Some staff kept on to portion fresh meats for freezer
Leopold’s Tavern did that for a few days, before the government officially required restaurants to close on Monday.
That used up most of their perishable food supply.
“We would have loved to have helped health care workers, or donated to others who are working hard daily during these times, but we simply didn’t have enough product or available staff to execute that,” Matt Pinch, CEO of Leo’s Group, stated in an email.
“What little we did have left were made into care packages and given to our staff who are also very much in need at this time.”
Leopold’s opted to close entirely, and has ceased doing takeout orders.
At Bushwakker, executive chef Mike Monette “had a pretty good idea that we would be closing temporarily so he cut back on his regular supply orders,” bar manager Grant Frew said in an email.
“He was able to extend the employment of some of the kitchen workers by having them process the perishables by turning fresh
What little we did have left were made into care packages and given to our staff who are also very much in need at this time.
produce into sauces and purées and portioning meats for the freezer. Food losses were greatly minimized.”
At Avenue, “We’ve always kept our ordering pretty tight, so whatever we had, we processed by way of pickling, making flavoured oils, dehydrating, curing,” said head chef Chris Torjusen, in a Facebook message.
Leftovers after that were given to staff.
— with files from Alec Salloum amartin@postmedia.com