VIRUS SENDS A NATION OF RESTAURANTGOERS BACK TO THE KITCHEN

Last Tuesday night in Tennessee, bluegrass musicians David and Virginia Blood were busy making sandwiches.

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In Pittsburgh, real estate agent Michelle Bushee was stirring a pot of homemade black-bean chili in her kitchen instead of shepherding curious buyers through potential dream homes. Marty Prudenti, whose nights are usually spent working backstage at New York City’s Lincoln Center, was in his Long Island backyard grilling burgers for his twins.

And in Texas, Babette Maxwell — who would otherwise have been running at least one of her three teenage sons to sports practices or school events — was Googling recipes to engineer homemade versions of her boys’ favorite Taco Bell items.

Throughout the U.S., lives have been radically upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is worry and washing of hands. But one bright spot is emerging from self-quarantine and mandatory working from home: In this nation that so often dines out or gobbles processed food on the run, Americans are suddenly cooking a whole lot more.

Before the coronavirus emerged, Kim Bierly often worked late at her office and then met her husband for a quick dinner at one of the restaurants in their central Pennsylvania neighborhood. If they didn’t eat out, they’d reach into the refrigerator and choose something packaged to heat up.

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” Bierly says. “But it was being saved for weekends. And by the time you get to the weekend you had all the other things you need to do. So it would be something quick or something prepared.”