Mitch in the Kitch: Kansas City Chiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz Fills Quarantine Time With Cooking
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the public into their homes, many people, including Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, have found creative ways to occupy their time.
Schwartz discussed his now-famous cooking in a video conference call with reporters Friday when he was asked what it's been like to connect with fans through his food in this unprecedented time.
“Yeah, that part has been awesome,” Schwartz said. “I always like to cook. This time of year, we do a fair amount of traveling, so I’m not able to do that quite as much. I’ve made some dishes and kind of threw together six or seven picture things on Instagram. Kind of ‘Hey, here’s what I’m cooking lately,’ and people really liked it. I figured the next day throw up another food thing and people still really liked it, and it kind of grew from there.”
As Schwartz’s Instagram following has grown, he has partnered with the Chiefs’ social media account for a show called Mitch in the Kitch.
In the show, Schwartz shows step-by-step instructions on how to make certain dishes. So far, Schwartz has made egg salad, french toast, fajitas and steak.
“I think the thing people are struggling with is not seeing coworkers, friends, not having interactions, so you’re kind of relying more heavily on the social media side of it,” Schwartz said. “Through that, it’s actually been a lot of fun being able to have time to post stuff and respond to people and react.”
Schwartz also shows step-by-step instructions in his Instagram stories. On his profile, you can rewatch the steps to make the dish yourself.
Another part Schwartz enjoys is interacting with the fans. He said since his life isn’t as busy, he has enjoyed seeing people comment.
“Typically, in a normal environment or workday, I’d be on the go, and so you post something, leave it, and check back later to see if it was successful or not. But now you can actually see the people commenting, and especially food stuff, some people have particularly strong opinions about what you’re making. But for the most part, they’re kind of like ‘Hey that’s awesome. I like to do this.’ Or ‘Have you tried this?’ And I’m always looking for a better spice or recipe. That’s definitely been fun and rewarding.”
For more posts guaranteed to make you hungry, click here to see Schwartz's full Instagram feed!
