Local black restaurant owners on George Floyd, fear and hope
There was a moment in my interview last week with Claire Mack, owner of Claire's Crunch Cake and the first African-American mayor of San Mateo, when she recalled something her niece said when she was a young girl.
Her niece was sitting on the lap of a white, blue-eyed woman. She asked the woman, "Can you see the same out of your eyes as I see out of my brown eyes?"
Remembering this moment, Mack said to me, "Too many people see differently out of their blue eyes than I see out of my brown ones. Wisdom from a 3-year-old."
This memory of a child's unfiltered comment really hit me. It strikes at the heart of what people across the country are protesting: the inherent, ingrained inequality in the way black people are seen in the world.
Mack, along with several other black men and women who run local food businesses,generously shared their reactions to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police. I wish I had recorded our interviews so you could hear these raw, gut-wrenching and also incredibly beautiful conversations. Each had their own stories — lifetimes of injustices and racism both subtle and overt. Their feelings about the current moment ranged from despair to hope and everything in between.
I've been thinking hard about how I can use my privilege as a white journalist with an (admittedly small) platform to advance our collective conversation about race in a meaningful and sustained way. I commit myself to including more black voices in my stories and reporting on the systemic issues underpinning the protests. I want to try to answer questions such as: Why are there so few black-owned eateries in Silicon Valley? Why are more of them food trucks and home food cottage businesses than brick-and-mortar restaurants? What are food media's blind spots when it comes to covering communities of color?
A list of black-owned restaurants isn't a substitute for the reform this country so desperately needs, but where we choose to spend our money signals our values and lasts longer than any Instagram post. (Here's our Peninsula list.) It's something tangible we can all do today, right now, tonight, that has an impact in our community. Max Fennell of Fenn Coffee said that last week was the first time he received "such a significant influx of orders that we are backed up on fulfillment." Keith Richardson, owner of Keith's Chicken N Waffles in Daly City, said his restaurant sold out this weekend, which he attributed to increased visibility from news articles, social media and delivery apps.
"The response to all of these events has been very beneficial to us," Richardson told me.
I hope that response continues. I hope we return to these restaurants again and again (I know I plan to). I hope we continue to have uncomfortable conversations with each other even and especially after the protests have ended. I hope you hold me accountable to doing that here.
Stay safe and healthy, Elena
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Restaurant intel: return of the Nut House; Marufuku Ramen coming to Redwood City
The Rosewood hotel in Menlo Park remains closed but last weekend debuted an outdoor pop-up cafe, serving Coffeebar espresso drinks and pastries Wednesday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meanwhile, hotel restaurant Madera is set to reopen for outdoor dining on June 18.
ICYMI, San Francisco's Craftsman and Wolves is now slinging pastries at the California Avenue Farmers Market on Sundays. The bakery is best known for an architectural feat of pastry genius called the Rebel Within: a sausage, cheese and scallion muffin with a runny soft-boiled egg hiding inside. You can also place orders online for pickup at the market.
Ordering cocktails to-go from an underground speakeasy isn't *quite* the same as imbibing in person, but still fun. Wunderbar, the cocktail bar under construction in the basement of Wursthall in San Mateo, is serving bottled drinks for pickup, like the "Offshore Breeze" with bourbon, amaro, peach, lemon, honey and bitters. "Pretend you're on vacation by choice with a chilled glass, rocks, and your favorite chair."
Palo Alto's Protégé has lost tens of thousands of dollars per month since closing in mid-March, according to a class action lawsuit the Michelin-starred restaurant filed against its insurance company over unpaid COVID-19 losses. Restaurants from The French Laundry to In-N-Out arefighting their insurance companies for pandemic claims, including through aformal advocacy group.
Sponsored Cafe Brioche is now open for outdoor dining. Cafe Brioche is now open by reservation only for outdoor seating at the sidewalk cafe. The restaurant is also offering 20% discount off all wines for Palo Alto residents and is open for takeout and delivery.Reserve your table now
What I'm eating
Claire Mack remembered eating Phyllis Cooksey's "wonderful" fried catfish at Jonathan's Fish and Chips years ago. The brick-and-mortar restaurant on Willow Roadis no longer in operation, but thanks to a Yelp comment I found the Jonathan's food truck parked on Bay Road between Pulgas Avenue and Demeter Street in East Palo Alto. It's there Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring cash.
The fried catfish was nothing short of wonderful: ethereally light and delicate, without a drop of oil in sight, served on a bed of thick-cut fries. Best eaten while still piping hot, drizzled with lemon juice while alternating dips in the sides of vinegary hot sauce and tartar sauce. The truck also does fried snapper, prawns and oysters, plus sides like fried corn, okra and hushpuppies.
Sponsored Let Us Do The Grilling This Father's Day MacArthur Park is offering curbside pickup on June 21st from noon to 7 p.m. for a special Father's Day BBQ menu. 15% of all proceeds will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank and Palo Alto Community Fund. Regular hours: Tuesday to Saturday 4-8 p.m. Order online now
Anti-racism newsletter. A message from Bird Dog about donating proceeds toNicole Cardoza's anti-racism newsletterprompted me to sign up. "Anti-racism work doesn't start and end when the protests do. It's a practice, which means we do it consistently, over time and with vigor," she writes. It's a daily reminder in my inbox of this work and includes practical yet probing questions about everything from performative allyship to how to support black colleagues.
Support black farmers. If you're looking for a local black-owned farm or CSA to support, here's a helpful Bay Area list.
Sponsored Sizzling with anticipation at seeing all of you again at Zareen's! Chicken tikka masala, desi paleo salad, palak methi paneer -- come enjoy all your favorite Pakistani/Indian dishes. Zareen's has reopened for outdoor dining, takeout and delivery. Order online
Sponsored Dine outside at Dinah's Poolside Restaurant Enjoy farm to table meals while you soak up the sun. In addition to Dinah's new extended hours, the restaurant is offering a special Father's Day menu to help you celebrate the dads in your life. View the menu and more
About the Peninsula Foodist
Elena Kadvany covers restaurants and education for Embarcadero Media. She's a Peninsula native, thinks In-N-Out is better than Shake Shack and is already planning her next meal.
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