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It’s been over two years since restaurants awakened into a new reality where COVID-19 dictated what a “safe” dining experience should be.
As everyone scrambled to work within shifting guidelines, innovative solutions emerged, expanding a burgeoning movement of folks looking for alternatives to standard restaurant gigs or brick & mortars or even a food truck at the local Off The Grid. We saw an explosion of home-based pop-ups and meal services, street vendors and guerilla sidewalk bakesales too. And despite everything, aspiring food entrepreneurs managed to find success and even thrive with their newly hatched businesses.
A couple of ‘for instances’?
Chef Booli Huerta of Fish and Bonez, a trans-BIPOC Oakland chef was recently featured in Bon Appetit for reshaping “America’s New Queer Food Capital” with queerness being “both radical and accepted”.
Annie Wang of Annie’s T Cakes recasts traditional Asian baked goods in a plant-based form - Nostalgia, but made for a better planet. Her smiley-faced almond cookies starred in the premiere of the mega-hit film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
[Both without a permanent or traditional commercial kitchen to work out of!]
These fresh new voices and talents hit home with how soothing and scrumptious a home-cooked meal could be. And the excitement of the ‘hunt’ caught us well! A Chino Latino Street Taco to hit up here. Whispers of a banging buko pie on Instagram. The perfect dumpling on Facebook Marketplace. With news of the trendiest popups coming out every other day, our neighbors are becoming the hottest new chef on the block.
But. Always a but!
Even though expanded legislation has passed opening doors for more home cooks to legally sell their products and meals, there are still expensive and arduous permitting processes in place, especially for street vendors. And as budding new businesses hope to scale up, what’s the next step? How do they do it ethically, with thoughtfulness and care? How do they fund it?
And if they stay the same, will we stay with them? As the world opens up and we travel and eat out again, can we be relied on to keep buying that speciality thing offered only on alternate Wednesdays?
So many questions, so many issues to keep an eye on. Our first line advice? Continue to support those that are experimenting, sharing their skills and passions. We’re blessed to have such a creative and ambitious group of food entrepreneurs in our area - so go eat some pie, have some hodduk, grab fresh masa to make tortillas at home, try a Mich-Muffin. And be sure to share with us that next must have bite or crazy amazing street chef!
Eating & Supporting Local,
The SFEB Team
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