A Recipe for Success: Remote Cooking Sessions

Coffee Cup with Chocolate Chip Cookie

Prior to COVID-19, Casey participated in Lifeworks Day Services. She enjoyed band practice, art classes, and archery. Along with an active social life, Casey has worked at McDonald’s for the past two and a half years, preparing salads, making parfaits, and ensuring that the food and serving items are ready to go.

For her, work is not just a job. Casey loves to cook. Nowadays, she can often be found researching recipes for her one-to-one, remote cooking sessions with Lifeworks Service Facilitator, Karen Finke. After Day Services in facilities were suspended due to the pandemic, Lifeworks transitioned to providing virtual support so that the people we serve could remain connected and continue building their skills – and the feedback has been great.

I like learning new recipes.” – Casey

Casey and Karen have a standing weekly, cooking session. Together, through FaceTime, they’ve made grilled cheese, pancake in a mug, pudding, and more – with the goal of advancing Casey’s skills in the kitchen. They cook together, meaning they follow the recipe step-by-step, measuring ingredients, preheating the oven, and ending with a taste test, all in the comfort of their own homes. They balance healthy dishes with baked goods, sharing the fruits of their labor with families.

Casey’s favorite recipe so far has been chocolate chip cookies. During the 12-minutes it took for each tray of cookies to bake in the oven, Casey and Karen reviewed future recipes and had fun testing one another’s trivia knowledge. Nancy, Casey’s mother, is grateful to Lifeworks for figuring out a way to continue providing services, “I really appreciate having a schedule again and a connection for Casey to work on skill building.”

Lifeworks has a history of reinventing what’s possible – even as we respond to COVID-19. From transitioning our Community Skill Building and Day Services to virtual, individual support, Lifeworks has pivoted quickly to deliver high-quality, essential services.

Learn more about current Lifeworks service offerings. Visit: lifeworks.org/coronavirus-information