The biscuits at Big Bottom Market have always been a good reason to make the trip to Guerneville. (Oprah Winfrey is a big fan.) As many are now staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Big Bottom Market owner and cookbook author Michael Volpatt is taking to social media to share a taste of his restaurant with folks near and far.
Using Facebook Live, Volpatt is inviting viewers to join him in his kitchen for a virtual cooking class every day at 3 p.m. On Saturday afternoon, he prepared a marinara sauce his mom made for him as a kid. He called it “Sharonara” in her honor.
Posted by Michael Volpatt on Saturday, March 14, 2020
“I thought no one was going to watch it,” said Volpatt, but, as he was cooking, he realized to his surprise that people were tuning in, including friends he had not seen in a long time. “I’m going to keep doing this because I’m having fun,” he said. “I want to create a distraction and a happy place for people.”
On Sunday, Volpatt made pickling radishes look easy, and at 3 p.m. today, he will be making Farro salad with turkey. Along with posting the recipes online, he’s taking the opportunity to highlight some of his favorite local products, such as Olive Queen olive oil from Forestville.
So far, he’s just been leaning his phone against whatever object he can easily grab in his kitchen, but a mini tripod is on order.
“The point of this is to give people an escape. Hopefully they can utilize it while we figure out what’s happening with our lives,” said Volpatt.
Big Bottom Market restaurant and speciality food store is closing this afternoon. The restaurant had lots of arugula and spinach on hand so they made pesto this morning and gave it to customers. One community member that came by to stock up on supplies requested Volpatt cover how to make homemade pasta in his online kitchen, so look for that cooking lesson in the coming days.
It’s worth noting that, even though Big Bottom Market will be closing, you can still order their products online. In addition to the cooking lessons on Facebook, you can get updates on Instagram @ big_bottom_market and @fabtasticsweetie.
