From March 2020 through November 2020, BA published dispatches from food businesses documenting the impact of COVID-19 and other national and global events. Restaurant Diaries is an extension of that project: a weekly series featuring recurring voices across the food industry. Current diarists include a farmer battling wildfires and food insecurity in her community; a line cook finding his calling in the kitchen; a wine educator focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity; and a bartender turned spirits brand ambassador. Read all their dispatches here, and check back for new entries each week.
Slik Wines, Chicago
Entry 1 - February 3, 2021: We Knew What Was Missing in the Wine World—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—So We Set Out to Change It
Entry 2 - March 3, 2021: How I’m Making the Wine World More Inclusive of Black Women Like Me
Entry 3 - April 7, 2021: Restaurants Are Eager to Get Back to “Normal,” But Status Quo Isn’t Enough
Entry 4 - May 5, 2021: The Way Wine Is Served at Restaurants Is Changing
As told to Angela Burke
American Elm, Denver
Entry 1 - February 10, 2021: I’ve Been Working as a Line Cook During COVID and I Honestly Love My Job
Entry 2 - March 10, 2021: It Finally Feels Like There’s a Bit of Normalcy—and Hope—at the Restaurant
Entry 3 - April 14, 2021: A Lot of Things Are Changing Now That We’ve Got the Vaccine
Entry 4 - May 12, 2021: How I’m Making a Living Wage as a Line Cook
As told to Allyson Reedy
Grey Goose, Atlanta
Entry 1 - February 17, 2021: I’m Not Sure I’ll Ever Go Back to Bartending Full-Time
Entry 2 - March 17, 2021: I Can Do More for My Community as a Brand Ambassador Than as a Bartender
Entry 3 - April 21, 2021: The Vaccine Is Having a Profound Impact on Hospitality Workers’ Mental Health…Including Mine
Entry 4 - May 19, 2021: I Used to Teach Restaurant Staff About Vodka. Now I Teach Them About Hospitality.
As told to Elsie Yang
Namu Farm and Kitazawa Seed Co., Winters, CA
Entry 1 - February 24, 2021: I Hope We All Survive This Year and I’m Still Farming by the End of It
Entry 2 - March 24, 2021: I Don’t Know Many Farmers Who Have the Kind of Relationship I Have With This Restaurant Group
Entry 3 - April 28, 2021: My Farm’s CSA Has Become a Refuge for Asian Americans
Entry 4 - May 26, 2021: Seeds Are Our Future, but We Need a New System
As told to Aliza Abarbanel