Introduction and Background

• Ida Shen (food program manager, Bay Area region) interviews Carolyn Jung
• Carolyn Jung: food writer/blogger based in Bay Area, featured in San Francisco Chronicle, Eating Well, Every Day with Rachel Ray
• Discussion of latest book "East Bay Cooks" featuring 41 chefs/business owners from Oakland, Berkeley, surrounding cities
• Book published approximately 1 year ago

COVID-19 Impact on Restaurant Industry

• Restaurants are "lifeblood" of community - places for casual dining, celebrations, developing relationships with staff
• Statistics from Yelp study (March-July): close to 370 restaurants closed permanently in Bay Area through July
• Bay Area is 3rd highest hit metropolitan area in US for restaurant closures
• National Restaurant Association: 100,000 restaurants nationwide closed
• Additional challenges: fires (Meadowwood Michelin 3-star restaurant burned down), weather changes affecting outdoor dining
• Most chefs hoping to break even, very few actually achieving that

Supporting Restaurants During Pandemic

• Personal comfort levels vary for indoor/outdoor dining
• Takeout recommendations:
  • Pick up directly from restaurant (avoid 10-30% delivery service fees)
  • Traffic/parking currently better than normal
• Gift card strategy:
  • Provides immediate revenue but creates future "free food" burden
  • Recommendation: use gift cards but add extra purchases (wine, cocktails, desserts, leftovers)
• World Central Kitchen donations (José Andrés non-profit):
  • Feeds people in need during catastrophes
  • Employs restaurant workers to prepare meals
  • Currently operating in Sonoma for fire relief

East Bay Cooks Book Production Process

• Publisher: Figure 1 (boutique publishing house, Vancouver)
• Business model requires chef participation in book sales/promotion
• Reached out to 100+ restaurants to secure 41 participants
• Photography at Rural Level Studio (Berkeley) by Eva Kalenko
• Professional team: art director, editor, copy editors, proofreaders
• Challenges during year-long process:
  • Chef departures/arrivals requiring recipe/photo changes
  • One restaurant had 3 chef changes during production
• COVID impact on book promotion events (many cancelled)

Recipe Testing and Development

• Mixed quality of initial recipes from chefs
• Author tested approximately half the recipes personally
• Team of family/friend testers with different specialties
• Conversion challenges: grams to imperial measurements for home cooks
• Scaling issues: restaurant portions (100 servings) down to home portions (6-7 servings)
• Multiple testing rounds for accuracy

Silicon Valley Cooks Book (On Hold)

• Started working on sister book early 2020
• 45 restaurants committed, 5 recipes tested, 4 chapters written when COVID hit
• Project put on hold due to:
  • Restaurants overwhelmed with survival concerns
  • Uncertainty about which restaurants will survive
  • 4 committed restaurants already closed permanently
• Publisher and author hope to resume work next year
• Some restaurants still expressing interest in participation

Regional Food Culture Differences

East Bay Characteristics

• Diverse, international cuisine representation
• Lower operating costs historically attracted new chefs
• Strong community of mom-and-pop establishments
• Book provided validation for area often overshadowed by San Francisco/Wine Country

Silicon Valley/South Bay Evolution

• Past 8 years saw significant dining scene improvement
• San Francisco's high costs pushed chefs to Peninsula/South Bay locations
• Less competition than San Francisco
• Multiple Michelin-starred restaurants now (Manresa, Protégé, Adega - first San Jose Michelin star)
• Tech investor backing for many restaurants
• Wealthy, educated, well-traveled customer base wanting local options

Current Food Trends

• Korean food having "big moment"
• Kimchi now widely available, incorporated in various dishes (mac and cheese, egg dishes)
• Home fermentation increasing
• Hot pot places growing pre-pandemic

Creative Pandemic Adaptations

• Plumed Horse (Saratoga): elaborate outdoor setup with chandeliers, fountain, high-end furniture
• Village Pub: $50,000 investment in outdoor deck
• Hachi Hachi: outdoor sushi bar setup
• Various chef pop-ups and cottage industry operations

Future of Restaurant Industry

• Outdoor dining will become standard consideration for new restaurants
• Takeout permanently expanded
• Fine dining faces challenges (3-hour experiences, high staffing needs)
• Customer comfort levels will vary long-term for indoor dining
• New restaurants will likely plan for outdoor spaces
• Industry will adapt and pivot as chefs are accustomed to "being in the weeds"

Diversity and Representation

• Bay Area performing better than many regions
• East Bay particularly strong in representing women of color, international cuisines
• Lower historical costs enabled diverse entrepreneurship
• Community support for businesses of color increased during Black Lives Matter movement
• Optimism for continued support for underrepresented restaurateurs

Blog and Current Activities

• Blog: Food Gal (foodgal.com)
• Mix of content: recipes, restaurant features, cookbook promotions
• Pandemic shift: takeout reviews instead of dine-in experiences
• "What I've Been Getting for Takeout" series (up to part 9)
• Increased engagement from readers seeking new takeout options

Recommended Recipes from East Bay Cooks

1. Bill Campo's Lamb Larb: Ground lamb stir-fry with Asian seasonings, served in lettuce cups or over noodles (30-minute meal)
2. A16 Pizza Recipe: Homemade pizza dough recipe, requires technique development through practice
3. Duende's Ensalada de Col: Cabbage salad with toasted pistachios, Spanish cheese, champagne vinegar dressing with touch of heavy cream
4. Bonus - Campfire Coffee (Componer Fine Catering): Sophisticated s'mores dessert with graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache with Scotch, marshmallow topping, blow-torched finish (multi-day preparation, freezes well)

Book Availability

• Available at featured restaurants (A16, Belcampo, East End Alameda)
• Costco locations in East Bay
• SF MOMA gift shop, Oakland Museum gift shop
• Local bookstores: Books Inc, Green Apple Books, Builder's Book Source Berkeley, Moe's Books Berkeley, Orinda Books
• Can combine with takeout orders from participating restaurants