As we all know this COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on all of lives. The hospitality industry has been devastated by this pandemic. Lots of restaurants have shut down, hotels occupancy is close to zero even recession proof style hospitality is limited. 

 

You can agree or disagree but the hospitality industry has been due for a correction sooner or later. Nobody knew COVID-19 would  be the catalyst to this correction. A lot of restaurants have opened up with no cash in the banks, concepts popping up that don’t make sense, People getting involved in this business without knowing anything about it and opening for the wrong reasons.

 

Unfortunately a lot of people in the industry have been furloughed or flat out fired. The one thing that is optimistic about what’s happening today is that Chefs and front of the house managers are starting to  re-create them selves. I commend people who instead of collecting unemployment took a decision to go out there and re-create themselves to do things that could help make them a living. What I am seeing lately is a lot of one menu item concepts starting to come about. One menu item concepts that are sustainable executable and profitable and can make someone a living. The goal today is not to get rich but to make a living. 

 

I believe these one menu item concepts are the wave of the future and are going to be the new normal for the hospitality industry. For instance the Michael Santacorce executive sous chef from The Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hallandale is now making hot sauces. Cristiano Azevedo, former General Manager  from Ad Lib in Miami is now making soups and has a company called WhatsSoupMiami. Michele Viejo, a former Sous chef from the Faena hotel is now making pastries. Rashaad Abdool, the Chef at Diplomat Prime and Ivette Garcia veteran line cook for Starr Restaurants is now making Artisenal jams and butters,

 

This is a sign that the hospitality industry is now changing to more easier simple concepts where individuals can now make a living, attempt to enjoy their lives , stay healthy and safe. 

 

Here are some examples of what people have been doing...

 

 

Rashaad Abdool and Ivette Garcia

 

"Our names are Rashaad and Ivette. I was the executive chef at Diplomat Prime in the Diplomat Beach Resort. Ivette was one of the lead line cooks in the W Hotel Ft. Lauderdale. Back in March we were both furloughed from our hotels. During the pandemic we decided to play around making jams and butters and we ended up making a business out of it, Rashaad & Ivette's Gourmet Goodies. We started doing this as something to just pass the time and have fun with, and people really liked the concept so we went along with it. Now with the culinary job market being so unpredictable, we decided to keep pushing and add on to it. We are now making fresh baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, strawberry rolls and chocolate babka's. Throughout the pandemic we have done gift boxes for the holidays, which we have collaborated with some chefs and small businesses who are in the same situation as us."

 

 

Cristiano Azevedo

 

"WhatsoupMiami started early February from the kitchen of a Midtown Miami apartment between myself, Cristiano Azevedo, and my girlfriend and partner Luisa Lopez. I’ve always had soup in my life both for cultural reasons since I’m from Portugal and we always eat soup, and since it was something easy to keep for a couple days and eat in a timely fashion. As a restaurant operator in busy cities like London and New York I would always had trouble eating healthy after working really late shifts and soup was always a suitable option as it was quick to warm up and enjoy.

 

WhatsoupMiami brings a comfort dish to a whole new level because it’s fresh and creative. We have done over 40 different recipes, and even though most of them are vegetable centered, we make a point in doing worldwide recipes on a weekly basis (for example Ajiaco from Colombia, Spanish Gazpacho, Ukrainian Beet Borscht, and some others).

 

We’ve decided to this as a business because we saw the demand for it, and how excited people were to a dish they could relate to. So many people would write to us regarding soups that made them remember their origins so we kept getting more and more excited as we grew from a couple dozen soups from a house kitchen, to hundreds of soups at a commercial kitchen where we currently operate. 

 

Even though we started right before the pandemic I think the change in consumer behavior with it had an important role in the original boost of our brand, but we’re happy that we’re still serving the same people we were back in the beginning of the year. As the project and reputation developed we’re gearing towards offering the product at various locations including retail stores who we partner with that make sense to both our missions and location needs."

 

 

Chef Michelle Vallejo

 

"Up until March 16th 2020, I was working at the JW Marriott Turnberry, running the Tidal Cove food outlet, unfortunately once the pandemic was made official and with all the closings we were all laid off.

 

A couple months later, Things started reopening, and I got a phone call that unfortunately the hotel could not being everyone back as bussines levels are not there as well I also find out that I had gotten pregnant the same week I had been laid off.

 

With all these news all at once, I knew I had to come up with something out of the box that would allow me to work while pregnant and generate enough income to be able to support our growing family, so I started posting in facebook about affordable private chef services in my city’s facebook page as well as nearby area groups, being most restaurant were still closed and a lot of high risk people were not going out, Most of my advertising was targeted to high risk people not wanting to go out, and I could bring the restaurant experience to their house. So After a month of advertising and trying different things to get a following and people to know the quality of my product, weekend bake sales(Alfajores by the dozen), Flans, empanadas, etc bussines started picking up and by August I started to be booked every weekend doing small dinner parties four to six people max, so I bought myself a Chef Jacket and started working, had a graduation for 15 people which was the biggest one i did, as bussines for the weekend parties winded down in October, another ideas popped in my head so I added In home meal prep by the hour, where I come and prep full meals at the clients house for the week with whatever they provide, and also do a cleaning of the refrigerator and make sure its all well maintained and food is not spoiling. As well started Home delivery program of weekly Family meals and Kids menu which are rolled out Wednesday evenings and clients can pre order their meals up until saturday afternoon, usually menu has seven different options for both and gets produced mon and delivered Mondays after 6:30pm and if order is two large half on Monday and half on Tuesday, also doing healthy meal prep for clients with dietary special needs delivery or in home meal prep depending on the client.

 

All prep for dinner parties and delivery is done at my house where I have a very good and efficient set up, the garage is equipped with extra dry storage as well as an extra regrigerator and two freezers, a large prep table and all the storage for to go containers and kitchen equipment I have had from before, after a couple months I had to buy a new grill and the extra fridge to accomodate the growing bussines.

 

I have created a facebook page Sublime by Chef Michelle and promote it as much as possible, in four months I have been able to get a good following and good and loyal client base.

I get most of my bussines by referrals from other clients but also through the delivery service I provide. My mother is my only help, she not only helps me with my son but she also helps me with washing dishes and clean up as well as packing and prepping, hopefully in the future once i come back from my short Maternity leave, I will be able to hire someone to help and keep growing the bussines and this new venture where the Pandemic led me to, after 20 years of working in luxury hotels and private clubs it is a refreshing change, and an eye opening experience.

I am looking forward to making this into a bigger bussines that will allow for many great things to happen in the future."

 

 

Regards, 

Aaron Michaels