There’s a lot of things to miss right now – friends, family, travelling outside my LGA, travelling outside my state… travelling anywhere. 

But what I’m really missing at the moment is food. And not just food itself (I’m definitely not starving), but rather the experience of food. The comfort, spontaneity and excitement of having food cooked for you! 

Meeting Michaela Johannson reminded me that having special foodie experiences are still possible, even during lockdown.

Michaela is one of Bonnie’s new best friends, and founder of Aplenty, a small catering business. Her passion for good produce, good vibes and caring for other people gave her the idea to create DIY pasta making kits to show Sydney that you can still have those special food moments, just at home! Oh and you have to do some of the cooking yourself…

With every pasta kit sold she donated $5 to Bonnie’s and some of her pasta kits for the women we work with, who also got their own private zoom cooking class!

I asked her a few questions about her passion for food, and her love of feeding others.

Why Bonnie’s?

With Lockdown Bonnie’s seemed like exactly the right organisation to donate to. I know that the more intense COVID-19 and lockdown gets, the more intense it becomes at home. I can’t even imagine being in that position, so I wanted to do something. Most people buying these kits are generally pretty safe in their homes and can afford beautiful meals, so I thought they’d like the opportunity to give back too. A different and nice way to frame this kind of donation. 

Why DIY pasta?

Everybody likes pasta! And rolling pasta can be such a meditative and fun practice. I can see how relaxed and happy people get when they’re rolling out the dough, getting better and better with every piece. It is also just a great practical distraction from all the crazy stuff in the world right now.

You did a one-on-one class with some of the women we work with, how’d it go?

There were a lot of thumbs up! One woman was doing it with her daughter, and I could see how much fun she was having. 

Is food your way of caring?

Yes, cooking is definitely my love language. I realised recently that that’s how I show love and support for people, by cooking for them. It’s not just about me giving, it’s about sharing and giving people something to enjoy.

Before Bonnie’s had you ever heard, or been to a women’s refuge before? 

Yes. I have a few friends who are social workers, one in particular is a caseworker turned art therapist who told me a lot about her work.  She hosts art classes, and she would always tell me about the impact these classes had. It made me think about maybe doing something like food therapy. So I thought during lockdown the past kits could be a nice way of testing it. 

These pasta kits come with premade dough, sauce, a candle and a beautiful bottle of wine to make you feel like you’re somewhere in Sicily. They also come with a zoom link, for her cooking class, where everyone across Sydney can come together and cook. These kits are designed to add a bit of a Mediterranean flare in people’s homes, while simultaneously distracting us from the stress of the world.

If you’d like to get in contact with her, find her on instagram: @Aplentyfood or on her website https://www.aplenty.com.au/ 

Interview by Lisa Bel