Celebrity Katherine Schwarzenegger took to Twitter over the weekend to vent her frustration at a very clear lack of social distancing going on at the tony Brentwood Farmers Market. TMZ captured a shot of the closed-off street crowded with customers, strollers, baskets, and stands, which Schwarzenegger called “a huge issue when it comes to social gatherings.” There’s no word yet on whether or not (or even how) enforcement might ramp up around physical distancing during the novel coronavirus pandemic at places like farmers markets, which are considered essential during the state’s mandatory Safer at Home initiative, though some operators have told Eater that officials have begun spot-checking restaurants to make sure they are conforming to safety standards, takeout methods, and spacing. Los Angeles County has already closed public beaches and hiking trails because of overcrowding.
The Brentwood Farmers Market Is Too Crowded For Social Distancing, Celeb Says
And other news, including questions of food safety with Caviar
In other news:
— Glendale’s Mini Kabob is reopening today after figuring out a safe new takeaway only model for customers and the Martirosyan family. The restaurant first closed earlier this month.
— Hail Mary Pizza in Atwater Village said on its Instagram page that it is no longer working with delivery app Caviar moving forward, “until Caviar/DoorDash institute screening processes, training, and mandatory safety standards that are audited regularly.” The restaurant has instead turned to a curbside system for pickup only, where customers call in their order and queue up in their cars until the order is ready.
— Chef Royce Burke has resurrected his project Secret Lasagna in a pop-up space at Santa Monica and La Brea. Burke is not only selling his individually-sized lasagnas, he is using the space as a marketplace for meats, dried goods, wine, and more. What’s more: for every order placed, Burke is donating a lasagna to a family in need.
— Few for All is a collection of restaurant veterans (including Ramzi Budayr from the NoMad Group and Tyler Curtis from Pilot at the Hoxton) who have taken to making dried pasta, with the promise that each purchased take-home $12 quart helps to fund a matching quart for the Los Angeles Food Bank. The group is donating a full 200 pounds to the food bank today.
