Take-home cooking kits help El Paso businesses survive and families bond during pandemic
EL PASO, Texas-- During this pandemic many people have begun cooking from home, but what if you could cook one of your favorite plates from your favorite local restaurant at home?
Two local businesses are making that happen.
"With this whole COVID-19 thing it's been a mess, a crazy real world experience," said Melissa Maese Goldberg, owner of the Pizza Joint in west El Paso.
Goldberg is also a mom to a young boy so trying to keep him busy was a challenge that inspired an idea.
"The idea for the pizza kits just kinda came to me while I was sitting on the couch one day. I have a young baby boy at home and you just kinda have to figure out what you're gonna do with all of the free time and what kind of activities you're gonna do. So I just got with my crew and created these kits," said Goldberg.
Goldberg and her team decided to create Take-n-Bake do it yourself pizza kits for customers to help keep their families entertained during this pandemic. Customers are encouraged to order The Take-n-Bake kits online and they are designed to be easy enough for families to cook together.
"There's three dough balls, so it's enough to cover two to three pizzas. You get your sauce, your toppings and you get instructions on how to cook the pizza at home," said Goldberg.
The response from customers has been a positive one, especially from parents who enjoy spending some quality time with their children.
"You'll get to see their wheels turning. It's an activity that really brings out creativity," said Goldberg.
Once dinner is complete, it's time for dessert and that's where Bella Cora Bakery comes in.
"We had a customer make a suggestion about some take home cookie kits as well as an employee so we did that and just sort of organically moved through thinking what else would be fun for people to do," said Jonathan Bowden, Owner of Bella Cora Bakery.
Since the pandemic, Bowden has been providing Bella Cora customers with take home cooking kits and live Facebook cooking classes.
"We announce about a week in advance the class we will be doing. So we'll announce on Friday how we're gonna do a live class the following week," said Bowden.
Take home cooking kits vary from desert dishes like Tiramisu to dinner dishes like Chicken pot pies.
Customers are asked to place their orders for the take home cooking kits online. Cooking kits come with all the ingredients that customers will need to make their meals. Each ingredient is already measured and packed into individually labeled packs.
Pick up times are usually set for the Thursday before the live Facebook cooking classes are set to take place. Facebook lives happen on Bella Cora Bakery-West's Facebook page Friday's at 4 p.m.
In the Facebook lives, Bowden walks customers through the cooking process while answering any questions they may have. It's a way for him to interact with his customers on a different level while still providing them the opportunity to enjoy their favorite Bella Cora dish.
Bowden is glad that he is able to provide an opportunity for families to bond over cooking.
"So it's providing something different and interesting for parents to be able to do with their kids, especially if maybe the parent doesn't know how to do this and then they're being able to learn together," said Bowden.
And after a busy Mother's Day weekend for Bella Cora Bakery, the team of bakers are taking a much needed week off but will be back to baking live next week.
