A Chef In My Kitchen

A Chef in My Kitchen BEHIND THE SCENES AT LETSVIDYA

As we head into the last quarter of 2020, COVID-19 is still impacting the “restaurant experience” across Virginia. Many restaurants are limited in seating options, and Take-Out remains a popular option for foodies.

But, as the months of 2020 go by, foodies are turning to also cook at home. Even those that consider themselves novice cooks are spending time in their own kitchen. Most agree that a guest chef in their kitchen would be helpful, if not entertaining. I agree, and that is when LetsVidya caught my eye. “Learn to Roll Sushi”…in your own kitchen. Yes, please!

Many of us are using video chat for business meetings and even now homeschooling. How about bringing a chef into your kitchen with video chat? Curious, I signed up for the “Learn to Roll Sushi” class. I will admit, I write about local food, but I am rather a novice in the kitchen. Would this class be beyond my ability, or would I actually learn how to roll sushi?

Signing up for a LetsVidya class is an easy online process. Once I registered and paid for the course, I received an easy-to-understand supply list and login directions for the class night. I gathered my supplies, ordering some from Amazon, and waited for class night.

I joined the class as the only resident “chef” in my kitchen. Still, many of the other participants had a support team of family and friends. And that is what makes LetsVidya a fun experience. Not only do you get the expert instruction from a knowledgeable chef, but you also get to share the class with others in your own kitchen. This is not a pre-recorded class, but live instruction with a chef that interacts with each participant.

Get your kitchen organized because the LetsVidya chef is stepping into your kitchen (via video chat) to offer assistance every step of the way. Six groups joined the class, and we all learned how to prep supplies and then roll sushi. It was an informative and enjoyable two hours, for only $30 plus supplies. Plus, we all enjoyed lots of sushi after class.

I enjoyed the class and decided to find out about the new Virginia company LetsVidya. I reached out to the entrepreneurs that founded the company to ask a few questions.

Kim: LetsVidya is beyond chef-inspired cooking classes. You offer a wide variety of online experiences. One class that would be of interest to DW&S readers is home beer-making. But, it is not just food and beverage. LetsVidya offers a wide variety of experiences. Tell us about the type of events available.

LV: It is our desire that people could have an incredible social experience with friends and loved ones without have to physically be in the same location, so if there is an event that accomplishes that, we want it in on our calendar. Currently we are offering two themed murder mysteries (1920s and 1980s), a themed movie character themed escape room, a weekly pub trivia game, beginner Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, cooking classes, craft mixology classes and an all-inclusive homebrewing class. In the near future we are hoping to add paint nights, family game nights, interactive watch parties for sporting events, a game show, along with wine, beer, and spirit tastings.

Kim: DW&S Fans are food and beverage lovers. Tell us about some of the food and beverage classes and experiences on your future calendar.

LV: There are so many great things coming up for food and beverage lovers. For starters, there will be a new homebrewing class each month that focuses on a different style of beer (or wine in January). For those that would like to learn to make new dishes in their kitchen they can learn to make homemade biscuits and gravy on October 10th, risotto on October 22nd, Thanksgiving Basics on November 7th, and Pizza and dessert Pizza from scratch on November 13th. For those that are like me and enjoy

trying new cocktails we have a Fall Cocktail Mixology class on October 13th, Boozy and Bourbon on October 15th, Halloween Cocktails on October 29th, Tequila Thursday on November 19th, a special ThanksgivingEve event on November 25th, and a Coffee Cocktails collaboration with Quartet Coffee on December 5th that comes with 2 lb of craft roasted specialty coffee. Keep in mind while this is the current calendar, we are always adding new hosts and events, so I promise there will be more (including a vegan cooking class) on the calendar in the near future.

Kim: Communicating and staying in touch with friends and family has become essential in 2020. Video and online chats have become the cornerstone of entertainment this year. Tell us about your decision to launch LetsVidya. Did you plan the company before COVID and then pivot, or did the pandemic form your business plan?

LV: I (James) am an extreme extrovert but had been operating in a reality where my best friend lived in Germany and my family lived around the world. For years I had been wrestling with how to have social experiences with my friends and family when we could not physically be in the same place. Pretty early into COVID-19 I realized that everyone around me was asking the same question, “How can I hang out with people when we can’t be in the same place?” After realizing there was a problem to be solved it did not take me long to start formulating possible solutions and pitching them to the rest of the team. Within a few weeks LetsVidya was birthed and we were hosting our first test cooking class.

Kim: I think that inviting friends, family, or even coworkers to join a LetsVidya event is a great morale booster and team builder. Can you share some fun stories from your events this year?

LV: One of the joys in doing what I do is hearing about what our events mean to people. For example, we helped a customer throw a surprise craft mixology birthday party for her husband with a guest list made up of friends and family from around the country. We have also heard of couples using the cooking classes not only as date nights, but double dates. They will cook the food with the large group and then break off into their own zoom call so they can eat together. Even last week we ran the escape room for a non-profit whose team is split between the US and South Africa, for 2 hours this team got to work together and laugh together like they were in the same room.

It is the time of the year that we look for holiday gifts, party ideas, and even team-building events. If you like to cook or have a foodie on your holiday gift list, consider a chef-led cooking class with LetsViday. If you are a business team leader, a LetsVidya event is a fun-filled team building idea. n