Foodie & The Beast from Home: May 31, 2020
We have stood and continue to stand with the protesters. On Saturday, May 30th before the upside down world became a ball of fire, David and Nycci recorded Foodie & The Beast. It seems like a year ago that we were all so excited for Phase 1 to begin in DC and with that, Shawn Townsend, DC’s director of the mayor’s office of nightlife and culture, joined us. Shawn's initial charge was to be the “ambassador” and central point of contact between DC Government, the nightlife industry, and District residents. That said, the pandemic put DC’s hospitality industry and nightlife on hold - Shawn is an industry advocate and is helping people and places reopen responsibly. Debbie Shore, cofounder and CEO of Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry was back and had a lot to impart about the additional food-related challenges of feeding America’s hungry – kids, in particular – in the middle of supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID 19 mess. Chef/restaurateur/hospitality industry activist with the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) Camilla Marcus (West-bourne, in NYC) put a spotlight on the fact that, (1) with 11 million unemployed, restaurants are a top contributor to rising unemployment, (2) that only 1 in 10 restaurants has yet been able to access PPP funds, and (3) what the IRC is doing on the local and national levels to save local restaurants affected by COVID-19 shutdowns. Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) is forging ahead with plans to open The Roost — soon -- a multi-market concept under one roof, and Nick Farrell is creating the entire cocktail program for the new bar, Show of Hands. We learned about Nick’s focus on ABV cocktails (apparently people still want them during the pandemic) and the cocktails he has been batching every week and selling through Neighborhood Provisions. Juan Coronado, creative director and owner of the Colada Shop, a RAMMY nominee for cocktail program of the year, whipped up the Cuban Martini that everyone should enjoy while listening to last weeks show. Shake, strain, and listen in to the full episode here.
