Cook at home like a professional | Let’s Eat

We’re diving into the food ecosystem this week. Craig LaBan has a riveting story about the nation’s $100 billion seafood industry, told through the eyes of locals such as the Jersey Shore fishermen who have been stranded on shore because demand has plummeted for their restaurant-bound catches.

Remember that as much as we love that “local food” mantra, the supply chain is global. Ship owners and trucking companies are having trouble swapping out crews amid quarantines. As airlines shut down flights, air freight capacity has dropped. The delays and glitches are felt most keenly at the end of the line: the supermarket.

That’s why some restaurants have begun stocking groceries and the reason some big restaurant distributors are selling food directly to consumers.

We’re in this together for the long haul, and know that my Inquirer colleagues offer free, accurate coronavirus information, including a daily newsletter.

Email your story ideas, suggestions, and questions here, and read on for more, such as our Passover coverage which includes tips on where to order Passover meals and comforting recipes for you home cooks.

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– Michael Klein

As their restaurant clientele are mainly idle during the coronavirus pandemic, distributors that sell products such as produce, meat, and seafood are shifting their focus to retail customers. I found at least a half-dozen companies that are doing it. Instead of rolling trucks to stop at a restaurant to unload a thousand dollars’ worth of fresh meats and vegetables at a time, they pull up to a home and apartment with much smaller orders. The quality is outstanding, and so are the prices.

By the same token, some restaurants are acting as grocery stores. Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, for example, offers milk, butter, and eggs, plus a few pantry staples, at its 16 locations.

The nation’s $100 billion seafood industry is suddenly suffering a 90% decline in sales for consumption outside the home, since restaurants are on the ropes. Critic Craig LaBan explores the shakeup, from the Monica, a fishing boat that plies the Atlantic from Barnegat Light, to Samuels & Sons in South Philadelphia, one of the nation’s largest seafood distributors.

Passover and Easter have been disrupted, and this is how Louis Barson, owner of Hymie’s Merion Deli, is feeling it: "I would say we just have a dozen orders, something like that, where it would normally be hundreds,” he told Jenn Ladd. “So it almost looks like How the Grinch Stole Christmas — can you say that for a Jewish holiday?” (You can, and I might also suggest a six-foot separation at the table for Elijah.) Jenn tells of the disruption, which affects everyone, including Easter candymakers.

We share recipes for Passover dishes, including gluten-free and vegan suggestions.

Jenn also comes through with some places where you can order meals, desserts, and wine.

You can give to any number of the GoFundMe drives set up out there. Two Philly tech entrepreneurs have set up a campaign called #SavePhillyEats,a platform where restaurants can promote special experiences to raise a few bucks. For now, the list has the usual fancy-pants restaurants, though organizers are trying to get all kinds of restaurants and bars to join. It’s free, and 100% of the proceeds go to the individual restaurants.

Make your own sourdough starter and get into bread baking with Craig LaBan.

Our list of restaurants in the region offering carryout and delivery keeps growing.

Catching up with our food coverage? Here’s last week’s “Let’s Eat” newsletter.

Craig LaBan’s Q&A does not appear this week.