The CulinaryWoman Newsletter for 1/22/23
Three years after Covid began, supply chain hiccups persist
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Three Years After Covid Began, Supply Chain Hiccups Persist
Three years ago last week, the U.S. detected the first official case of Covid-19. I became aware of it around the end of 2019, thanks to my friend Luke Song. He’s a native Korean and keeps up on news from Asia. He texted me a series of Korean links and news reports about the mysterious new virus which was disrupting life across the Pacific.
Since then, Covid has become a dominant factor in our lives. While the stay-home-restrictions and mask mandates are a thing of the past, and we have ample access to vaccines, Covid’s impact on the supply chain is still being felt across all manner of commerce.
One area really dealt a blow was hospitality, and it continues to feel it. Over the past months, I kept track of some places and people who have been affected by supply chain hiccups.
Missing lids
On the way home from a book event in Toledo, Ohio, this fall, I swung by Sofo’s Italian Market, which abounds with house made and imported gourmet goods. My final purchase was a latte, but the barista cautioned that she didn’t have her usual coffee cup lids. Instead, she improvised with a round paper top from a soup container.
Searching for coffee creamer
The elegant Park View Historic Hotel in New Orleans offers guests a full breakfast buffet, including cooked dishes, with lots of coffee to revive visitors after a night out. But a simple thing keeps tripping up the owner, Elizabeth Creel. Her biggest frustration is finding individual plastic containers of coffee creamer. They’re often missing when her food deliveries arrive. She’s made night time trips to Costco in search of them.
Heating and cooling
Like many restaurants across America, Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi, created new outdoor seating during the pandemic. As summer approached, chef Vishwesh Bhatt ordered water misting equipment, hoping to keep his patio cool from the hot sun. We had them all over Phoenix, as do many resorts, and it is a way to make outdoor dining bearable.
But the supply chain had other plans, and his system arrived in September. Realizing he might encounter a delay getting outdoor heaters for winter, he ordered them before summer ended. Luckily, they have shown up.
Continuous surprises
Paula Haney, who owns the Hoosier Mama Pie cafes in Chicago, says she has no trouble finding staples like butter, sugar and eggs. But every week seems to bring a different, often quirky shortage. Earlier this fall, Haney couldn’t obtain baking powder. In late December, suppliers were out of grainy mustard. She says they’ve learned to roll with the punches, taking dishes off the menu, changing up ingredients in others. In a pinch, she turns to Instacart, which she joined as a last resort early in the pandemic.
Has your business been forced to improvise? What differences have you noticed at your favorite places?
Mario Batali Resurfaces In Traverse City, Michigan
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been largely absent from the restaurant scene since he became embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal in 2017.
He tried a speedy comeback, only to be shouted down by servers and others in the midst of the #MeToo movement, and faced extensive legal headaches that cost him participation in his New York based restaurant group.
A separate set of lawsuits in Boston were settled privately last year.
Now, according to Eater, Batali is inching back. He is listed as a partner and investor in Common Good, which has two bakery cafes in Traverse City, Mich. Batali and his wife Susi own an estate in Northport, on the Leelanau Peninsula. They famously rescued a big tract of property on Lake Michigan that was in danger of being developed, and turned it into their summer home.
Since then, they’ve been active players in the northern Michigan philanthropy scene, continuing to support community organizations even amid Batali’s legal problems.
Batali’s participation in Common Good turned up in a liquor license application filed earlier this month with the Traverse City Commission.
“We plan to leverage our partnership with celebrity chef Mario Batali and launch a series of events designed to tackle the problem of food insecurity in northern Michigan,” owners Jason and Linda Gollans wrote in the application. “Each event will feature a nationally known celebrity chef, with whom we will create a once-in-a-lifetime culinary event and raise tens of thousands of dollars to fight hunger.”
Gollan told Eater, “I want to put this town on the map” for national foodies, an idea that sends shudders through some Michiganians who like the Grand Traverse region the way it is. And honestly, does Traverse City need more publicity? It’s already a destination for visitors from around the Midwest and elsewhere, as summer traffic would attest.
I’m betting stories of Batali’s rehabilitation will surface any moment. And that raises the question: how long should chefs remain out of the limelight after they’ve faced harassment allegations? Should there be a statue of limitations on exile, or is it better to keep a low profile for an indefinite time?
Without a doubt, unwanted behavior will come to light much more quickly in the new environment than it has in the past. Batali will have to prove he’s changed his ways if he takes a more public profile again.
That’s especially true, given the philosophy that Common Good espouses. On its website, the company declares that its purpose is to “better the lives of everyone we encounter. We believe that optimism and purposeful action should be a part of everything we do” along with making bread and pastries.
Stay tuned for more.
Some Cities Are Lagging In Reservations
Open Table, the restaurant reservations app, says that diners are finally booking tables at the rate they were in 2019, before the Covid outbreak.
But there are some big-city exceptions to the trend, In Philadelphia, restaurant reservations are down 38 percent from four years ago. Chicago reservations are down 21 percent.
According to Axios Chicago, a recent survey of Illinois restaurant owners found many believe it will be more than a year before things return to 2019 levels — meaning the Covid hangover could last much longer.
Why are reservations lagging in these places? One reason is the sluggish return to big city offices by employees who previously worked in business districts. Another is a continued reluctance by some diners to eat inside (I have several friends who still hesitate to dine within four walls).
A third reason is that restaurants have limited the hours and days when tables are available, due to staffing issues, the supply chain and breakouts of illnesses such as Covid, the flu and other ailments.
If you do get a reservation, be sure to honor it, or let the restaurant know in advance if you won’t be using the table. You may in possession of a scarce commodity, as King Cake is turning out to be this year in New Orleans.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
I’m so excited for my next Zoom book event. On Tuesday, I’ll be speaking to Virtually Limitless: Our Shared Shelf, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of America’s National Women’s Philanthropy. The NWP produces more than $200 million in philanthropic giving. Its aim is to make the world a better place for all, including generations to come.
The program takes place at noon ET/11 am CT. You can sign up here: the form will ask you to sign up for the entire Virtually Limitless series, which looks interesting, but you can attend just my session if you like. I’ll be speaking and taking audience questions via the chat function.
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There are some bugs going around. I know multiple people who’ve gotten the flu and a nasty cold. I’m finally over my bout with allergies. Please take care of your health.
I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans & Advice and everyone else next Sunday. Have a great week!