Welcome to the first post of Eug Appetite – a series which will focus on the interconnectedness of the culinary and performing arts. Or, as many may guess, a space for us to talk about FOOD! It’s no secret that there are deep connections between food and performance that go much further than just “dinner and a show”. The Hult Center has even featured a number of culinary legends for talks and tours in the past, and even just announced the return of Alton Brown in the fall of 2021.
We hope this series will allow us a chance to have a more local focus on the food culture that thrives in our community and since we’ve all been in the kitchen more this past year than ever before we decided our first foray into food culture couldn’t start anywhere else than a round-up of some of our favorite cooking videos and tutorials that we discovered during the pandemic!
While we could LITERALLY spend days talking about each chef (or even just bread…) and the bountiful recipes we love, we managed to feature just one chef or series per panelist and asked them to tell us what was so special about it.
Keep an eye out for more Eug Appetite content on the blog and please join us in the comments on our social pages to share your own favorite cooking tips you’ve learned!
Vicki Infinito – Director of Programming
Half Baked Harvest
I don’t have a specific video, but I LOVE @halfbakedharvest (aka Tieghan Gerard) on Instagram – I followed her before this whole pandemic thing, but bought a cookbook and started actually making her recipes (not just looking at them) during it.
Ben Schorzman – Content Coordinator
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
You may have heard of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt but if you haven’t, you’re welcome. The man is an author, chef, restaurateur and all-around know-it-all in the kitchen. He approaches his cooking like a scientist, and in fact many of his recipes and essays about cooking can be found on in-depth sites like Serious Eats or the New York Times. These POV videos are always informative, cathartic and genuinely enjoyable. He’s a pro cook giving you a glimpse into his method in his own kitchen, and I guarantee you’ll almost always pick up a bit of info or a hack. This recipe for Spanish tortilla has been my go-to breakfast in quarantine. It’s three ingredients: potato, egg, olive oil and it comes together in less than 30 minutes. Tip: make a quick aioli of mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper to dip this in. And it is absolutely better at room temp or cold out of the fridge.
Abbey Aronica – Marketing Coordinator
Great Depression Cooking
Contrary to the title of her YouTube channel, these videos provided me with so much joy through quarantine. All of these videos star 98 year old cook and great grandmother, Clara, who recalls parts of her childhood during the Great Depression and prepares meals from that time in history. All of the videos on her channel were filmed by her grandson, Chris. It’s just so wholesome and sweet, and you can’t help but fall in love with this woman as she cooks some simple & delicious recipes. She just seems like a wonderful lady that is so full of stories, and it’s amazing that her videos give us glimpses into her past. Clara passed away in 2013, but her videos and recipes will be able to entertain folks for years to come!
Rich Hobby – Marketing Director
Nat’s What I Reckon
WARNING: This video and all videos with Nat will likely include a jaw-dropping amount of swearing and hi-jinx. Now that I have your attention, welcome to the world of Nat, a heavily-tatted rapscallion from down under who took the interwebs by storm this past year with his series of hilarious home-cooking videos dedicated to eradicating the global monstrosity of “JAR SAUCE”. His videos are not only guffaw-inducing with cheeky banter and self-deprecation, but are actually chock-full of incredible tips on how to make some fantastic meals. This tutorial for Spaghetti Carbonara has become a favorite in my own home and also encouraged me to start exploring more pasta dishes (from scratch) that I always was intimidated by. Join in and find out what jar sauces you can start leaving on the shelf.