Cooking Live with Lyric: 2020 Recap

So when I first started doing cooking classes in the middle of a national pandemic, I think it felt a bit out of left field. To some people, they had programmed their brains to only think of me as an “ad boss” and never really knew much about me outside of the ad world and brand campaigns. Others who knew my love for food still probably were a bit in doubt of what I had to offer and why anyone would really find value in my cooking classes. To me it was simple. Food is love. And what better time to spread love than during a pandemic when a lot of people were at their lowest?

Regardless of the doubt of others or my own, I decided that I was going to host weekly virtual cooking classes FOR FREE from June- October. If I could prove to myself and to the world that my vision was worthy of being noticed and taken seriously, I would keep it going and would begin to charge people when it made sense. But let’s be clear. It was never about the money. It was really about helping bring joy and a light in people’s lives at a time when all hope felt lost. At first, I had maybe 3 participants a week including my mom and loyal friends. After a short while, I had a few new faces/participants of whom I had never met before. I welcomed them and was so grateful to cook with them, even if it were a small handful of people.

As the weeks passed, my love started to spread like wildfire, resulting in me hosting kids classes, private cooking classes for birthdays, virtual friend parties, and corporate team holiday celebrations. Within a short while, partnerships and opportunities to feature other amazing chefs/home cooks and Black owned businesses on my platform came knocking on my door. I hosted my first international class with over 200 participants from West Africa, to Belize to the Dominican!  Le Creuset gifting me my first dutch oven and wish list items were extra gravy in the midst of all of the blessings! Oh and just today, ABC 7 News featured me ( doing a shimmy while cooking) in their Kwanzaa virtual celebration coverage for a Shrimp & Grits recipe video I did in partnership with the Africa International House.

And today, with 5 days remaining in the  the year of 2020, I can say 5 words- “I am proud of myself”. Not only am I starting to build my following and see the power of my own manifestation, but I feel like I am truly doing what some may call their “life work”. Someone once told me that success is not measured by the things you have, but the impact you make on the lives around you… And I feel like I am walking in that everyday.

Pandemic or no pandemic. Cooking Live with Lyric is here to stay. People leave my classes feeling uplifted, more confident, full of joy and with a plate of food that tastes as good as it looks. What it has done for me is something so special, I won’t ever forget. Whether people can cook or not, my classes offer fellowship and community during a time where we all could use a little sprinkle of love and parsley:)

So cheers to the wins and lessons of 2020! I am excited to see what’s to come in 2021!