RESTAURANTS FIND NEW WAYS TO FEED LAID-OFF WORKERS
In an effort to keep some of his cooks employed and feed some of the laid-off restaurant workers he could not, Trust Restaurant Group owner Brad Wise is launching a weekly sponsored meal program today.
Conceived by TRG wine director Ben Zuba, the new Industry Steak Night program at Rare Society Steakhouse will provide up to two free, take-home, threecourse steak dinners to restaurant workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Wise has kicked off the program with a $5,000 donation.
Members of the public can donate $35 to the program, which will provide one dinner to a laid-off worker that includes Caesar salad, Parker house rolls, steak, green beans, whipped potatoes and dessert, along with a note of encouragement from the donor.
Meals will be available for pickup by reservation only on Wednesday nights at Rare Society, 4130 Park Blvd., San Diego. They will be distributed every Wednesday night, as long as there are pre-purchased meals in the Industry Night “bank.” This week’s dinners are sold out, but donations and reservations are being taken for next week and beyond.
Wise said reaction to the meal program has been very positive, and he has received several offers of volunteer help from cooks at shuttered restaurants owned by CH Projects. With the public’s support, he hopes to work up to preparing as many as 500 meals a week. To donate dinners for the cause, visit raresocietysd.com/ industry/.
Pacifica Del Mar launches team dinners
To supplement its curbside pickup meal service, Pacifica Del Mar restaurant has launched a Team Dinners program, where companies forgoing a staff Christmas party this year can instead order take-home meals for their employees.
Companies can purchase vouchers for family-style threecourse meals for four that employees can redeem for reserved curbside pickup at the Del Mar Plaza restaurant. Prices range from $55 for a penne pasta or roasted freerange chicken breast family meal to $65 for a braised beef short rib family meal, $85 for sugar-spiced salmon meal or $95 for grilled filet mignon meal. To order, visit pacificadelmar.com.
Padres host holiday food, gift market
To provide a new COVID-safe holiday experience, the San Diego Padres have opened an outdoor walk-through Holiday Trail & Market in Petco Park’s Gallagher Square.
From 4 to 9:30 p.m. nightly through Dec. 23, members of the public can take a one-way walk through illuminated and decorated rows of artisan huts selling mulled wine, bratwurst, shortbread and apple cider and other food items, as well as glass ornaments, wood figurines, gingerbread houses, soaps and oils and other gifts. Tickets are $10 for children and $14 for adults.
Face masks are required, and only a limited number of tickets will be sold each night to avoid overcrowding. For advance purchase, visit padres.com/holiday.
Hawthorn duo buys local hot sauce firm
Baby Clydesdale, a hot sauce company founded in 2015 by San Diegans David Mead and Justine Marzoni-Mead, has been acquired by father-and-son business partners Kevin and Dyland Redmon, who own Hawthorn Coffee and Company Coffee Roasters.
Baby Clydesdale’s products were sold at farmers market and were featured on the menus at several local restaurants, including at Hawthorn Coffee in North Park.
“We’ve been making our toasts at Hawthorn Coffee since day one, but when we added Baby Clydesdale sauces to them, it just elevated our whole food program,” Dylan Redmond said.
Baby Clydesdale’s line of jarred sauces includes sriracha, carrot habanero ginger, spicy vegan pesto, spicy romesco and citrus mango habanero jam. More flavors will be added next year. The hot sauces are now available for retail sale at Hawthorn and as an ingredient in several menu items. Visit babyclydesdale.com.
New chefs at Union Kitchens
OMG Hospitality Group has hired new chefs for two of its local restaurant locations.
Christopher Gerwig is the new executive chef at Union Kitchen & Tap in the Gaslamp Quarter. Two of his new dishes are pork porterhouse and hamachi crudo with roasted jalapeño-pomegranate salsa. Previously, he worked as executive chef at Searsucker in San Diego. Anthony Calamari is the new executive chef at Union Kitchen & Tap in Encinitas. Two of his new dishes are sweet potato ravioli and wild boar ragu. He previously worked for Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill and Urban Plates.