Master Somms no more, Miami shame, IRC support, and more...

Family Meal - Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020

Hello Tuesday,

A short and light one today. Many of you are opening up for indoor service this week for the first time in months, and I’m sure you have… a lot on your minds. Will save my epic food media think pieces for next time.

Let’s get to it…

The Relief – Looks like the Independent Restaurant Coalition has lined up bipartisan support behind their $120B “Restaurant Stabilization Fund.” Per Siobhan Hughes in the WSJ: “Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D., Ore.) are taking the lead on the idea.” And: “Their bipartisan coalition… also includes Sens. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Chris Coons (D., Del.).” Some progress there. But we shall see.

The Shame – In Miami, the Herald’s Carlos Frías and David Smileyreport that when it comes to social distancing regulations: “Social media has stepped in to police rule breakers where governments may lag behind — public floggings that have not gone unnoticed. A new Instagram account, @covid_305, sprouted over the weekend, posting videos of restaurants, bars and hotels that appear to be ignoring the rules. Among the events shown was a party at the SLS Hotel, with a full pool ringed with partygoers dancing shoulder to shoulder. On Saturday, three Miami restaurants were shut down as part of a crackdown after social media videos made the rounds. Among them was Wynwood’s Swan, owned by nightclub owner David Grutman, where diners, including the mayor, were pressed against each other in a full restaurant.” (Italics mine.) In other words: Do the right thing; you are being watched.

The Court Case – “Wine professionals are speaking out against the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, the organization headquartered in Napa that administers the notoriously difficult Master Sommelier Examination. Among the charges: that the court failed to be equitable and inclusive for people of color. First, Atlanta wine professional Tahiirah Habibi addressed her experience taking the court’s introductory exam in New York in 2011. In a June 16 video post on Instagram, Habibi recalled how the exam proctors instructed her and other candidates to address them as ‘master,’ an honorific that recalled for her the power dynamics of slavery.” Oof. Following Habibi out the door, were Richard Betts (citing “a complete lack of empathy from the CMSA” in his resignation letter), andSomm star Brian McClintic, who made clear on Medium that his departure was about the direction (or lack thereof) of CMSA beyond just its reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement: “As I started to participate as an instructor at all levels, the issues and topics that I began to value in my evolution as a wine professional, issues like environmental awareness, tearing down pretension, cultural institutions of classist behavior, challenging elements of the exam and lecture content, were either divergent with the curriculum or not being heard.” Esther Mobley has the full story for the SF Chronicle.

Side note: Pretty sure the only new cultural court successfully established since the Crimson King assumed his throne in late 1969 is the court of King James. Everyone else should give up.

Tell (SF) PR – The SF Chronicle food section has a new podcast — Extra Spicy — hosted by Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips. The three first episodes went live yesterday, and they’ve got a comment form online for questions and topic suggestions…

Michelin Season – The 2020 Main Cities of Europe guide “covers 39 cities in 23 countries and recommends over 1,850 restaurants.” Per the press release, Krakow has its first ever star for Bottiglieria 1881; Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, makes its debut in the Guide via one star at Atelje; and Austria has two new one-stars, Apron and The Glass Garden. “Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin guides said, ‘After the challenges of the last three months, I am delighted that the delayed launch of [the guide] coincides with the gradual reopening of restaurants across Europe following a relaxation of restrictions implemented during the pandemic.” Fingers crossed...

And last and least – And then I learned… (via this piece by LA Taco’s Juan Ramirez) that there is a Mexican tequila brand named The Wall, which comes in bottles shaped like a wall and is named after, yeah, the wall. Good news is: You don’t have to spend too much mental energy worrying about this one. Pretty easy to get past it.

And that’s it for today.

I’ll see you here Friday for next Family Meal.

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