Rebecca Arnold: Whole Heart Provisions, Cambridge and Allston
Profile FIVE in this series: Boston Chefs and the Covid-19 Pandemic
It seems like yesterday when I walked across the street, cutting through harsh, chilly winds as I made my way to Whole Heart Provisions. I carried a recorder, camera and my peppermint Altoids, ready to interview Rebecca Arnold for Edible Boston’s Summer 2019 issue.
I remember Rebecca speaking passionately about her work, her family, her community. Even before her life was suddenly flipped on its head, Rebecca had set a new course for herself without even knowing it.
What are your thoughts right now in the peak moment of the pandemic crisis?
During these peak moments of crisis, I am most concerned about the safety of family, friends and loved ones. It pains me to see people not practicing—and blatantly ignoring—social distancing guidelines.
When the guidelines were released in mid-March, what were your immediate thoughts?
We took the pandemic very seriously at Whole Heart and took steps to close down the company before guidelines were released, shutting our doors, for now, on March 15th.
What steps did you take to prepare for the lockdown—both professionally and personally?
Personally, I was actually in Florida taking care of my dad who had open heart surgery on March 6th. I was very worried, as my family was in and out of the hospital at this time. Now, looking back on it I am extremely grateful that he was able to get the exceptional care that he did, and was out of the hospital by March 13th. I was obviously very tied up at this time with my family so Whole Heart was under the highly capable hands of our operations manager as well as our VP of Innovation. James (my business partner) and I trusted them to make the right decisions for the safety of our staff and our guests as well.
Are you using this time to experiment with other dishes or are you not working with food at all?
I’m not creating dishes in particular. I’m just enjoying cooking at home with my boyfriend, Alex Saenz the chef at Bisq and co-owner of Bisq Meats and Sandwiches and Taqueria el Barrio.
(portraits by Michael Piazza)
Everybody’s talking about Netflix, HBO and other TV streaming; do you have any recommendations you want to share? Have you found the time to read and if so what are you reading now?
I am reading a ton now! I just finished reading “Upstairs at the White House, My Life with The First Ladies,” written by J.B. West. West was the chief usher at the White House from Roosevelt years through Nixon years and I found his account fascinating. I followed this up with Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” which tied in nicely with the previous book.
What are the staples in your kitchen that you can’t do without?
Our staples in no particular order are almond milk, potatoes, leafy greens, salad greens, coffee, butter, lemons, garlic, onions, flour, frozen peas, chicken stock, lentils, eggs, rice, carrots, celery, Campari, scallions, fresh herbs. I think like everyone else, we’ve begun baking bread. We are ordering from Baldor, who now has pivoted their business to include home delivery. We are regrowing our scallions, and just visited Ricky’s Flower Market in Somerville where we stocked up on herbs to plant indoors.
What is your go-to menu now that you are cooking at home?
We eat lots of soup at home. We have recently made schnitzel with kale, rice and fresh lemon. Around Passover, I made homemade matzo, matzo ball soup with some frozen dill (FYI, dill freezes really well!) and an improvised charoset with what was around the house (one apple, currants, sliced almonds, cardamom, wine, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple cider vinegar and honey). I’ve been making matzo brei, one of my favorite breakfasts; I eat it all year round, not just at Passover. It came out so delicious with the homemade matzo! We also make a lot of red lentil dahl with carrots, turmeric, coriander and cumin served over rice. Homemade potato pierogis, which are now in my freezer for a quick snack, were both a fun and tasty way to pass a day. We’ve been using the sourdough discard frequently, frying it with chickpea flour and scallions for a take on a scallion pancake meets chickpea socca. So delicious with a soy, ginger and black vinegar dipping sauce!
What kind of safety precautions are you taking?
My aunt made us masks, and I sewed in a pocket to add a filter. I bought allergy vacuum bags and cut them to fit the pocket I made. My boyfriend and I go for walks on nice days, trying to avoid overly crowded paths. We sanitize every half hour or so when outside, and when we come home shoes come off at the door, and we immediately wash hands, change clothes and maybe shower, too, depending on where we were.
How are you coping with stress?
I take each day one day at a time. I read a few articles from The New York Times and/or the [Boston] Globe to stay current with what’s going on, however, I’m not watching the news on TV as I found it extremely stressful when I was at my parents in Florida and the news was running constantly.
Back in December and early February I took a yoga teacher training at Kripalu in Western Mass. and became a certified instructor on February 7th. I’ve found the timing of this extremely beneficial and auspicious. I have started teaching all levels of yoga classes via Zoom four mornings a week. It’s mostly my family that joins me, but here and there I have a handful of industry friends and some of Whole Heart’s past employees join which is always a delight! (Check out my Instagram handle @beccasarnold for my current schedule and Zoom info). It’s amazing to see the changes in the quality of my breathing and my thoughts at the beginning of a class versus at the end of it.
Because of the stay-at-home rule have you been propelled to do things that you never thought you had time for? If so what?
Absolutely, I’m actually feeling better than ever before as I am cooking all my own meals and working out 4+ times/week. I definitely ate out a lot before all of this craziness began and am looking forward to going back to my favorite restaurants once they reopen, (ahem, Sarma and Cafe Sushi). But for now, I’m reading lots which I never had time for, I’m practicing Spanish on Duolingo so that I can communicate better with my boyfriend’s Peruvian family, and painting as well.
Will this pandemic crisis change the way you do business in the future, and if so, how?
The pandemic is going to change how everyone does business. I don’t think we will be going back anytime soon, and if/when we do I think that our capacities will be much reduced so companies will have to come up with new ways to reach guests, whether it be takeout windows, or more delivery options (hopefully figuring out how to bypass the delivery giants—Doordash, Grubhub, Caviar, etc.)
Would the seating capacity of your restaurant change because of social distancing even when the guidelines no longer exist?
I think that when social distancing guidelines are lifted it will take a long time for society to be trusting of one another and trusting that the virus is truly something we have put behind us. For that reason, I think people will maintain social distancing for a long time to come and yes, that will affect seating arrangements in restaurants for sure.
Is there anything you would like to share in reflection on this crisis that we are all in together?
I’m hopeful that when we as a society recover from this (and we will) that we come back stronger, with a better sense of the importance of human connection, downtime, physical movement, self-preservation, the beauty of nature and the power of our breath.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity; it appeared in May 2020 as an online exclusive, part of a larger series of interviews with local chefs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
