We’ve heard a lot about how restaurants have struggled during the pandemic. But the events world has suffered right along with them.
Stay at home orders last year meant that weddings, graduation parties, and other big gatherings could not take place.
Many states - and countries — still limit the number of people who can congregate in one place. Only 30 people were allowed to attend Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday, for instance.
We don’t hear as much about how the events and catering world has managed, so last week, I chatted with Tabitha Mason. She is a managing partner at Cornman Farms in Dexter, Mich.
It’s a historic working farm that’s part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, with a gorgeous farm house, restored barn and outdoor tent, all of which normally would be awash in planning as commencement and wedding season approach.
Tabitha is featured in my upcoming book about Zingerman’s and you’ll be able to read more about her there.
Not much celebrating
Unfortunately, Cornman was not able to hold a single indoor event from last November through mid-March, due to two sets of pauses imposed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the face of spiking COVID cases.
Mason estimates that the canceled events were equal to $400,000 in revenue, including about $120,000 for December alone, when there would be a mix of weddings and holiday parties.
Venues are not getting much notice of the state’s plans, forcing them to scramble.
“It meant we had to cancel some peoples’ weddings with two weeks notice,” says Tabitha. “It was a tough winter, emotionally. A lot of the people who work here got into this because they love celebrations. And we haven’t been doing a lot of celebrating.”
Before the pandemic, Cornman had 14 full time employees. Now, it is down to three, plus herself and Kieron Hales, the award-winning British chef who oversees Cornman’s cuisine.
It would like to hire additional people, but is facing the same challenges of everyone in the restaurant and events world in finding staff that I recently wrote about.
Pushback on Masks
One of the biggest challenges Mason has faced has been informing wedding participants about Corman’s COVID policies.
The venue requires guests to wear masks when they are not eating and drinking, meaning they would have to be masked while watching a wedding, and for any festivities that don’t involve food and beverages.
Dancing is not allowed, since it would be impossible to enforce social distancing, and only six people are allowed at a table.
The wedding couple can say their vows without masks, Tabitha says. But the policy means that photographs of the occasion will show guests wearing protective coverings.
And while the state allows gatherings of up to 300 people, Cornman has imposed a maximum of 150, for the safety of all involved.
That’s prompting a number of couples to shy away.
“There are people who just have a very specific image of what they want their wedding to look like, and it doesn’t include masks or only six people at a table,” she says.
In addition, many wedding guests are arriving from other parts of the country, where there are no mask mandates or other COVID restrictions.
“They’re coming from states who think our governor is crazy and they would never, ever wear a mask, and I have to be the one to tell them to wear a mask,” Tabitha says.
Many couples, however, have been grateful to Cornman for its policies. “They’ve said, ‘we’re going to get married, no matter what,’” she says.
And others don’t face the type of issues that come with a big wedding.
In 2019, Cornman introduced its version of a trend that was sweeping the hospitality world: tiny weddings. These are designed for couples who are eloping, those who have been married before, same sex couples, or really anyone who wants to keep their wedding intimate.
At Cornman, a tiny wedding allows 90 minutes use of the facility, with 30 minutes for set up, 30 minutes for the ceremony, cake cutting and toast, and 30 minutes for photography. The bouquet is also included.
While on hold during the pauses, tiny weddings now can resume. During the last week of April, Corman has space on its calendar for 15 tiny weddings, five a day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As of last week, fourteen of them were already booked.
Unfortunately, the outlook for bigger events is cloudy. Normally, there would be 12 to 16 larger weddings in June. Right now, six are on the books. And one ceremony that was supposed to be 150 people has cut its size to 35, out of Covid concerns..
A video series on sauces
Given the tenuous events situation, Cornman has been coming up with other ways to produce revenue. Five winters ago, Kieron introduced an annual pie and mash series.
Each week, he bakes up a different type of savory pie, like those found in English pubs, accompanied by a mashed vegetable. This year, the entire series sold out in two weeks, with Cornman selling 200 pies each week, Tabitha says.
It plans to again sell fish and chips, and the farm is setting up a retail shop, with online pre-orders, for items like frozen cookie dough from Zingerman’s Bakehouse, and its own pancake mix.
Tabitha is especially excited about Corman’s venture into online instruction, which can be watched from anywhere.
Starting May 3, Kieron will be teaching a series on Mother Sauces, which every chef learns in culinary school. He’ll also show how the sauces can be incorporated into dishes. Here is the line up:
May 3: Béchamel (Mac & Cheese)
May 10: Velouté (Brined and Roasted Chicken with Ham & Butter Beans)
May 17: Tomato (Bacon Tomato Bread Pudding)
May 24: Espagnole (Horseradish Roulade Steak)
May 31: Hollandaise (Smoked Salmon over English Crumpets)
Classes are held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. ET, and cost $30 each. The entire series costs $120, which nets a free class. The series is being held in conjunction with Lodge, the maker of cast iron cookware, and class participants can get a 20 percent Lodge discount using the code BAKEWITHLODGE.
Each ticket comes with a video link. One week before the class, participants will receive a shopping list of ingredients they can buy ahead of time, as well as the recipe for what Kieron prepares.
Tabitha admits that 2021 won’t be a great year at Cornman, on top of the drop in business it experienced in the first year of the pandemic. She’s faced her own personal struggles in managing the ever-changing situation.
“Some times, I feel like I’m a glass person,” she says, meaning that she is made of glass. “If you look at me, you think, ‘that person is normal,’ but I’m made of glass, and one day you’re going to bump into me, and I’ll just shatter. It’s like we’ve all reached that breaking point.”
But, Cornman will keep going, and Tabitha’s wish is that everyone play a role in beating the pandemic. “I would like the community around me to do the right thing and behave the way we all need to behave.”
100 Miles of Baseball: Fifty Games, One Summer
Dale Jacobs and Heidi L.M. Jacobs
Normally, I use this space to write about cookbooks and food memoirs. But, I wanted you to know about a wonderful travel book by my friends Dale and Heidi Jacobs.
We met through our mutual love of the Detroit Tigers, even though that love has been tested many times by the team’s substandard play in recent times.
During the summer of 2018, Dale and Heidi attended every conceivable kind of baseball game within 100 miles of their home in Windsor, Ontario — Major League Baseball, minor league baseball, college baseball, high school games, semi-pro games, old-timers games, you name it, they went to it.
They travel to big cities like Detroit and Cleveland, and fields in the middle of nowhere in rural Michigan where there aren’t actually ballparks, but there is history.
They collected their adventures in a series of essays about each game. You might think that you aren’t interested in teams that you’ve never heard about, but they describe each contest in a way that makes it compelling.
100 Miles of Baseball divides their commentary by typeface, so you can tell when each is speaking.
Along with their interest in the sport, Dale is a craft beer lover and Heidi is a terrific cook and baker. She introduced me to the Anchor Coffee Bar in Windsor, and we’ve been to performances at the Scottish Club of Windsor, which has excellent fish and chips, as well as inexpensive drinks.
If we’re ever able to cross the border again, I look forward to seeing them and having them come visit me. In the meantime, curl up with 100 Miles of Baseball.
My British Baking Obsession
Some people shop for clothes when they can’t sleep. A recent bout of insomnia sent me to my favorite British food website: Brit Superstore.
I originally found it in a search for wine gums, my favorite gummy candy. On trips to England, I would always swoop up half a dozen bags at Marks & Spencer, and line the bottom of my suitcase with them.
After purchasing some from Amazon, I looked for other sources and found Superstore. It has everything you can buy in a British grocery store that can safely be shipped across the pond, including a rich selection of cake mixes.
They carry commercial brands such as Cadbury and Tetley, and house brands from British supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco, where I have shopped in England and Scotland.
You might wonder why I’d have food items shipped from abroad, when mixes can be found in every American grocery store.
One reason is that British cake mixes tend to be smaller than ours, so a package yields a single layer cake, just enough for two people.
Also, British products are not as sugary as ours. The predominant flavor shines through more than in an American mix, so vanilla sponge tastes like vanilla, chocolate like chocolate, etc.
I most recently made this lemon drizzle cake from Tesco, and we devoured it quickly. I’ve already eaten the three bags of wine gums in this order, and I have a lineup of cakes, scones and cookies to get me through spring.
So, check it out, and see if something sounds good for tea time.
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