Podcast Summary: Hadley Presents – Cooking After Vision Loss
Host: Ricky Enger
Guests: Dia and Don Poyman
Episode Date: November 6, 2025
Overview
In this episode, host Ricky Enger welcomes Hadley community members Dia and Don to discuss their experiences with cooking after vision loss. Both are passionate, life-long cooks who have adapted their kitchens—and mindsets—to continue enjoying food preparation safely and confidently. The conversation addresses practical adaptations, humor amid disasters, and advice for others facing similar challenges.
Guest Introductions & Vision Loss Journeys
Dia’s Story
- Diagnosed with NAION (Non-ischemic optic neuropathy)
- Left eye affected in 2019, right eye shortly after
- Now has about 15% vision
- Passionate about cooking since childhood:
- Learned by observing her “little Italian mama”
- “I just never, ever thought, I can’t do this… I have to deal with how to adapt. It’s life.” [07:21]
Don’s Story
- Vision loss began in 2015:
- Sudden retinal detachment in left eye, complete loss in 2016
- Right eye detached in 2022; total blindness by early 2024
- Cooking is a lifelong hobby:
- Learned from his Bohemian mother
- Worked in the restaurant industry during college
- “It’s a life journey. I never really looked at it as, oh my gosh, I’m losing my vision… I just have to adjust.” [04:23]
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Decision to Keep Cooking
- Neither guest considered quitting:
- “It was never an option. I knew I had to adjust...” – Dia [06:13]
- Don chose to adapt: “There was never a point of, well, maybe I can’t do anything or maybe I can’t cook.” [08:37]
2. Kitchen Disasters & Learning Moments
Humorous and frustrating mishaps—each accepted with resilience and humor:
- Dia’s disasters:
- Draining boiling water from an empty pot (spaghetti still in the pan) [10:07]
- Cooking a burger with paper stuck to it [10:48]
- Baking pizza with cardboard still attached (“tasted like cardboard and I couldn’t figure out why...”) [10:50]
- “I pick myself up and I shake it off and I continue.” [11:32]
- Don’s disasters:
- Cooking bacon onion jam on a pan with a shelf liner accidentally left inside—scraped off liner to salvage it (“it’s bacon onion jam. You can’t just throw it out”) [14:17]
- Mistakenly dipping celery in sweetened condensed milk instead of Thai peanut sauce [14:14]
- Emphasizes preparing one dish at a time to avoid confusion and lost ingredients
3. Adaptation Strategies & Kitchen Organization
Don’s Systematic, High-Tech Methods:
- Recipe database: Records, sources, adaptations, and notes [12:58]
- Braille-labeled spice rack:
- Tracks 48+ spices with Alexa assistance for finding items [21:49]
- Computerized pantry and freezer inventory:
- Knows the exact location and quantity of every item (“my computer will tell me which row, which shelf, and how many there are”) [21:49]
- Cooking tools: Prefers weighing over volume measuring; uses induction cooktop and heavy, stable cookware for safety [14:14], [17:22]
Dia’s Low-Tech, Sensory-Based Methods:
- Lighting is vital: “My lights are my life. I adore them...especially when I’m cooking.” [18:33]
- Tactile approach: Uses hands for measuring, feeling ingredients (a return to her mother’s style) [18:33]
- Organizational tip: Keeps everything needed for a recipe out on the counter before starting [18:33]
- Inventory challenge: Struggles with duplicate purchases (e.g., four garlic powders) due to low visibility in cabinets [20:50]
4. Favorite Tools & Devices
Dia:
- Retro yellow Tupperware colander (“my go-to for draining pasta”) [25:59]
- Toaster oven for versatile, small-batch meals [25:59]
- Flashlights and mobile lights for visibility [30:59]
- Uses bumps (tactile markers) to identify key controls [30:09]
Don:
- Talking kitchen scale (weighs most ingredients) [27:42]
- Talking thermometer for accurate meat and baking temps [27:42]
- Braille-labeled spice jars
- Ninja Foodi air fryer: “It is a clamshell design…you don’t flip things over and you cut your time in half.” [27:42], [28:53]
- Headlamp with gesture control: “You can turn it on and off…with a wave of your hand.” [35:09]
- Bump dots for marking control panels [30:09]
5. Staying Relaxed, Safe, and Confident
- Single-tasking is safer:
- “I only cook one thing at a time…if I make more than one thing at a time…I'll have no clue where that item was that I just put down on the table.” – Don [15:42]
- Prepping all ingredients in advance highly recommended
- Both guests stress importance of mise en place (ingredients measured and ready)
- Use all available senses:
- “If you lose any of your senses, your other senses kick in…my hearing and my taste kick in a great deal more than they did before.” – Dia [18:33]
Advice for Others Facing Kitchen Adaptation
- Start slow and with confidence:
- “Just give it a try and start slow…use your microwave for some of the things…and if you have a helper, that will also give you more confidence.” – Dia [34:10]
- Adapt and experiment:
- “You see, what can I do? How can I work? And if it doesn’t work, is there a way I can make it work?...If you get frustrated with it, just stop and say, okay, let me try something different. Sure, it’s a little sloppy, but it still tastes good.” – Don [35:09]
- Keep a sense of humor:
- “If we make some humor out of this, we can get through it even quicker and better…we have to laugh.” – Dia [36:25]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “I just never, ever thought, I can’t do this… I have to deal with how to adapt. It’s life.” – Dia [07:21]
- “It’s a life journey. I just look at it as, this is another part of my life and I just have to adjust.” – Don [04:23]
- “I pick myself up and I shake it off and I continue. So I’m not giving up.” – Dia [11:32]
- “Everything takes so much longer…so I’m not going to do the big cooking…but just takes me longer.” – Don [09:12]
- “If you lose your sight, other senses kick in…like a full circle thing.” – Dia [18:33]
- “You just think about it and don’t get frustrated…It’s not just thinking outside the box…it’s also thinking inside the box.” – Don [35:09]
- “We have to keep our humor. We have to laugh.” – Dia [36:25]
Key Timestamps
- 00:01 – Episode intro and context
- 01:36 – Dia’s vision loss story and background
- 03:13 – Don’s story: onset of blindness and attitude toward adaptation
- 06:13 – “Giving up was never an option” – mindset shift
- 10:07 – Kitchen disasters (burns, spills, accidental mishaps)
- 14:14 – Don’s tech-based disaster with bacon onion jam
- 17:22 – Importance of prepping all ingredients before starting
- 18:33 – Lighting, tactile measuring, and working slowly (Dia)
- 21:49 – Don’s inventory system: Braille, Alexa, and databases
- 25:59 – Favorite kitchen gadgets from both guests
- 28:53 – Air fryer talk (pros of clamshell design)
- 30:09 – Tactile markers (bumps) and using headlamps
- 34:10 – Advice for hesitant home cooks after vision loss
- 36:25 – Keeping humor and confidence through challenges
Closing Thoughts
The episode highlights that there's no one right way to cook after vision loss—it’s about building systems and habits that work for each individual, staying flexible, and maintaining a positive attitude (and a sense of humor) through trial and error. Both guests encourage listeners to move forward at their own pace, adapting old techniques and embracing new tools—reminding everyone that delicious meals (and some mishaps) are still well within reach.