Every single day, from his home kitchen, Eric Matthews is cooking a dish and taking us along with him. He calls it "Cabin Fever Classics".
I'm reluctant to use the word "positive" when it comes to anything Covid-19 related because it is difficult to see this time as anything but heartbreaking. However, there are some nuggets of happiness that have been a direct result of this challenging time.
All of a sudden Instagram is now flooded with celebrities and professionals sharing snippets of their daily lives and their crafts. Many of these people would typically be caught up with work commitments and now find themselves at home just like the rest of us. For Michelin star chef Eric Matthews it has been an opportunity to share his cooking expertise with people like you and me.
At some point during the day I can hear the sound of Eric Matthew's voice echoing through my house. My husband, who has always had a love for cooking (but who rarely cooks anymore, that's for another day though) is enthralled by the Instagram story of Chapter One head chef Eric Matthews. In fact, we both are. Every single day, from his home kitchen, Eric is cooking a dish and taking us along with him. He calls it "Cabin Fever Classics".
His step by step videos are so incredibly engaging because Eric's personality is just wonderful. Seriously, this guy needs his own TV show. As the head chef of a 1* Michelin restaurant I just expected him to be a little more, I don't know, serious? It is no secret that being a chef is a stressful job. Eric is one of the most pleasant faces on Instagram though. He has a way with words, a brilliant sense of humour and his stories are so warm and easy to follow. We have been laughing out loud at his dramatic "oh hello there" intros each day.
I think that is what sold it for me. During this grim time I find myself in the comfort of my own home with access to an amazingly talented chef who is sharing his tips and tricks with me. There has been an amazing variety of dishes on show (he's saved them all as highlights so you can catch up) from mouth watering burgers to seafood chowder and perfectly cooked steak. His sense of story-telling and upbeat personality has made me feel as though I really could recreate these dishes. It's wonderful.
Eric explains things in such a clear way which makes the whole experience hugely educational. I've picked up brilliant tips through his stories such as cooking the pasta in the actual pasta sauce as part of his delicious Beef Ragu. He also shared with us his key ingredient for an amazing pepper sauce and we can't believe it's lemon.
I love that he shares anecdotes and his own memories of food experiences such as "the best chowder in the world" which he had in The Moorings in Dungarvan. It highlights the evocative nature of food and dining experiences, which connects us all.
We cannot get enough of Eric's Instagram cook-alongs and we will genuinely miss them when life returns to normal and Eric is back cooking up a storm at Chapter One. But for now, we're ditching Netflix in favour of free chef school.