Classic Beards, 50 Best quarantine, Yasuda and Smith gone, Manzke lucky, and more...
Family Meal - Tuesday, February 25th, 2020
Hello Tuesday,
Greetings from beautiful Greenwich, Connecticut, our sixth “home” in five weeks. The big news back in Hong Kong this morning: Schools will now remain closed until late April. So… Heading to Fort Greene, Brooklyn for home number seven this afternoon. No end in sight.
No need for thoughts and prayers. Just please forgive typos and omissions, and stick with me. I am tired.
Let’s get to it…
Awards Season – Coronavirus in my inbox last night: “The organiser of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and [host region] Saga Prefecture have together taken the reluctant decision to cancel this year’s on-site event programme in Japan. After consultation with The Governor of Saga Prefecture, 50 Best feels it has no alternative but to reformat the awards ceremony and related events on this occasion.”
Beard Season – 2020 James Beard Awards semifinalists will be announced tomorrow, the 26th, but the final list of “American Classics” is already out. And the winners are… Lassis Inn, Little Rock (Owners: Elihue Washington Jr. and Maria Washington); Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, Frankenmuth, MI (Owners: Al Zehnder, Susan Zehnder, and Martha Zehnder Shelton); Puritan Backroom, Manchester, NH (Owners: Arthur Pappas, Chris Pappas, and Eric Zink); Oriental Mart, Seattle (Owners: Mila Apostol and Joy Apostol); El Taco de Mexico, Denver (Owner: Sasha Zanabria); and Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que, Brownsville (Owner: Armando Vera). Official announcement here. Congrats, all!
IP Freely – An article by Colm Keena in the Irish Times seems to imply that Heston Blumenthal’s Melbourne restaurant, Dinner by Heston has been dodging taxes by shifting some proceeds to an Irish shell company named Bacon & Egg Ice Cream Ltd. “The accounts for the Dublin company show that in 2013 it took on ownership of intangible assets of €8.7 million, the value of which has since decreased year-on-year. As of 2018 the intangible assets were worth €1.4 million… Ireland has very generous provisions allowing for the non-payment of tax on income arising from intellectual property which is being written down in value.” Shockingly, no generous provisions for the restaurant staff and suppliers still owed millions.
The Numbers – In the Washington Post, Richard Morgan has the work/income diary of gig cook Zia Sheikh, chock full of good numbers and smart gig economy critique. Sample surge pricing:“On a recent Saturday on Pared, Bouchon Bakery at Rockefeller Center posted a prep cook ad at 7:35 a.m. offering $20 an hour — increasing to $22 at 8:02 a.m. Later that morning, Belcampo put up a 10:19 a.m. post for an $18-an-hour line cook gig that crept up to $24 by 11:03 — a $6-an-hour raise in just 45 minutes. Similarly, an event-cook gig at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center went from $20 an hour at 3 p.m. to $26 by 9 p.m.” Seems like a quality, low-stress system for all involved!
The Close Call – Per Michael Kirkorian on Twitter with hospital photo last night: “Famed L.A. chef Walter Manzke [of Republique] hit by a car on Pico. Suffers serious injuries, but 'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.’"
The Suits / OK PR – The Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman reports, “In September, Mirabelle owner Hakan Ilhan sued his former chef Frank Ruta for allegedly violating a non-compete agreement by accepting a position at competing [DC] fine-dining restaurant Annabelle. This week, the two parties settled the lawsuit. Ruta will continue to work at Ashok Bajaj‘s modern American restaurant in Dupont Circle and has agreed not to recruit any staff from his ex-employer, Ilhan says. No money exchanged hands.” That all sounds fine, but… just for fun, we should all read “no money” as oddly specific.
The Suits / Bad PR – Headline in The Mercury News: “Michelin-starred Bay Area seafood restaurant stored food amid rodent droppings, lawsuit by fired culinary director claims.” Accuser: Jonathan De Wolf. Accused: Angler. Full story from Ethan Baron.
The Bid – “Tilman Fertitta’d Golden Nugget casino business has offered to buy the rights to The Palm high-end steakhouse chain for $50 million.” Details via Peter Romeo in Restaurant Business Online. Your move.
Some sad news – In CA, “Glenn Yasuda, founder of the pioneering produce-centric grocery store Berkeley Bowl, has died. He was 85.” Full obit from the Chronicle’s Janelle Bitker.
And in NY, “Barbara Smith, a fashion model who created a business empire by catering to the tastes of aspiring black professionals with her restaurants, television shows, bedding and furniture collections and books on entertaining, died on Saturday at her home on Long Island. She was 70.” William Grimes has that obituary in the NYT.
For Design Fans – Got this one from Amanda Kludt’s newsletter (which is fine), and surprised I haven’t seen it around more. Headline in Architectural Digest: “How Restaurateur Keith McNally Built Texture Into His 1919 Cotswolds Home.” Come for the texture in the home: “I discovered that oil paint, over time, oxidizes pine and turns it a sensational honey color while drawing out its luscious texture.”
Stay for the texture in the text: “The granite counter was the one thing I regretted most at [the house]... Unfortunately, it was chosen by my wife, and not wishing to end up divorced I kept it… About three quarters in, Augustine—the restaurant that, if well reviewed, was going to pay for the renovations—opened to lousy reviews. Two weeks later I had a severe stroke that left my right side half paralyzed and my speech so badly affected that whenever I spoke it sounded as though I were speaking underwater. But God wasn’t finished yet, because four months after we moved in, He delivered His punch line: My wife filed for divorce. On the plus side, at least I could now change the black granite counter. Except that since the divorce and the stroke cost me an arm and a leg, I could no longer afford it.”
And that’s it for today. Time to pack. Again.
Oh, and many, many thanks again to all who have offered to help in some way! I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
I’ll see you here soon for next Family Meal.
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