The Best Fun is Real …. Life Unmuted!

The mute button stays off more than on. 

Parents’ laugh when they see their children from across the country together again and making memories.

The “tada” moment is when we share our final dishes on screen with family and friends.

 As a mom of boys, who live in different cities, the most fun I’ve had lately is when I opened up my computer screen to see their adorable faces as we shared an online family birthday party cooking class. I have 7 siblings and we each invited our children, totaling 22 promising chefs. The fun part (and I promise there is a huge one) is several family members and friends getting together in one virtual kitchen to help prepare this meal and the laughs keep coming.

I wanted the menu to be easy and delicious. Crispy Meatballs in Tomato Broth, Green Salad with Lemon Pecorino Vinaigrette and Cacio e Pepe Stove Top Croutons. Watching my siblings cooking with their children was such a phenomenal experience. The cousins, however, had another take on these family online cooking classes. The witty performers in the group ragged on one another, the anxious ones didn’t like the chaos of the mute button not being on and the one’s actually cooking were busy making sure their dish was going to be finished in time for the “tada” at the end of the class. Each of their personalities shined and we soon forgot that we were not actually physically together.  The magic of bringing families together is quickly becoming my favorite way to teach.

First of all, everyone is in their “soft clothes”, sipping their favorite beverage. The menu is no longer the star of the show, it is the reunion, the connection. Moms are beaming when their child logs on. The kids are in their own space and it can be clean or dirty, it doesn’t matter. The siblings and/ or cousins are tickled to see each other and it creates an opportunity for them to all log in and spend some time together without actually traveling across the country.

 The families, however, need a facilitator and that’s my job. We begin by greeting and laughing with everyone. We review the menu and the steps. We mute the microphone only to facilitate the process, but anyone can unmute with questions or comments. As the menu progresses, I check in and out, but for the most part, they get to speak to each other and engage with each other as they cook along.

 In the end, we all share our “tada” moment and take a bow for our fabulous culinary creations.

And finally, the greatest advantage about these online cooking classes....?, if you don’t like Aunt Gladys… you don’t have to talk to her.  BAM!