials and precise recipes to comfort food and casual table talk, here are the chef-led cooking shows worth tuning into right now.
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GhettoGastro “Gastronomical Cribs”
@GhettoGastro is your new favourite IG live. Thank you. Flipping the game a little bit, the Gastros [aka chefs Jon Gray, Lester Walker, Malcolm Livingston II, and Pierre Serrao] bring you into the gastronomical cribs [and kitchens] of ev
eryone you ever wanted to hang out. “Inspiration from the cosmos. From Cooking demos to self care practices. During these trying times it’s our duty to bring some love, light and nourishment into your world.” says the Gastros. Announced about 24 hours in advance (and never saved] the stellar line up has included Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers best-selling authoer Elaine Welteroth, Kimberly Drew of Museum Mammy, singer Kelis, designer Melody Ehsani and Naomi, yes, that Naomi.
Christina Tosi’s #BakersClub
To power up your home baking, tune in to Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi’s #BakersClub, which she hosts every day at 2p.m. from her home in New York City. Tosi provides the shopping list, a playlist, and the recipe in advance, so all you have to do is open up your Instagram and start prepping. Come ready to sugar load as Tosi breaks down iconic Milk Bar sweets like her gooey butter cake, brownies, blondies, and chocolate chip cookies, as well as the occasional savory recipe like tortillas.
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José Andrés’ #RecipesforthePeople
Chef José Andrés is unstoppable. He has donated food to Washington, D.C.’s firefighters, he’s made meals for quarantined cruise ship passengers, and he’s mobilized chefs for his World Central Kitchen. He’s even turned DC’s baseball stadium into a community kitchen. In the downtime he manages to find each evening, Andrés is posting videos of himself and his family in their home kitchen making easy dishes like brisket and eggs, to uplifting playlists (which, spoiler alert, often include Hamilton songs). It’s a cozy look inside their family time, and as delightful as Andrés himself.
David Chang’s “In the Time of COVID-19”
It’s hard not to love David Chang: He’s creative, sarcastic, and delightfully honest. Chang’s near-daily cooking videos posted on Instagram are more than just recipes, too—they’re running narratives on what’s going on in his head as he cooks. (In his recent lasagna video, expect to hear things like, “I was going to roll out pasta sheets with an old bottle until I thought…what the fuck am doing?”) Follow along for home-made kimchi recipes, simpler options like tuna salad, and plenty of entertainment.
Antoni Porowski’s “Quar Eye”
We’re fans of everything Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski does, and his new quarantine cooking videos are no exception. From his apartment in New York City, Porowski is putting together dishes like “The Keep Calm-lette”, “Chicken Soup for the Soul(cially) Distanced”, “Farro away from Others Bowl”. Frankly, it’s worth following along for the captions alone.
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Massimo Bottura’s “Kitchen Quarantine”
Live Modena, Italy is superstar chef Massimo Bottura who brings us into his kitchen family with a new Instagram series he’s calling Kitchen Quarantine. “It’s not a master class, it’s quarantine with our family. We just want to show to the world that with a few things—a table, a few ingredients, a family—we can have fun,” Bottura says. He is cleaning out his fridge, making ragú from leftovers, elevating simple dishes like macaroni and cheese, and even whipping up Modena’s signature soup, tortellini in brodo.
Seamus Mullen’s Quarantine Kitchen
Food Hero chef and clean eating guru Seamus Mullen, who is based in Los Angeles, is cooking live on Instagram every evening as he leads conversations on food, health, and wellness. When you need a break from heavier comfort food, this is the spot to find dishes like pasta-free lasagna and celery root puttanesca (talk about mentally transporting yourself to LA). Mullen posts his dish list at the beginning of the week and shares ingredients on the day of each video, so you’ll know exactly what you need to bring to the table.
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Cross Cultures
Cross.Cultures (Global) Manila-based food journalist Cheryl Tiu created Cross.Cultures as a forum to showcase chefs from around the world but right now, she’s focusing on food and easy-to-make meals. Every few days Cross.Cultures features a video recipe straight out of the home kitchens of chefs including Chele Gonzalez (Manila) Josean Alija (Bilbao), and Karina Rivera (Miami). And it’s all about comfort -oatmeal pancakes, breaded chicken empanadas, and Spanish vegetable stew.
Looking for cooking lessons? Amanda Frietag is #EasyAF. Her IGTV channel and YouTube are filled with home cooking videos on recipes and techniques. Each treat is featured in her IG highlights. For a little Michelin munchies, Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud are sharing favorite recipes and giving support to local regional and national suppliers. Chef Chloe Costarelli spices up her IG with Vegan delights. La NewYorkina Fany Gerson, owner of that delectable Mexican sweetshop in New York’s Greenwich Villag, is on IG making mollettes, churros, conchas and dutch pancakes.
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A version of this article originally appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, April 2020, by me!
