Kathy (Mikuszewski) Maister ’75 knew she wanted to be a Home Economics
teacher since she was a freshman in high school. “I had an exceptional
teacher. She pushed us to be creative and taught us that the kitchen
wasn’t a place where you had to follow all the rules.”
Kathy thrived in the the Home Economics Department at UMass Amherst.
“ e university is so big but the Home Economics Department was like
a sub-college, it was very nurturing.” After graduating, Kathy went
on to teach home economics in the eastern part of the state until budget
cuts eliminated it from the curriculum.
Unwilling to give up her dream of teaching, and with her husband’s
support, she began researching producing high quality cooking videos
that could be downloaded onto mp3 players or mobile phones. e short
videos would include basic instructions on how to cook simple meals,
with additional help available on her Web site.
Initially she hired professional chefs to help. “They did a fabulous
job cooking and making the food look fantastic, but what I needed was
someone with the technical expertise. Someone who could get it to look
great on the small screen.”
Teaming up with a group of young Canadians, “techies by day, musicians
by night,” as she describes them, was the turning point. After watching
the first video they produced together, she said, “If it never gets
better than today, I can still die happy.”
Feedback has been positive. The site has been endorsed by the American
Printing House for the Blind and her videos appeal to people to cook
for themselves, some for the first time.
One user wrote, “I’m nearly 67 and just now showing an interest in
cooking. I’m a caregiver who spends a lot of time in doctor’s office
waiting rooms and your podcasts are so
simple and entertaining to watch while I sit and wait. Please, keep
those podcasts coming as fast as you can.” Another said, “Your Web
site has been a blessing to me. I’m a recent widower and forgot how
to do some of the simplest, basic cooking. Your site has improved my
cooking and I can now make a larger variety of foods. Thank you.”
The younger generation is also benefiting from Kathy’s simple style.
She relates a conversation with a recent college graduate, someone
who learned to speak three languages while in school but apparently
didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. “This young woman told me how
happy she was with my videos and couldn’t wait for me to do a tuna
salad show. She said she could never make a tuna salad sandwich that
was as tasty as the one she got from her local deli.” Kathy asked her
to describe the method she was using to whip up her own tuna fish
at home. The young woman began, “Well, I’m always sure to pick out
the freshest piece of tuna from the fi sh market.” Kathy stopped her
right there, “Excuse me, did you know that tuna comes in cans?”
Her site is logging about 40,000 hits a month with visitors from the
U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Singapore in that order. A new series called
“30-Second Tips and Techniques,” like How to Boil an Egg, will be launched
in June and she’s currently in negotiations with potential sponsors.
For more information visit startcooking.com |
