OCNews

After compiling recipes into a delectable read, the What We Cooked: A Compilation of Recipes During COVID Times cookbook is available for purchase.

The idea for the book started when a team of College library staff members noticed their online daily conversations constantly reverted to food. With a hunger to support the community in a time of isolation and invite others to connect on a relatable subject, What We Cooked was born.

All proceeds raised from book sales will go towards the Okanagan College Students’ Union and the Vernon Students’ Association, supporting initiatives around food insecurity and on-campus student food banks.

Recipes were submitted by people throughout the College’s four regions, from current staff to alumni, community members and retired faculty. Recipes and section headings include clever titles sure to make any reader laugh, such as “Chicken Soup for the Starving Student’s Self-Isolated Soul” and “Even in lockdown you’ll never feel desserted with these immuni-treats nearby!”

With the help of more than 55 community members, OC staff from the Library Services team pieced together the COVID themed cookbook throughout the fall semester. From light bites to an entire section dedicated to vegetarian eats, the book weighs in at over 100 recipes. There are both treasured classics and newly crafted eats refined over the course of the pandemic as well as a collection of recipes contributed by the College’s Culinary Arts department.

“This cookbook celebrates our community of support and is meant to acknowledge time spent in the kitchen, whether that was in the early days of March as we adjusted or now as we head into the winter, seeking comforting and nourishing meals,” says Roen Janyk, Web Services Librarian and Chair of the Library Department at Okanagan College. “We hope it will be a reminder that our community is in this together, even if we can’t be in-person.”

Available as a softcover, the book can be purchased for $20 here through Mosaic Books in Kelowna for in-store pickup or delivery subject to shipping fees.