More About
Shelby Kinnaird
After running the successful Diabetic Foodie website for more than 10 years, author and founder Shelby Kinnaird realized blogging wasn’t interactive enough for her. While she loves to cook and write, Shelby also discovered a passion for teaching after becoming an instructor at her local Lifelong Learning Institute. She decided to offer more hands-on, in-person cooking experiences that involve fun conversation too. Not cooking classes per se, but cooking experiences.
The Birth of Cook & Chat
Planning for Put on Your Apron began in early 2020. Shelby’s books The Pocket Carbohydrate Counter for Diabetes and The Diabetes Cookbook for Electric Pressure Cookers had been published and members of her DiabetesSisters group were interested in learning about how to use the intimidating pressure cookers they had received as gifts. Shelby found a local cooking school for kids willing to give her space and scheduled a trial class in late March 2020. Due to COVID-19 measures put in place in mid-March, the class was postponed indefinitely.
Stay-at-home orders were issued and people craved social connection. They missed seeing their families and friends. Shelby realized that while people couldn’t eat together, they could still cook together. Enter Zoom.
In April 2020, Shelby started hosting monthly Zoom calls where people all across the U.S. cook the same recipes in their own kitchens at the same time and make new friends in the process. “Cook & Chat” was born. Some participants live with diabetes themselves, some cook for people who live with diabetes, and other have no connection to diabetes at all. Everyone enjoys the camaraderie and the food!
The Future
Shelby’s ultimate dream is to host in-person cooking experiences in fun foodie destinations. Imagine going somewhere like the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX) for a long weekend. On Friday night, you attend a cocktail party with a local chef. On Saturday morning, you have a food shopping experience unique to the area. For example, at OBX you might visit the docks and learn about different types of local fish and seafood. After shopping, you head to a kitchen to cook. You and a partner team up to prepare one or two recipes. After everyone finishes cooking, the dishes come together into a complete meal and you all sit down to enjoy the food. Finally, on Sunday, the chef you met Friday night hosts a brunch at their restaurant. Then you head home with a full belly, delicious recipes, and a bunch of new friends. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
It will happen. Once we get COVID-19 behind us, it will happen.
In the meantime, we’ll keep cooking and chatting over Zoom. Please Put on Your Apron and join us!
