Chef Tamie Cook has promoted sustainable seafood for a decade now as the producer of the Serve & Protect cooking demonstration and dinner hosted by the Tennessee Aquarium.
Historically, attendance to Serve & Protect, the aquarium’s largest fundraiser, has been constrained by seating capacity in the Imax 3D Theater. In light of the ongoing health crisis, this year’s on-site audience will be limited to around 40 people, but coronavirus constraints also mean that the event can be opened up to a much broader audience online. Supporters can watch via a live video feed by purchasing a tax-deductible digital ticket for just $40. The event is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 1, as a kickoff to National Seafood Month.
While the online component is a first for Serve & Protect, “tele-cuisine” is nothing new for Cook, who has led a slew of live-streamed culinary demonstrations since the onset of the pandemic. After crafting a menu, she spends an evening remotely cooking with online viewers.
Serve & Protect will follow the same concept, with virtual attendees receiving a shopping list for two of the dishes that will be prepared so they can chop, dice and sauté along with the chef from the comfort of their own kitchen. And if the culinary action onstage moves too fast, the stream will be saved so they can revisit it later and proceed at a more relaxed pace.
“The idea that we can bring people together to do something fun, to forget about COVID-19 for a while and make people laugh and feel connected – I know that’s going to feel amazing,” Cook says.