Suzy Sapir, the founder of the Hippie Pilgrim Helpline, makes it easy to get your food and cooking questions answered. Every night, between 4 pm and 6pm PT, Sapir, who also owns the Hippy Pilgrim gourmet seasoning company, takes calls on her private cell: 781-291-0264. People anywhere in the world can ask questions or just call to chat.

“When I started this helpline in October, I had no idea the types of requests that would come in or what people were looking for information,” Sapir told the Journal. “They’ve been so diverse “

For instance, people will call and say, ‘I don’t have a grandparent anymore or that go-to person in my family.’

“One woman said, ‘I was raised in the foster care system and I never had anyone in this department,’ so it fills this unique void,” Sapir said.

For those in Los Angeles, who have been displaced due to the fires and still want – or need – to cook, you have options, even if you did not pack your favorite tools and appliances.

“When you have to dart out of the house, you grab your prize possessions,” she said. “No one’s thinking of grabbing a crock pot or a cooler or a can opener.”

While various organizations and restaurants in the Los Angeles community have been great about offering meals to those displaced by the fires, sometimes people want that normal feeling of cooking for their family, whether you are at a hotel, an AirBNB or sharing a small space with friends.

“Food actually slows us down,” she said. “Nothing tastes so good as that first meal that you make in that crisis or in that moment; it fosters true appreciation for the family meal … breaking bread together.”

Basic kitchen necessities include a can opener and a strainer, along with compact, countertop electronic devices, since you can really do anything in them. This includes a crock pot, air fryer, rice cooker and teapot.

“Having that ability to be able to heat water is a luxury and a privilege in a [crisis] situation like that,” she said. “Even if you’re staying with a family of six that has a small kitchen; they’re already using the oven [and] you don’t want to get into each other’s space too much.”

She added, “Plugging in a crock pot and throwing a few ingredients into it to make a meal for many is a perfect solution … [or you] can actually roast a whole chicken in an air fryer [in 90 minutes].”

When Sapir first started working in television, she flew out to Los Angeles to audition for a food expert position.

“I actually traveled with a plug-in skillet [and] a strainer,” she said. “I made a [gourmet] meal in a hotel room that I then took to the meeting with the executives at Warner Brothers and then finished it off right in front of them.”

She prepared a chicken dish with tomatoes, spinach and pasta that served four. And she got the job.

“These appliances and tools are easy and likely not too terribly expensive, if you need to start rebuilding your kitchen,” Sapir said. “”In that triage moment, [you can] feed [your family] and feed them well.”

The next step is to be strategic about the food you choose.

Sapir said to think in small quantities that are portable, since you may not have tupperware or ways to store leftovers, as well as shelf stable foods that do not require any or much refrigeration. This includes freeze dried powdered milk, canned protein (meats, tuna) and vegetables, dried fruit and little pouches of rice, noodles and instant mashed potatoes. If you want fresh produce, get whole foods, such as potatoes, carrots, apples, bananas and/or oranges. Anything with a peel or coating will stay fresh for an extended period of time.

“You’re going to curate a time-efficient, space-efficient pantry in whatever space that you’re in,” she said. “If you have the luxury of a cooler or a small mini fridge in the hotel that you’re staying at … shop for versatile ingredients that will go across the board with some of these starches.

To compose a meal, start with the starch and decide what protein to put with it. (“You’d be looking at proteins [beyond canned] that could be cooked quickly and easily, if you have a plug-in skillet,” Sapir said.)

Then ask yourself, ‘What would pull this all together?’

“Sometimes it comes in the form of a ready-made sauce; all you have to do is heat it in the microwave of your hotel space or wherever you’re staying,” Sapir said. You can go the marinara route or look at the pre-jarred sauces or salsas at your grocery to find something different to try.

Be sure to add vegetables and fruit to the meal, whether it’s from your canned supply or pre-cut zucchini noodles, if you have the refrigerator space.

Crisis cooking will require some creativity. However, the basics are relatively easy. You can even make things like chicken soup with matzo balls or brisket in the crockpot. Saprir’s brisket recipe is below. 

In moments of trauma, it comes down to self care. “And the best way to take care of yourself is to eat,” Sapir said.

Stay safe everyone and do your best to eat well.

Learn more about Suzy Sapir at HippyPilgrim.com and follow @HippyPilgrim on Facebook and @hippypilgrimgarlicsalt on Instagram. For personalized answers to any kitchen or food related questions, the Hippy Pilgrim Helpline is open daily from 4 to 6 pm PT: 781-291-0264

For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:

Watch the interview:

Hippy Pilgrim Brisket

Nothing brings people closer together than a slow cooked brisket. Minimal prep, delicious, feeds a crowd and can be repurposed into other meals later in the week easily. This can be made in a crock pot or in a large Dutch Oven placed in the oven. I prefer the “low and slow” method. Low temperature for a long time. It always yields a very tender brisket. Kosher beer, butter and onions makes for an easy yet complex sauce to serve with the brisket.

5-8 pound beef brisket

3 oz Hippy Pilgrim Coffee Rub

2 oz Hippy Pilgrim Pumpkin Spice Vanilla Sugar

1 oz Hippy Pilgrim Garlic Salt any variety

OR any seasonings/rubs/sugars available to you

2 large sliced sweet onions

1 stick of butter cubed

4-5 bottles or cans of kosher beer

Combine seasonings and coat brisket generously on both sides. Wrap very tightly in aluminum foil several times. In the crock pot or Dutch Oven add the beer, onions and cubed butter. Place the wrapped brisket on top of the onions and broth. Cover and cook on low in the crockpot or at 225 degrees in the oven for 5-6 hours.

Turn off the heat and allow to rest covered for an additional hour before removing the brisket from the liquid. Remove the aluminum foil and slice very thin using a serrated bread knife. Add back to the sauce to keep the brisket warm and tender for serving and storing.

Recipe courtesy Suzy Sapir of hippypilgrim.com.

Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.