How Alissa Isaacson Learned to Cook

Isaacson talks about how cooking became an acquired skill and discusses some of the dishes she’s made during quarantine

My mother @alissa.isaacson has helped make this quarantine period better with her amazing dishes. She told me the story this week about how she learned to cook and what some of her favorite meals to cook are. #LUComm197#cooking #cookingathome#deliciousfood #instafood #yummy

Alissa Isaacson was a child when she learned how to cook, and her mother was her inspiration.

Today a mother, herself, she has made it a point to focus even more on her a cooking skills during the last three months with restaurants closed due to COVID-19.

Some of the meals she has prepared for my father and I during quarantine include fresh salads, meats, vegetables, grains and desserts. Isaacson hopes to continue her cooking momentum as the weather starts to get warmer.

While I had previous experience filming and editing clips on Adobe Premiere, this was the first time that I worked with DaVinci Resolve. At first it was hard to figure out the audio settings and how to edit the different A-roll and B-roll clips that I filmed, but I eventually figured it out and was able to tell a great story.

It all started by interviewing my mother and thinking of some questions to ask her related to cooking. The primary questions were when she first learned how to cook and what her favorite meal to prepare during quarantine has been.

Setup for the Interview with Alissa Isaacson

Since I didn’t have a tripod or a phone holder to steady my interview shot, I needed to get creative. I stacked a ton of books and a golden box on top of each other and then tilted my phone charger to straighten out and steady the angle on her.

I then made sure there was no noise in the background by closing the side and back doors in the room that I filmed her in.

I also needed to ensure that I had the proper lighting by pulling down the blinds and turning the lights on in the room.

The next step to this video story process was shooting my B-roll shots of the dishes that my mother was preparing on Friday and today.

On Friday I recorded her making a couscous salad with feta and chickpeas for lunch and today she prepared a blackberry clafoutis. I recorded a combination of medium and close-up shots of her chopping tomatoes and stirring the salad.

Blackberry Clafoutis prepared by Alissa Isaacson on June 14

I am grateful that I have gotten to watch my mother cook over the last few months and was happy that I got to show the amazing talent she displays.

Her meals have brought at least some positivity during quarantine.