Anna Olson felt a tinge of pride last spring when the demand for flour and yeast became so great that grocery stores couldnB次元官网网址檛 stock their shelves fast enough.

The professional pastry chef and Food Network Canada star was thrilled to see people turning to baking and cooking in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, sharpening culinary skills they never felt they needed before.

But pandemic cooking, borne out of necessity, comfort or boredom, soon evolved into a means of connecting with others at a time when social interactions were drying up, Olson says.

Whether it was cooking together as a household, dropping off baked goods on neighboursB次元官网网址� porches, calling relatives for recipes from childhoods, or texting photos of kitchen masterpieces B次元官网网址� and disasters B次元官网网址� to friends, many Canadians have strengthened their connections over the past year through food.

For Olson, it was the regular texts from her stepdaughter, and the B次元官网网址減lay-by-playB次元官网网址� phone calls from her mom describing her latest Instant Pot creations, that helped reinforce bonds between her family.

B次元官网网址淲e were always into food together, but weB次元官网网址檝e got this new relationship, exchanging photos, constant conversation B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 like: B次元官网网址榳hat are you eating? What are you cooking right now?B次元官网网址� Olson said.

B次元官网网址淚 expect the five oB次元官网网址檆lock text from (stepdaughter) Mika to come in: B次元官网网址極K, I just bought this cut of meat. How do I cook it?B次元官网网址� And we walk through it together.B次元官网网址�

Olson, a recipe developer whoB次元官网网址檚 also a judge on Food Network CanadaB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕reat Chocolate Showdown,B次元官网网址� says the early COVID lockdown allowed her to delve deeper into new creations for the first time in years.

She misses the impromptu dinner parties sheB次元官网网址檇 throw at her Niagara, Ont., home after perfecting large quantities of a recipe, but Olson says she adapted by dropping off boxes of her test goodies at neighboursB次元官网网址� doorsteps B次元官网网址� and getting to know them better in the process.

B次元官网网址淲e canB次元官网网址檛 physically dine together, but cooking is still bringing us together,B次元官网网址� Olson said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 very important.B次元官网网址�

John Axford, a former Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher who lives in Burlington, Ont., says pandemic cooking has allowed him to bond with his sons in the kitchen.

The eight- and nine-year-old boys help their dad prepare meals and desserts when they stay with him B次元官网网址� bumbleberry pie is the trioB次元官网网址檚 specialty B次元官网网址� and Axford has been trying to introduce more complex recipes to their palettes.

He doesnB次元官网网址檛 always throw strikes though.

B次元官网网址淒efinitely a couple times I was like, B次元官网网址榳ow, I messed this up bad,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said with a laugh.B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址楤etter get some hot dogs going.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Axford, who spent 10 years in the major leagues, rarely had to cook for himself over that span as MLB teams employ chefs and nutritionists for players, who typically eat two to three meals a day at the ballpark.

While he misses the ease of walking into the clubhouse and grabbing some grub, Axford says he feels a sense of accomplishment from the skills heB次元官网网址檚 honed over the last 12 months.

He gets recipe inspiration from memories of dining with teammates on the road B次元官网网址� the Old Bay-seasoned crab theyB次元官网网址檇 have in Baltimore, or the catfish and cheesy grits in Houston B次元官网网址� but he tweaks them by taking advantage of time-saving tools, including the air fryer.

B次元官网网址淏eing able to make certain foods quicker, I can save those 30 minutes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know what IB次元官网网址檓 saving those 30 minutes for right now, but itB次元官网网址檚 still nice.B次元官网网址�

Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and COVID expert at the University of Ottawa, says gadgets like the air fryer, bread maker and Instant Pot B次元官网网址� which he calls B次元官网网址淕odB次元官网网址檚 gift to lazy menB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� have transformed complex recipes into easier feats.

Being able to find any recipe on the internet is another bonus, Deonandan says, aiding his constant quest for creating new vegan dishes.

B次元官网网址淭en years ago, this wouldB次元官网网址檝e been impossible for me to do well,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that while he always enjoyed cooking, he was never good at it before.

B次元官网网址淣ow my house smells like a restaurant all the time.B次元官网网址�

Deonandan says it makes sense to see people embracing cooking during lockdown.

He says many of us, pre-COVID, were losing the desire or ability to prepare meals for ourselves, either from time constraints or dependence on restaurants.

B次元官网网址淏ut (with the pandemic) we retreated back to our homes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he impulse was to become a little more self-sufficient, a little less reliant on things like meeting friends for dinner.B次元官网网址�

Deonandan, like Olson and Axford, says heB次元官网网址檚 nourished relationships with relatives over the pandemic, habitually calling his mother to walk him through traditional Indo-Guyanese recipes of his youth.

While his attempts never come out quite the same, he says the process of cooking those dishes makes him feel closer to his mother, who lives nearly 500 kilometres away in Toronto.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 this feeling of realness that comes from home-cooked food,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing quite like it.B次元官网网址�

Olson expects people will return to dining out often once the pandemic subsides, but she thinks the last year may have also changed the way many of us view our culinary abilities.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e set a new standard for the way we cook at home,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd we appreciate the work that goes into cooking a meal.B次元官网网址�

Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press

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