We’re Glad to Keep You Company
Every Monday night, Bon Appétit editor in chief Adam Rapoport gives us a peek inside his brain by taking over our newsletter. He shares recipes he's been cooking, restaurants he's been eating at, and more. It gets better: If you sign up for our newsletter, you'll get this letter before everyone else.
When this whole thing started, I assumed that most people would turn to BA for the same reasons they always have—recipes and cooking advice.
And over the past two weeks, man, we’ve produced no shortage of that content. We’ve served up all sorts of handy slide shows, like 89 Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Fewer—Seriously (special shout out to Andy Baraghani’s Charred Leeks with Vinegar and Honey for taking advantage of an allium with a long shelf life that’s in abundance this time of year). Another favorite of mine is 86 Comfort Foods for Cold Nights, Broken Hearts, and Wednesdays (props to whoever wrote that headline).
But as Week 1 of quarantine crept into Week 2, it became pretty clear that our readers, users, listeners, and viewers wanted more from us than just to what to cook. They wanted company.
And who can blame them? Isn’t that the reason why so many of us started cooking in the first place? Not because of sustenance, but as a way to bring together our friends, our partners, and our families.
So when we posted a video on Friday of our test kitchen editors in their home kitchens (complete with dogs, cats, and kids filtering in and out), the response was overwhelming. Brad and Claire and Andy and Sohla and Carla and the gang let our 5.5 million YouTube subscribers know that the BA Test Kitchen videos would keep on keeping on—except from home, with remote equipment.
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And our followers let us know how they felt, blitzing Twitter, Reddit, and our YouTube comments board.
“I literally cried, this made me feel so good and comfortable.”
“I just got a little verklempt watching the new @bonappetit video of the crew in their homes. So that's where my emotional stability is charting today. How's everyone else?”
“This was free therapy for me. Haven’t felt this social in weeks.”
“I’m crying a little bit lol. I didn’t realise how attached I was to the BA staff. I’ve been watching for years, and hearing them talk about missing each other was so sweet.”
And it’s not a one-way street. We’re just as hungry to connect with everyone out there. It’s why you’ll spot Sohla on her Instagram stories giving DIY cooking lessons. It’s why Carla will be on @bonappetit’s Test Kitchen Tuesday Instagram series tomorrow at 2pm, checking in with Claire, Chaey, and Delany. And it’s why you can catch the entire test kitchen crew on YouTube tomorrow when it launches its second all-remote group video, wherein each editor demonstrates how to make his or her perfect cup of coffee.
The fact that we’re able to keep doing what we do—albeit from different locations with slightly different equipment—isn’t a burden, it’s a privilege.
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
