Chris Tucker(LOS ANGELES) — It seems like just about everybody has been baking while under COVID-19 lockdown, at least according to countless social media posts of freshly-made sourdough and banana bread.
A recent study found that online searches for banana bread recipes topped 2.7 million in April — a nearly 590% increase from April of 2019.
So what’s up with that?
“I think everybody was just looking for something to do with all of their nervous energy,” Chris Tucker, the owner of Betta with Butta and a veteran of The Great American Baking Show, tells ABC Audio. “Everyone’s cooped up inside. People that are used to being artistic out of the house, they found themselves trapped inside the house. And so now they’re like, ‘Well, what can I do artistically from home?'”
To help, Tucker’s Betta with Butta started selling pre-packaged baking kits that can be shipped to your door. He says, “We just knew that we had to start something that was going to allow people to do their celebrations at home, allow people to get those indulgences at home.”
A portion of the proceeds from the kits benefit the COVID Relief Fund.
Tucker adds, “We just want people to get in the kitchen. We wanted people to experiment…to just satisfy those cravings, that we’re going to make them smile from their stomachs and just have some type of relief from everything that’s going on in the world.”
Tucker thinks the at-home cooking trend will continue post-pandemic. “It’s probably showing a lot of people that they, too, can be a baker,” he says. “They, too, can be a chef. And I think it’s going to really inspire people to start doing more at home even when our food industry does get back up and running.”
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