I started the YouTube channel, Studio Cooking, in April of 2020, in an effort to motivate myself and explore my passion for cooking, which had been dormant for quite some time. Without any specific direction, I filmed my first video, Masoor Dal - a delicious indian lentil recipe that is easy to make, yet so indulgently satisfying. After posting the video, I had no idea what my next video would be. After a spending a morning reading one sad news article after another, I thought back to my dal recipe, and came to realize just how much comfort both cooking the dish, and eating it, had given me! It was here that the idea for the food ark hatched.
Masoor Dal Recipe: The first dish featured on the Food Ark
So, what is the Food Ark? The Food Ark will be a long term project on my channel, in which I will choose to prepare one single dish from every country in the world; 195 is the official count if you were wondering. The dish will not be chosen at random though; the dish will in some way epitomize a comfort food for that nation. In some cases I will have tried that dish in it’s country of origin, and in some cases I will have to do some research. While in the beginning, most of the research will be done by me, I truly hope that at some point a community of people from all over the world can get together to point me in the right direction and make suggestions.
It’s important to note that these recipes will not be 100% traditional. I will honor the dish as best as I can, while still keeping true to my own style and taste. The aim will be to make dishes that are not exceedingly complicated, while still shining a spotlight on local ingredients that make the dish truly special. My goal is to also incorporate my love for photography and music into the videos as well, trying my best to find regional music that sets a tone for the preparation of a certain food, and capturing the process in as much detail and with as much panache as possible!
This is obviously a large undertaking, but I am extremely excited thinking about where it may end up. I truly hope that this project can shine a light on amazing food from all over the world, and bring some comfort to those who watch (and eat!), during these crazy times.