TAKE AWAY ONLY

REPLAY: Working nearly every job imaginable in New York City's restaurants and bars, from diners to fine dining, Zak Snyder has learned to live on the economic edge. Now facing serious personal health issues on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zak is putting his life on the line to serve his community. **THIS EPISODE ORIGINALLY RAN ON MARCH 26TH

REPLAY: FoodLab Detroit's Executive Director Devita Davison helps small businesses come into existence, leading a dynamic incubator and accelerator program for nearly 200 local members. But what happens when those businesses are all threatened at once? Listen in as Devita gives a dynamic, full-throated and must-hear master class on how to organize, how to generate hope and vision and why Detroit is uniquely positioned to help heal a suffering nation. **THIS EPISODE ORIGINALLY RAN ON MARCH 25. https://foodlabdetroit.com

Lucali's Mark Iacono and Best Pizza's Frank Pinello join us from Brooklyn to talk about reliability, innovation, mortality, compassion, fear and running two of New York City's most iconic pizzerias over the course of COVID-19.

Is building a strong and just communications strategy the secret sauce for an ailing industry? Veteran communications expert Blake MacKay joins us to discuss why getting the message right is more important in this moment than ever before and why it goes deeper than common perception. Plus, where the work of undoing systemic racism starts, learning to hold a moral line in the food world and how selling cheese made Blake a more precise and empathic communicator.

Writer and chef Illyanna Maisonet's blog and accompanying newsletter, Eat Gorda Eat, has been a blessed escape from stay at home life during this pandemic. She writes about the hyper-regionality of Puerto Rican cuisine with depth, sensitivity and authority, so much so that you're transported to places like Humacao or Naranjito, at least for a little while. Illyanna joins us to talk about the endless learning of writing about Puerto Rican food, the brilliance of sofrito ice cubes and where to get the best alcapurrias. We also discuss the vital matter of getting Illyanna's debut cookbook published. Publishers, what are you waiting for? Check out Illyanna's work and subscribe to her newsletter: http://eatgordaeat.blogspot.com

In response to COVID-19, Louisville, Kentucky's LEE Initiative has grown rapidly from a 2-person non-profit to a national force, opening 19 relief kitchens in 19 cities. Co-founders Lindsey Ofcacek and Edward Lee join us to talk about taking care of hospitality workers nationwide and continuing to come up with new programs to support farmers, restaurant re-openings and to serve the legacy of David McAtee, a barbecue chef shot and killed by the National Guard in Louisville's West End on June 1. As Louisville continues to make headlines, hear what Linsdey and Edward have to say about fostering community and hope in their city. To donate to any of The Lee Initiative's campaigns, including the McAtee Community Kitchen, please visit: https://leeinitiative.kindful.com

San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic and co-host of the new podcast Extra Spicy, Soleil Ho joins us to discuss what a restaurant critic does during a pandemic and what we now mean by the term "restaurant" anyway.

Disappointed with the work culture in fine dining restaurants, Matt Jozwiak left the world of cooking tasting menus to solve food insecurity in New York City. He co-founded Rethink Food with partner Winston Chiu in 2016. During COVID-19, Rethink's work scaled in remarkable ways, cooking and donating 645,156 meals from March through June while forming key partnerships with La Morada, Ghetto Gastro and Eleven Madison Park. Matt joins us to discuss innovating in the non-profit sector, an upcoming program pledging significant funds to neighborhood restaurants and expanding Rethink to Nashville, San Francisco, New Orleans and more.

Soul Fire Farm's Leah Penniman grows food for people targeted by state violence and impacted by poverty and food apartheid. As those factors became more pronounced during the pandemic, Soul Fire Farm ramped up food production while also teaching an increasing number of people in their community how to grow food for themselves. Leah joins us to talk about her farm's activist mission, reparations, ending racism and injustice in the food system, her book, Farming While Black, the ways she fuses spirituality with social justice and what message the Earth is trying to convey to all of us. http://www.soulfirefarm.org

Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray joins us to discuss radical partnerships, feeding the Bronx, ending systemic racism, fighting respectability politics, using storytelling as a tool to dismantle white supremacy, black joy as an act of rebellion, a six-figure T-shirt fundraiser, Ghetto Gastro's Juneteenth plans and much more.

Seattle's Addo restaurant, and its chef-owner Eric Rivera, have moved through this pandemic with maximal creativity, nonstop innovation and awe-inspiring output. Eric joins us to explain how he's using Puerto Rican food, online gaming, time travel, book borrowing, virtual cooking classes and camping, the cuisine of Russia, donated meals, and dozens more ideas and elements to keep Addo thriving. Plus, the future of the restaurant from service to the dish pit, a dissection of Eric's creative process and the ways he's planning to fight for social and racial justice for the long term.

Othón Nolasco and his partners Damian Diaz and Aaron Melendrez at Va'La Hospitality have spent the pandemic feeding undocumented hospitality workers in Los Angeles. Othón joins us to talk about turning anger at a flawed system into an effort to provide food to 660 families a week through their aptly named, growing organization, No Us Without You!

Basbaas founder and In Bibi's Kitchen author, Hawa Hassan and Colonia Verde chef-owner, Felipe Donnelly talk about fellowship, serving their community, using gratitude as a lifeline and summoning the fortitude to show up time and time again.

His business partner died; COVID-19 closed his restaurant; and now, amidst civil unrest in Cincinnati, Christian Gill continues to fight for the safety and survival of Boomtown Biscuits and Whiskey. Christian joins us to discuss leading while mourning, grasping diplomacy through anger, the failures of police and the importance, for him, of doing his best with what he has.

Honeysuckle's Omar Tate joins us from Philadelphia during an emotional week of protests and racial tension to talk about finding his way as a black chef in America and expressing the experience of blackness through his food. Hear why he interpreted the MOVE bombing on a plate, how he's discovered ultimate autonomy and what $100 bean pies could mean to the future of his cooking and his neighborhood.

Finding themselves suddenly out of work, Ramzi Budayr, Tyler Curtis and Mallory Cayon combined their considerable hospitality talents and energy to launch Few For All, a meal kit service specializing in fresh pastas, sauces, cookies and cinnamon rolls. Since launching in March, they've also donated more than 5,000 pounds of their pasta to the LA Regional Food Bank, helping to rally against food insecurity. Hear how they've grown, what they've learned, and how Few For All plans to help protesters as demonstrations grip Los Angeles.

As Navajo Nation's COVID-19 infection rate reached the highest in America, chef Brian Yazzie began a drive to send money, food and other resources back to Dennehotso, Arizona, the community in which he grew up. Hear how Brian plans to help return abundance to his ancestral home through food and farming and how he's feeding Native American elders in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Donate to the Dennehotso Families Covid-19 Relief Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dennehotso-families-covid19-relief-fund

Millions of children across America depend on schools for basic nutrition. Brigaid's Dan Giusti discusses how to keep meals coming during a time when schools cannot open. Plus, Dan tackles a growing demand to feed senior citizens and advocates for an important piece of legislation, the Universal School Meals Program Act.

After two years of perpetual hustle opening and sustaining Nyum Bai, her Oakland, California restaurant, chef-owner Nite Yun didn't realize the extent of her exhaustion. She's used a period of this pandemic to reset and refocus, to develop new rituals and learn treasured recipes from her mother. She joins us to discuss Cambodian rock and roll, making nom ansom and her ambitious and delicious plans to open a new iteration of Nyum Bai in June.

Iluka's Beau Clugston joins us to discuss working through stress, fear and longing to renovate his Copenhagen restaurant while launching two new concepts during a pandemic.

Long before opening Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin in New Orleans, Nina Compton grew up in Saint Lucia, the daughter of the island's Prime Minister. Hear how being raised around politics prepared her for this moment, and her work with the Independent Restaurant Coalition, what it means to cook in a city who understands how to rescue its own, and Nina's ingenious and special plan for reopening Bywater on June 4th.

Julio Barzola arrived in the United States from Ecuador in 1985 and two years later, he opened his first restaurant in Brooklyn, followed by another in Jackson Heights, Queens. His son Xavier arrived in New York from Ecuador in 1991 and began working in the kitchen soon after. For the Barzolas, Ecuadorian restaurants are the family business and 2 years ago, Xavier, now 44, opened Barzola East Elmhurst, set in a part of Queens where COVID-19 has now been diagnosed in 1 in every 24 people. Hear how Xavier's 20-year-old daughter, Arlene, a business administration major at Queens College, inspired her father to stay open through the pandemic and how they adjusted their business model to sustain a community in need.

Did operating his new restaurant in China give Christopher Kostow a blueprint for how to handle his Napa restaurants during a pandemic? What tests of character did he face? What will become of wet markets and the 12 Days of Christmas? And what's going on at the Restaurant at Meadowood with CSA boxes, jelly beans and berries? Christopher Kostow joins us from the newly reopened Charter Oak in St. Helena, California to discuss all this and more.

Shutting down for COVID-19 prompted Sydney, Australia's Josh Niland, to get to work reshaping his innovative seafood restaurant Saint Peter for a different kind of future. Construction is already underway. Seating configurations are changing. His nights in the restaurant will be designed for greater intimacy and his successful and inspired new take away business, Mr. Niland at Home, launched in March, will live on as a meaningful revenue stream. Josh joins us from Sydney for a candid discussion about the cost of perfectionism, the stress of creativity and the pressure of getting the plan right for the next phase of his business--and his life.

Singapore seemed to have COVID-19 in check. The curve was flattening. A resurgence of the virus, however, presents a cautionary lesson for the rest of the world. Teng Wen Wee, managing partner of the Lo & Behold Group, joins us to discuss the emotional ups and downs of running one of his country's premiere restaurant groups throughout this pandemic, the fate of Singapore's treasured Hawker Centers, Michelin 3-star take away from Odette and feeding migrant workers through the Straits Clan Community Kitchen program. To learn more about Lo & Behold, follow them on Instagram @lobeholdgroup To learn more about Straits Clan Community Kitchen, visit: https://straitsclan.com/communitykitchen And to donate: https://www.giving.sg/campaigns/homeforall-migrants

Anna Dunn began working at Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn 15-years ago, lying about being a morning person and ending up working an early shift. Anna stayed on because of the type of community the restaurant has fostered, playing many roles in the Diner universe including editing its excellent magazine, Diner Journal, and working on an upcoming Diner cookbook. When COVID-19 hit, Anna knew her fellow restaurant workers would be extremely vulnerable, so, along with colleagues Kelly Sullivan and Seamus Branch, Anna started a mutual aid organization turned 501(c)(3) called the Service Workers Coalition where over $100,000 has been raised. Anna discusses its formation and speedy evolution plus why it's important to help eradicate shame surrounding the articulation of peoples' needs. You can learn more about Service Workers Coalition on Instagram at @serviceworkerscoalition and donate: https://ioby.org/project/grocery-stipends.

As New Yorkers settle in for month 3 without a sit-down restaurant meal in sight, restaurateur Gabriel Stulman is both innovating and looking for relief. Will his landlords run him out of business before he even has a chance to re-open? Will personal bankruptcy be on the table, too? Hear how Gabriel is pursuing protective legislation, running a grocery and feeding front line workers, all the while wondering how many of his 9 restaurants will survive the pandemic and the year.

Since opening 33 years ago, London's legendary River Cafe has only closed twice: for six months after a fire and for one day after the death of co-owner Rose Gray. As the restaurant endures this most recent emergency, hear how owner Ruth Rogers and team have designed a new business while sticking to their values, what it means to Shop the River Cafe and how Rogers, with her signature tenderness, is envisioning re-opening. True to form: she's hoping for a party.

From packing and distributing Saturday farm boxes to joining in solidarity for #IRunWithMaud, the leadership at The Grey and The Grey Market in Savannah, Georgia, have made a pact to be present and to do the right thing for their community. Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano join us to discuss their responsibilities to Savannah, to their industry, to their team and to each other.

After seeing a precipitous decline in restaurants' business all throughout Manhattan's Chinatown and witnessing the xenophobic bullying of Asian senior citizens, Kopitiam's Moonlynn Tsai decided to take a stand for her community. Heart of Dinner, an organization Moonlynn co-founded, brings comfort to seniors in Chinatown by lovingly delivering meals and pantry staples to a homebound population especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Hear what Moonlynn is cooking, who she's collaborating with and how she ultimately intends to keep Kopitiam, and Chinatown, going in the face of both racism and a pandemic.

#AskChefsAnything began as an idea to raise money for immigrant workers in New York and soon became a national campaign. Now, on the verge of expanding the auction-based initiative to Philadelphia, Miami, St. Louis, Dallas and Chicago, cofounder Anna Polonsky joins us to discuss strategy and growth as well as the future of her consultancy, Polonsky & Friends. Hear which activists Anna wants to collaborate with, why mission-driven restaurants represent a healthier future, how logos become powerful statements of identity and action and details about the documentary series Anna is working on about gastro-diplomacy in the Middle East, featuring the great Anissa Helou.

Master Sommelier and co-founder of Colorado's Frasca Hospitality Group joins Take Away Only to talk about why storytelling matters in government, making up for lost lobbying time and how restaurateurs plan to get congress to act on their behalf. Plus, the challenges of changing expectations, the health and spirit of Friulian wine makers and what a hospitality legend has planned for a special occasion in a time without restaurants.

What happens to the most social among us when social distancing becomes the norm? Matty Matheson joins Take Away Only to discuss separation anxiety, imposter syndrome and his own deep-seeded need for human contact. Plus, details on Matty's now-delayed dream restaurant in Toronto and what he's trying to achieve with his new Meat + Three pop-up in his hometown of Fort Erie, Ontario.

Nobody runs a restaurant quite like Mei Mei's Irene Li. Her finances are open to the public. Her sense of transparency is radical. Addressing social inequality matters as much as the menu. Hear how these values evolve throughout a pandemic, what Mei Mei's function will be in the coming months and which restaurants, beyond her own, Irene is actively trying to save.

Treats Help brings New York City's best baked goods, from places like Le Bernardin, Mah-Ze-Dar and Ovenly, to its most critical workers. Launched by Melanie Dunea, Anjali Kumar, Judi Wong, Stephanie March and Gail Simmons, the organization supplies much needed cash to local bakeries and restaurants, who in turn make bite-sized delights for hospital workers throughout the 5 Boroughs. Melanie Dunea joins us to discuss the logistics of launching and running the initiative, the virtues of dessert, developing a PPE protocol, and how she's coping by helping.

As Zuni Café's chef de cuisine, Nate Norris oversees one of the most seminal kitchens in San Francisco, a place that's as much a community anchor as it is a restaurant. But what happens when the needs of the community change rapidly and a restaurant is asked to play a greater role? Nate Norris joins us to discuss what actions Zuni has taken, how those actions will shape the restaurant's future, building trust amongst a new and vulnerable audience and what Zuni's plans are for reopening with take away on May 6th.

Being married to a New York City nurse means COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of chef JJ Johnson's life, including the mission of his restaurant, Fieldtrip. Hear about the healthcare workers he's been feeding, the Harlem neighbors he's been meeting and why JJ thinks his business is ready to scale up--and scale now.

Chris Shepherd joins us from Houston to discuss the extraordinary work of his Southern Smoke Foundation, the survival and upcoming evolution of his four restaurants, the restorative power of "page 38 chicken," and finding unexpected relief on a massive scale at his local grocery store.

As Danish society slowly begins to reopen, René Redzepi joins us to discuss living with uncertainty, a new direction for Noma, alternative revenue streams, the reality of profit margins, group mental health, newfound reflectiveness and creativity, a new fund for former employees, preparing for future crises and establishing greater security both for his own family and for the business that represents his life's work.

As co-founder of Whetstone Magazine, host of the podcast Point of Origin and a longtime restaurant worker himself, Stephen Satterfield tells stories about food and the issues surrounding it with inimitable sensitivity, grace and intelligence. On this episode, Stephen joins us to explore what roles stories must take on during and after this pandemic, why empathy is a cornerstone of his work, how restaurants help shape our identity, where he's finding comfort now and what he believes this moment can clarify for workers, diners and anybody with a beating heart.

Cristina Martinez and her husband, Ben Miller run South Philly Barbacoa, one of our greatest and most soulful restaurants, not only for the inimitable lamb barbacoa and consommé that comes out of its kitchen starting at 5am, but for the restaurant's steadfast and rousing defense of undocumented workers. Martinez's story is epic as an immigrant and as a chef. She's now on lawyer number 3 and has spent an untold amount of money in legal fees just trying to get her papers sorted. All the while, Martinez and Miller strive to take care of the undocumented restaurant workers around them by speaking up for their cause and truly giving them visibility--a step many restaurant owners are unwilling to take. Ben Miller joins us on this episode of Take Away Only, post-shift, to continue energetically going to bat for undocumented workers while Christina, who speaks Spanish, completes yet another 15-hour shift to keep Philadelphia barbacoa-rich in the midst of a pandemic.

Formed by refugee and immigrant women in Baltimore in 2017, Mera Kitchen Collective has been built for catering, pop-ups and selling meals at the farmers' market. Mera's members are from places like Syria, El Salvador and Burkina Faso; they specialize in dishes such as saffron-infused charcoal-smoked rice, sorel chicken stew and pupusas. With the spread of COVID-19, the Collective's members decided to change their business model completely. Now, they're cooking their regional specialties for neighbors in need. Emily Lerman and Aisha Alfadhalah of Mera and Irena Stein of partner restaurant Alma Cocina Latina gather to discuss the nature of hunger, serving their community while communicating across cultures and the singular facets of this extraordinary and expanding operation.

Kith/Kin's Kwame Onwuachi talks about joining the Independent Restaurant Coalition, why he identifies with Spider-Man, the glory of unboxing a giant salmon at home, the virtues of service and listening, Eating Clean While Quarantined and managing a sense of anxiety and hopelessness all while fighting to maintain sanity and show his team how much he loves them.

As President of One Fair Wage, Co-Founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United), and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Saru Jayaraman spearheads some of the most important efforts being made to establish restaurants as safer and more equitable places to work. Hear about the millions of workers Saru is fighting for, why the minimum wage is linked to slavery, the myriad problems with unemployment insurance, the service-industry parallels between COVID-19 and 9/11 and why One Fair Wage is essential to providing a better future for workers, employers and consumers. Plus, how to support One Fair Wage's emergency efforts to get money and food to the workers who need it most.

The travel industry accounts for 10% of the global GDP and represents more than one hundred million jobs. According to industry visionary David Prior, travel also supports culture, from museums to celebrations around the world. On this episode of Take Away Only, David blessedly shares some transporting stories, while discussing what happens when communal expressions of culture go on pause. Plus, how to sustain tradition and beauty while isolated, the intensified future of experience-driven travel and how facing adversity can give even the most avid traveler a new sense of belonging and purpose at home.