Food halls were built on the premise of group gatherings. With COVID-19, will their momentum stall? - The Boston Globe
Food halls were built on the premise of group gatherings. With COVID-19, will their momentum stall? - The Boston Globe |
- Food halls were built on the premise of group gatherings. With COVID-19, will their momentum stall? - The Boston Globe
- Nebraska Extension: food preservation - NTV
- 3 LA County Food Plants Forced to Close After COVID-19 Outbreaks - Eater LA
- Food for Thought for Online Grocery Bulls - The Wall Street Journal
- Pop-up food shelf - Southwest Journal
| Posted: 28 Jul 2020 10:07 AM PDT Advertisement Time Out Market Boston reopens in the Fenway on Wednesday, and the experience has changed to reflect pandemic-era realities. Distanced outdoor dining is a focus, with an expanded 6,000-square-foot patio. There are new air circulation and filtration systems; sanitation stations; and plexiglass partitions at counters, bars, and tables. Guests can also try contactless ordering and delivery, even if that's a departure from the immersive lure of the market. It will also reopen with notable absences. Several acclaimed chefs are on the roster, including Jody Adams (Greek Street), Alex Saenz (BISq), and Michael Schlow (Monti Roman Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen). But others, such as Tony Maws as well as Tim and Nancy Cushman, have folded their tents.  "Fenway is hard. It's not a neighborhood; it's a destination, a school area, with Fenway Park. That's the scary part for me. Clearly baseball is coming back, but not like it [was]," Saenz said. He's banking on outdoor dining and a robust delivery business, as well as an upgraded kitchen that has enabled him to expand his menu. Schlow, a nationally known restaurateur with businesses beyond Boston, is also optimistic about Time Out's remote option. Advertisement "It's the ultimate pickup and delivery venue, with something for everyone. That's the draw," he says. "But is the business viable? That remains to be seen. None of us can survive long-term on takeout and delivery, but I do feel the landlord and the operators are all in this together." Time Out maintains a long-term lease with landlord Samuels & Associates. "We're hemorrhaging cash like everyone else, but we believe in the concept, and we believe it can succeed. We've been lucky: We can pay our rent and sustain a lower fee for our tenants," says Time Out Market CEO Didier Souillat. "We have investors who believe in this concept."  Somerville's Bow Market reopened for dining earlier this summer. It typically hums with outdoor activity as throngs of people jam food stalls, grabbing tables whenever they're available or wandering in and out of record and clothing shops. Now there's a remodeled courtyard with distanced tables, as well as a contactless ordering and reservation system designed to discourage crowding. Tamy Chung, who owns Maca macaron stand at Bow, says an outdoor grocery business also has boosted foot traffic, though she's unsure what will happen when cold weather hits. "It's a dark cloud looming over our heads, even with Bow Market reopening with outdoor dining," she says.  "We're primarily an outdoor space, which has been great, but we have a different set of challenges: How do we get lots of people to come and share space together, which is the opposite of what we're needing to do now?" says Bow Market developer Matt Boyes-Watson. "We've gone from 25,000 guests a month to many fewer by virtue of whom we can safely serve." Advertisement He's exploring outdoor heating options for the winter but hasn't arrived at a solution. Meanwhile, he says that struggling vendors — mainly retailers — have received rent suspensions. Owner-operated food stalls have helped to fill the void, maintaining revenue through takeout and groceries while relying on loyal neighbors who continue to visit. "We're a [neighborhood] business, and our businesses are small enough that they can survive off of 100 regulars. They can get very lean," Boyes-Watson says. Across the river in the Back Bay, Eataly — the Italian marketplace filled with food counters and restaurants — now banks on grocery delivery in addition to in-person visits. "We'd always been about the in-store experience. We'd resisted the temptation of off-site delivery. Needless to say, having an Instacart platform when the crisis hit has proved effective," says Raffaele Piarulli, executive vice president of Eataly North America. "People see us as a cool Italian dining destination, and we will continue to be that forever. But now it's as good a time as ever to reinforce what we are: a grocery business."  Meanwhile, Boston Public Market, a showcase for local artisans and farmers that closed in March, is preparing for a late summer reopening. CEO Cheryl Cronin says that all 30 vendors plan to return to the indoor marketplace with new safety measures, from hand-washing stations to partitions separating sellers from customers to one-way aisles. Like other markets, they'll offer delivery. Advertisement "One reason we're so committed to sanitation is ultimately we want people to feel comfortable to visit the market again. We'd be crushed, in a way, if we felt like the takeaway from COVID has been that we cannot continue to enjoy places like the market. For the vendors, I hope it doesn't change the trajectory of their lives," Cronin says. Al Rose doesn't think it will. His Red Apple Farm in Phillipston will return to the market around Labor Day. The third-generation farmer believes that the pandemic has reinforced the public's appreciation for independent, hometown vendors. "Judging from my experience here at the farm, I think people want to connect with their local food. There is a value in it, short-term and long-term," Rose says. Those connections will look different, though. "A food hall is a gathering place, and that's the last place anyone wants to go in my mind. It's mind-blowing," says Saenz, the Time Out vendor. "But let's keep a positive mind-set, and let's hope somehow that we can redo this."  Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.  |
| Nebraska Extension: food preservation - NTV Posted: 28 Jul 2020 01:50 PM PDT [unable to retrieve full-text content]Nebraska Extension: food preservation NTV  |
| 3 LA County Food Plants Forced to Close After COVID-19 Outbreaks - Eater LA Posted: 28 Jul 2020 09:35 AM PDT  Widespread coronavirus outbreaks have hit three different food manufacturing facilities in Los Angeles County, reports CBS LA. The affected businesses are: Golden State Foods Corp. in the City of Industry; S&S Foods in Azusa; and Mission Foods (maker of those Mission tortillas, among other things) in Commerce. Each location has more than three dozen coronavirus cases, with S&S Foods totaling nearly 60 COVID-19 cases. None of the three businesses notified county public health officials, as required. And in other news:
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| Food for Thought for Online Grocery Bulls - The Wall Street Journal Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:08 AM PDT  With online grocery orders now coming thick and fast, e-commerce is a top priority in supermarket boardrooms. The best model for selling food online may not always be the one that investors appear most excited about. The proportion of food sold online has shot up since the Covid-19 outbreak. By the end of this year, more than 10% of U.S. grocery sales are expected to be ordered digitally, double 2019 levels. A bigger share of the weekly food shop is also moving online in the U.K. and other European markets. ... |
| Pop-up food shelf - Southwest Journal Posted: 28 Jul 2020 02:56 AM PDT A line of families stood in sections outside a teal and pink building on the Minneapolis College of Art and Design campus on July 7. Masked volunteers efficiently sorted and distributed donations of food and supplies as children played in the parking lot or sat under the shade of adjacent trees. Started in mid-June by a Whittier artist collective known as the People's Library, this site is one of dozens of food shelves and distribution centers that have popped up organically around the Twin Cities area since March. Mainly run by volunteers or through loose collaborations with local businesses or nonprofits, community members have come together to support those hit hardest by pandemic-driven unemployment, chronic poverty and the civil unrest following George Floyd's killing. Pet food is being collected at the Lyndale Animal Hospital, meals are being served on Tuesdays at MLK Park in Kingfield and volunteers are stocking supply tents at homeless sanctuaries in Lyndale Farmstead and Kenwood parks. Established food shelves in the area say the pop-ups have been pivotal in bringing aid to various parts of the city, and their smaller sizes have been especially important in the effort to keep social distance. Information about the food shelves is typically spread by word of mouth, on social media and through websites like the Twin Cities Mutual Aid map, which pinpoints places around the cities that are accepting donations or volunteers. The map also indicates what goods are needed and where, with details usually updated daily. Nancy Hicks, a volunteer coordinator with the People's Library, said the MCAD distribution center originally came about in response to helping the Eat Street restaurant Pimento Jamaican Kitchen deal with an influx of donations after it started accepting and distributing food and supplies on May 28. A spokesperson with Pimento said the restaurant is currently scaling down its efforts as the supply distribution was part of a temporary relief effort. For the People's Library, Hicks said, it was a little hectic at first. Coordinating volunteers, distributing what goods they had and navigating language barriers were problems the team had to troubleshoot. But as more volunteers joined, many of whom had volunteered at similar sites before, coordination became easier and wait times shrunk.  Looking back, Hicks said with a laugh, "We weren't 100% sure what we were doing." Now a month in, they've been able to adjust though they're still ironing out the creases. Although most of the pop-ups work independently, Hicks said, the People's Library has been working to form long-term relationships with farmers markets and local eateries like Penny's Coffee and Provision Community Restaurant, which have donated baked goods. The team also coordinates with other distribution spots — sharing produce and other perishables and making sure to be open on alternating days. "It's really important this sort of support can continue because Minneapolis has such a crisis [with] housing and support," Hicks said. "And it's only increased because of COVID." After an initial spike in aid and support, Hicks said, the number of donations has been dropping in recent weeks even though need has not gone away. More expensive goods like shampoo, feminine products and dental hygiene supplies are always in demand but can be more costly to buy in bulk. Since mid-July, volunteers at the MCAD site moved away from only distributing meal and supply kits and have been printing out checklists with grocery items listed in English, Somali and Spanish, so families can choose additional items they need rather than receive some items they don't. Although this is more work for the volunteers, Hicks said, it results in less waste and helps them accommodate cultural and dietary restrictions.  More in needAt more established food distribution centers, the current need hasn't been this drastic since the Great Depression, said Elizabeth Cooper, spokesperson for Second Harvest Heartland. Since March, the nonprofit has been supplying goods to pop-ups and food shelves around the Twin Cities and is anticipating Minnesota food shelves will see a 65% increase in demand through the remainder of 2020 and into next year. Cooper said the collaboration with pop-up food shelves has been pivotal, especially in a pandemic where people need to be socially distant. Their help has made it possible to reach more people in need. "We have seen a record number of donations coming in [since March], which is good," Cooper said. "We need every dollar." Part of the work also comes with destigmatizing the act of asking for help, especially when it comes to accepting food, she said. Acknowledging and accepting help is a sign of strength and trust in the community, and without addressing hunger, existing inequalities can worsen. "We know that hunger is connected to a wide variety of health issues, so really, if we let this hunger crisis continue, it is going to deepen and broaden the impact of the pandemic," she said. "As a community, we can't let that happen." Alex Richardson started volunteering for the Lyndale Farmstead Sanctuary in June, when people experiencing homelessness first moved into Lyndale Farmstead Park. (The Park Board has voted to limit the size of encampments and require permits, and the sanctuary's future is uncertain.) Although he works full time, Richardson spends a couple hours every evening at the park coordinating volunteers, distributing food and supplies and facilitating activities. He said it feels good to see people come together and fill the immediate needs of those in the sanctuary, but he's frustrated that the government is not the one providing direct aid. "We shouldn't have to do these things," he said. "It's been great seeing the response of the city; it feels really good to know that we live in a city that cares so much. We just wish our elected officials shared that." Lorrie Sandelin, director of Joyce Uptown Foodshelf, said food insecurity has always existed. Since March, the food shelf has seen more visitors than average, although its June numbers were closer to pre-COVID times, which Sandelin attributed to other community pop-up donation centers addressing those needs. One noticeable change she sees now is more first-timers. "It doesn't take much to go from being a food-secure household to a food-insecure household, and I think what is happening in our world highlights that," she said. "It's just brought these needs to the forefront, and people realize that food insecurity can happen to your neighbor. It can be anybody." Moving forward, Sandelin said, food shelves will have to be flexible and continue to rise to the challenge. Already Joyce Uptown Foodshelf is planning to purchase a van to make food deliveries and plans to open its main floor back up to allow clients to choose the goods they want. "I think this is going to be more of a marathon than a sprint," she said. "I've just been really humbled by the amount of community outpouring. … I think that is pretty amazing." GET HELP OR GIVE HELPThe Twin Cities Mutual Aid map is continually updated with information about how to receive food and supplies and where you can go to make a donation or volunteer.  |
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