TAKE AWAY ONLY

Anna Dunn began working at Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn 15-years ago, lying about being a morning person and ending up working an early shift. Anna stayed on because of the type of community the restaurant has fostered, playing many roles in the Diner universe including editing its excellent magazine, Diner Journal, and working on an upcoming Diner cookbook. When COVID-19 hit, Anna knew her fellow restaurant workers would be extremely vulnerable, so, along with colleagues Kelly Sullivan and Seamus Branch, Anna started a mutual aid organization turned 501(c)(3) called the Service Workers Coalition where over $100,000 has been raised. Anna discusses its formation and speedy evolution plus why it's important to help eradicate shame surrounding the articulation of peoples' needs.

You can learn more about Service Workers Coalition on Instagram at @serviceworkerscoalition and donate: https://ioby.org/project/grocery-stipends.

As New Yorkers settle in for month 3 without a sit-down restaurant meal in sight, restaurateur Gabriel Stulman is both innovating and looking for relief. Will his landlords run him out of business before he even has a chance to re-open? Will personal bankruptcy be on the table, too? Hear how Gabriel is pursuing protective legislation, running a grocery and feeding front line workers, all the while wondering how many of his 9 restaurants will survive the pandemic and the year. 

Since opening 33 years ago, London's legendary River Cafe has only closed twice: for six months after a fire and for one day after the death of co-owner Rose Gray. As the restaurant endures this most recent emergency, hear how owner Ruth Rogers and team have designed a new business while sticking to their values, what it means to Shop the River Cafe and how Rogers, with her signature tenderness, is envisioning re-opening. True to form: she's hoping for a party. 

From packing and distributing Saturday farm boxes to joining in solidarity for #IRunWithMaud, the leadership at The Grey and The Grey Market in Savannah, Georgia, have made a pact to be present and to do the right thing for their community. Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano join us to discuss their responsibilities to Savannah, to their industry, to their team and to each other. 

After seeing a precipitous decline in restaurants' business all throughout Manhattan's Chinatown and witnessing the xenophobic bullying of Asian senior citizens, Kopitiam's Moonlynn Tsai decided to take a stand for her community. Heart of Dinner, an organization Moonlynn co-founded, brings comfort to seniors in Chinatown by lovingly delivering meals and pantry staples to a homebound population especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Hear what Moonlynn is cooking, who she's collaborating with and how she ultimately intends to keep Kopitiam, and Chinatown, going in the face of both racism and a pandemic. 

#AskChefsAnything began as an idea to raise money for immigrant workers in New York and soon became a national campaign. Now, on the verge of expanding the auction-based initiative to Philadelphia, Miami, St. Louis, Dallas and Chicago, cofounder Anna Polonsky joins us to discuss strategy and growth as well as the future of her consultancy, Polonsky & Friends. Hear which activists Anna wants to collaborate with, why mission-driven restaurants represent a healthier future, how logos become powerful statements of identity and action and details about the documentary series Anna is working on about gastro-diplomacy in the Middle East, featuring the great Anissa Helou.

Master Sommelier and co-founder of Colorado's Frasca Hospitality Group joins Take Away Only to talk about why storytelling matters in government, making up for lost lobbying time and how restaurateurs plan to get congress to act on their behalf. Plus, the challenges of changing expectations, the health and spirit of Friulian wine makers and what a hospitality legend has planned for a special occasion in a time without restaurants. 

What happens to the most social among us when social distancing becomes the norm? Matty Matheson joins Take Away Only to discuss separation anxiety, imposter syndrome and his own deep-seeded need for human contact. Plus, details on Matty's now-delayed dream restaurant in Toronto and what he's trying to achieve with his new Meat + Three pop-up in his hometown of Fort Erie, Ontario.

Nobody runs a restaurant quite like Mei Mei's Irene Li. Her finances are open to the public. Her sense of transparency is radical. Addressing social inequality matters as much as the menu. Hear how these values evolve throughout a pandemic, what Mei Mei's function will be in the coming months and which restaurants, beyond her own, Irene is actively trying to save. 

Treats Help brings New York City's best baked goods, from places like Le Bernardin, Mah-Ze-Dar and Ovenly, to its most critical workers. Launched by Melanie Dunea, Anjali Kumar, Judi Wong, Stephanie March and Gail Simmons, the organization supplies much needed cash to local bakeries and restaurants, who in turn make bite-sized delights for hospital workers throughout the 5 Boroughs. Melanie Dunea joins us to discuss the logistics of launching and running the initiative, the virtues of dessert, developing a PPE protocol, and how she's coping by helping.