Let Them Cook
For Gen Z, developing culinary skills is more than an act of adulthood.
The Joy of Cooking, one of the most popular cookbooks in American history, entered kitchens in 1931 with a simple premise: Anyone can learn to make a meal. The Depression had disrupted the food supply, leaving a generation of new homemakers doubting their ability to furnish healthy, varied dishes from sparse pantries. The book’s popularity lay in author Irma Rombauer’s approachable, if I can do this, you can too tone, an attitude that would help change how everyday Americans made dinner.
Nearly a century later, another generation of young cooks has faced another global catastrophe, and emerged with their own relationship have hundreds of millions of views. Today, cooking has become a major generational avocation and source of pride.
