Pivoting. Hustling. Full-on reinventing. No matter what you call it, our food and drink industry workers and entrepreneurs are in the thick of it to find a new way forward.
It’s been more than four months since the coronavirus pandemic effectively shut down the restaurant industry and cost millions of workers their jobs. With no sign of consistent income in sight and businesses still awaiting aid, our restaurateur heroes have been coming up with full-on business-model remodels to make ends meet. Everyone from line cooks and sous chefs to bartenders, servers, fisher(wo)men, and farmers are proving just how scrappy and inventive the hospitality industry is.
We wanted to highlight a few of the visionaries who are forging a new path for what a food and beverage industry looks like in the midst of a global pandemic. We’ve seen fellow laid-off employees teaming up to showcase cuisines that don’t get enough attention, chefs cooking family recipes at home for pickup, fisher(wo)men and sake brewers collaborating, and bartenders bottling mixers and juices. Many others are working overtime to feed those in need, even as they struggle themselves.
There are dozens more stories where these came from and virtually no end to the local people we can support (deliciously) as we eat and drink their hard-won craft and soulful cooking.
And if you want to further help support local restaurants and bars, please call and write your political representatives. A number of Bay Area and California state politicians have yet to sign on to the Restaurant Stabilization Act, which has bipartisan support nationally. Speak up and urge our political leaders to pass the act soon and before August 7, when Congress leaves on “recess” for the rest of the month, at SaveRestaurants.com. (You’ll also find shareable resources on just how crucial the independent restaurant and bars industry is to the U.S. economy.)
Robert Dorsey: Meal kits, curbside meals, community aid
Chef Robert Dorsey, a Black business owner, sent out a heartfelt newsletter after George Floyd was killed, thanking his supporters, addressing the need for change, proclaiming his passion for cooking (“my greatest passion outside of being a father”), and confirming that “we collectively can make a difference.”
Based in the East Bay, Dorsey has a long résumé, including cooking at San Francisco’s longtime Noe treasure Firefly and Oakland institution Bay Wolf (now The Wolf). In addition to his catering and custom meal service, Dorsey has adapted to the pandemic by offering nurturing pantry meal kits and curbside pop-ups on weekends. (He’s also been known to do bubbly to-go brunches with dishes like shrimp and grits or crepes suzette.)
Giving back has long been part of Dorsey’s ethos, whether he was creating the Junior Chef Society, aiding inner-city youth in training for careers in the food industry, or volunteering as a mentor for 100 Black Men of the Bay Area. He works with various organizations to create access to fresh fruits and vegetables — which has become an especially crucial need in these times — and donates a portion of proceeds to local at-risk youth and the food insecure.
Hilda & Jesse: Pancake pop-ups, breakfast in bed, and dining for Democracy
As two young chefs, Kristina Compton and Rachel Sillcocks have built impressive résumés at award-winning fine dining restaurants like Atelier Crenn, Avery, Mosu, and Healdsburg’s legendary Cyrus. They launched Hilda & Jesse pre-pandemic, gaining a following that has been their mainstay in pandemic times. They did so whimsically, pinpointing a universal craving for “breakfast in bed.”
Their all-day brunch pop-up has evolved from brunch boxes for pickup at Wildhawk (which offers some serious cocktail kits and bottled cocktails) to a “pancake pop-up” at Kim Alter’s Nightbird on Sundays. Their P.W.B. (Pancake Without Boundaries) is a $12 double stack of buttermilk pancakes with grilled strawberry maple syrup and fresh buttermilk and sweet cream butter. Rotating special brunch dishes include grilled brisket, fried egg, and hash browns with Latvian sauerkraut and dill mayo. Taking it “next level,” Compton and Sillcocks donate all tips to Dine for Democracy: Movement Voter Project, which drives donor funds to youth- and POC-led grassroots organizations working to protect voting rights in battleground states.
Geoffrey Reed: Ichido ToGo — a collab between fishermen, sake brewers, and a chef
Geoffrey Reed, a native of McKinleyville, California, has been cooking for more than 10 years in kitchens ranging from San Francisco’s Pläj to Nobuo Fukuda in Phoenix. He fished in the creek behind his house as a child, and as an adult, Reed has led hands-on fishing trip workshops. It’s his connection with Japanese cooking and fishing that make his reasonably priced meals via ChefsFeed special. Reed showcases local fish and meats in Japanese-influenced menus and à la carte dishes, working with local fisher(wo)men as he sources fresh fish they catch the mornings-of.
Taking collaboration one step further, you can pick up Reed’s meals at San Francisco’s sole sake brewery, Sequoia Sake, a husband-wife operation producing Japan-worthy sake, including a fresh, unpasteurized Nama sake that pairs beautifully with Reed’s food. This smart collaboration supports fishermen and sake brewers. Oh, and did I mention Reed’s food is exquisite? I was transported back to Japan with California freshness and ease. Consider this collab supporting three-in-one.
Chef Melissa King: Multiple projects sans brick and mortar
San Francisco–based chef Melissa King is a TV favorite, as a finalist on season 12 of Bravo’s Top Chef and the winner of season 17 of Top Chef: All-Stars, sealing the win with her Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu. She is also a hero for her ongoing advocacy for the LGBTQ community and was honored as a celebrity grand marshal for San Francisco Pride.
King’s Cantonese and Shanghainese heritage influenced her inspired cooking as she gained her chops around San Francisco at Campton Place, Luce (in the Dominique Crenn days), and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton with Ron Siegel. King is an exemplar for wearing multiple hats: She keeps things moving with a mix of webinar cooking classes, pop-up dinners, her own bottled sauces, LGBTQ swag — including clothing and even masks — and partnerships with local brands, like creating an ice cream flavor for Humphry Slocombe. While some of these may come more easily after being on TV, King models the possibilities for chefs these days: diversifying options and pursuing multiple revenue streams, even without a restaurant.
PCH & Pinoy Heritage: Filipino feast — with cocktails
If a majority of independent restaurants need the likes of the Restaurant Stabilization Act to survive, bars have it even worse. The Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has temporarily lifted dated Prohibition-era laws to allow outdoor drinks or bottled cocktails, but it’s added onerous laws that bars must also serve food if they want to offer drinks to-go. This makes Kevin Diedrich’s collaboration with Pinoy Heritage chef Francis Ang smart.
Diedrich runs the drinks-only Pacific Cocktail Haven, aka PCH, triple-nominated this year for Best American Cocktail Bar, American Bartender of the Year, and Best American Bar Team at the international Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. From PCH’s convenient takeout window or sidewalk/parklet tables, Ang’s seven-course meals are a steal: roughly $50 for more food than one person can reasonably eat. His food exemplifies what modern Filipino food can be with a lighter, forward-thinking hand, while still honoring its roots. Ang also corners the Filipino bakery/pastry side with PH Panderia. With or without food (because sometimes you just want a drink), Diedrich’s eight- or 12-ounce bottled cocktails are both crushable and unusual, boasting fun names like Thrilla in Manila.
Italy-worthy pasta chefs craft pasta at home
Multiple San Francisco restaurants are selling Italy-worthy handmade pastas and sauces to take home and boil — many from chefs trained in the pasta mecca of Bologna, Italy — like Michael Tusk of Quince and Cotogna. But numerous cooks who have lost jobs at major restaurants have gotten into the pasta-making act, so that in any given neighborhood, you might have fresh pasta pickups down the street.
DM “SF Nonna” Christine @sfnonna on Instagram (she was cooking at Michelin-starred Octavia) for handmade pappardelle and fettuccine made on her Italian grandmother’s hand-crank machine. Joe Nardo cooked at the French Laundry and two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear. During the pandemic, he’s launched Nardello’s Fresh Pasta, offering individual orders and pasta subscription boxes with national delivery (a gift idea for your out-of-town fam that supports local business). Look for seasonal treasures like Nardo’s sweet corn cappelletti or sweet potato agnolotti. Up in Napa, Joshua Tango, who was cooking at the Charter Oak and the French Laundry, launched Tango With Chef, delivering pasta meal kits and the likes of hand-cut squid ink or ramps fettuccine, pappardelle, meatballs, and sauces.
SingleThread: Taking the restaurant on the road and partnering with a nonprofit to feed families in need
Since opening in 2016, SingleThread has won all manner of accolades, including the rare three Michelin stars, and is one of the few Bay Area restaurants among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. But to meet husband-wife duo chef Kyle Connaughton and farmer Katina is to know their gracious humility and generosity. As Covid-19 hit, they immediately went into help mode, cooking 200 meals a day for local families in need, working with Sonoma Family Meal (you can donate to a family), and sharing from the wealth of their own farm.
The Connaughtons’ luxurious, five-room inn in downtown Healdsburg remains open. Starting August 6 through the end of September, the rooftop garden will be open for a casual summer wine bar. They’ve been creative with takeout menus these months, including creating tribute menus to a few chefs and restaurants they love. The family meals for four (to order or donate) change daily and range in influence from Mexico to Japan.
In further collaborations, SingleThread is about to take its three-Michelin starred meals on the road in its Summer Wine Dinner Series with Kistler Vineyards from August 1 through the end of September, served completely outdoors amid Kistler’s vineyards. All these ventures help to keep the Connaughtons’ staff employed at their inn, restaurant, and farm, while also feeding locals.
Elixir’s H. Joseph Ehrmann: Multiplying the bar business
As previously mentioned, bars face even more impossible circumstances than restaurants, especially those that do not serve food. H. Joseph Ehrmann has owned the historic 1858 bar Elixir in the Mission for more than two decades, growing its deep spirits selection and accomplishing the rarity of keeping the same management team over a decade. Ehrmann launched Elixir Delivery about six years ago, a model that has helped the bar segue seamlessly into cocktail delivery/takeout mode.
But given the steep competition in bottled cocktails, especially in cities like San Francisco, this won’t keep anyone in business long term. Ehrmann has been exploring multiple revenue streams, from taking the bar’s popular #ElixirQuiz trivia night (since 2004) online to selling rare spirits from the bar’s deep collection to virtual cocktail classes. Ehrmann was already selling his Fresh Victor cold-pressed juice cocktail/mocktail mixers to the industry, but during the pandemic he has expanded to consumers (purchase here) in multiple states. Fresh Victor juices were recently awarded a mix of double gold and gold medals at the prestigious SF World Spirits awards and are among the best mixers I’ve ever tasted—they’re so good you could drink them on their own.
Arepas en Bici: Family arepas recipes from home and giving back to the neighborhood
Born in Valencia, Venezuela, chef Victor Aguilera has been cooking at home since he was four. As an adult in San Francisco, he has been kitchen manager at The Brixton and executive chef at Sabrosa. After pandemic layoffs, he wasn’t able to land financial aid, so Aguilera swiftly launched his arepas and Venezuelan comfort food business. He delivers via bicycle all over the city; text in your order one day in advance for delivery or on the same day for pickup. Calling on his family’s recipes, he has a menu of different arepas, from classic pabellon (shredded beef, plantains, black beans, cheese) to a few vegan and vegetarian options, like dom (avocado cream, plantains, black beans). Aguilera’s been giving arepas to those in need in his neighborhood, showing true neighborly care and generosity alongside the tough work of reinvention.
Dabao, Local Kitchen, and more: SF’s Singaporean renaissance
California in general and the Bay Area in particular have always been home to the country’s largest Asian populations, so the endless well of authentic Asian cuisine is inherent to our culture and people. But not so with Singaporean food. Especially after my (delectable) travels in Singapore, it only became more apparent how tough it is to find the real deal here. That’s been changing — and oddly enough, Covid-19 is pushing it forward.
Breadbelly has been turning out better kaya toast (plus variations like kaya buns) than I had in Singapore. Since 2013, Shane Stanbridge and Marie Chia’s S+M Vegan Singaporean pop-up has been going strong in Oakland. (They’re currently working toward a September opening of their Chinese-Singaporean restaurant, Lion Dance Café. (You can support them via their Kickstarter which launches August 4 at noon). Singapore’s national dish, Hainan chicken rice, can be found at newer places like Gai Chicken Rice, while Local Kitchen gained Singaporean dishes in 2019 when chef Nora Haron came on board. Since the pandemic began, sous and pastry chefs Em and Erika kicked off Dabao (preorder via Instagram), calling on their days cooking in Singapore with Singaporean barbecue kits, classic laksa (rice noodles in coconut broth), nasi padang (pork rendang with onion egg omelette), and Erika’s desserts. Angelina Teo and Shanna Vatsaloo founded Makan Place after getting laid off from Alexander’s Steakhouse. Sadly, they recently called it quits but posted, “This isn’t goodbye forever,” and they continue to post about “where else to get your Singaporean/Malaysian fix” on their Insta feed. These pop-ups have been selling out, proving the hunger for Singaporean cuisine.
