Online World Cooking Series

One of the goals of our strategic plan was to expand our collaboration with immigrant communities. The library system had some existing relationships with organizations serving refugees and with Spanish-speaking community members. We hoped this program would help deepen those relations and develop new ones.

Our library system plans programs in quarterly batches. If I were planning these one at a time, I would recommend at least two months' lead time.

To find chefs, I contacted staff at the refugee serving organization and asked for leads on folks who would be willing to demonstrate a dish online. In this case, we needed someone confident enough in their English skills to explain the cooking process as they executed it. We also needed someone comfortable enough with Zoom to successfully showcase the process as they cooked. My first presenters ended up being immigrant staff members at these organizations. I also contacted a local non-profit, Feast World Kitchen, a restaurant serving a different cuisine every day. Immigrants sign up to cook for a night and take home the night's proceeds without having to invest in a brick-and-mortar business. I asked the coordinator at this restaurant to circulate my call for presenters among the chefs. A couple of them reached out to me. Some chefs also recommended other chef friends to me. Some chefs were existing library customers. I have recruited at least one chef after a conversation at the circulation desk.

Prior to the program, I called the chef to explain the program and answer the field questions. I followed up with an email that they can refer to. Some chefs request a practice Zoom session or recordings of past events to help them plan.

By far the most challenging aspect of preparation is getting a written copy of the recipe in advance from the chef. Most chefs cook by heart, and some are not familiar with American recipe formats. It is typical for me to spend an entire month emailing/calling back and forth with clarifying questions and revisions.

I email registrants a reminder at least one week before the program. The body of the email includes a list of ingredients. When specialty ingredients are called for, I provide the presenter's suggestion of where in town to purchase them.

In the email, I make it clear that participants need to have the ingredients purchased and prepped (chopped, peeled, etc.) prior to the start of the program to cook along with the chef. The most common feedback we get is that customers missed this detail and struggled to keep up during the demonstration. It is important to make it as upfront as possible.

I also include the Zoom link in the email. I have included the full recipe as an attachment.

The day before the program, I send out the Zoom link a second time, with a second reminder about prepping ingredients. If the recipe involves marinating meat, I make the subject of the email "Don't forget to marinate your chicken for tomorrow's World Cooking Program" and include instructions in the email.