Pamela’s Food Service Diary: Sunday, March 29, 2020. Staten Island, NY.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island food business plugs along. Owners keep up their restaurants, bakeries and delivery routes with modifications to hours. I encourage proprietors to be fastidious on updating websites and social media so we all can keep up with changes.

With cuts in staff (or no staff at all) some find themselves stretched thin among tasks like ordering, shopping, prep, production, taking orders and cleaning.

One South Shore chef said forecasting makes ordering a feat.

“I’m used to ordering anything I wanted and it would sell in two days,” he reported. “Now I’m ordering five pounds at a time just for the day. Purveyors have been very understanding. The fish is fresh but not a large variety.”

The news from around the Island is mixed -- good. And not so good.

First, the happy stuff.

Leonardo Giordano of Mona Lisa Pizzeria was overjoyed by the support of customers who boosted the Annadale pizzeria to a strong weekend so far. Jody’s Club Forest of West Brighton dabbled in prime rib on Saturday night -- $29 and $34 an order -- and it was a huge success. Terence Haggerty said he sold out of the special in less than three hours.

Hook & Rail in Travis, a butcher shop that specializes in grass-fed, organic meats, hustles with delivery. It ships orders of $100 or more around Staten Island. I placed an order Saturday and a few hours later the driver, chef Stephen Lee, placed the boxed meat and cheese purchases on our doorstep. Stephen is helping out his friends, Mike Ozga and Rob Burmeister, at the shop, to keep up with the orders -- a nice thing to see all around.

Ken Tirado of a temporarily closed Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn, Charleston, touts a performance program on Facebook for the Staten Island Shakesperean Theatre Company. Think virtual “dinner with a show” gatherings with friends.

Zara, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Dongan Hills packed up 500 meals to-go on Friday for first responders at Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health. Donations went to ICU, CCU, CTU and to the borough’s police precincts.

First responders pick up donated food from Zara in Dongan Hills. (Courtesy of Zara)

“To flatten the curve we are stretching out our employees to cover multiple positions and minimize the risk of the virus spreading,” reported Seyma Avci. She and husband, Ramazan Avci, own the restaurant.

She added, “These times are very tough for us all as a nation. Together we stand strong and we will win this battle!”

Workers from Zara in Dongan Hills send their Middle Eastern meals to police precincts around the borough. (Courtesy of Zara)

The generosity is incredible for the first responders, based on what my cousin tells me at SIUH.

A note from a colleague who was in touch with Gina Ferreri of Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, said the staff was appreciative of the borough-wide love. Some names were called out: Alfonso’s Pastry Shoppe, the Cupo Family, Ho’Brah Taco Joint, Mark’s Bake Shoppe, Pizza Mia, Pronto, Qdoba, Tom Delmarzo, Renato’s Pastry Shoppe, Nick Szymanski, The Kettle Black, Panino Rustico, Joan McKeever-Thomas, Port Richmond High School, Mancini Giuffre of Tottenville’s Zio Toto, Pier 76 of St. George, Delco Pharmacy, Cord Blood Registry and Investor’s Bank.

The food from Zara, Dongan Hills, was deposited in the lobby of Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. (Courtesy of Zara)

And then there is the not-so-happy news.

As relatives and friends of shopkeepers become ill the gravity of the situation presses down on the business community. There is concern in one family operation for an expectant daughter-in-law who works in the kitchen trenches.

Dramatic changes in business patterns continue.

Bruno’s NYC Bakery discontinued service at the West Brighton location until April 7. Their Dongan Hills bakery will be open Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is unfathomable to curtail production leading up to Easter. But it is what it is.

Project Brunch stopped drivers from making house visits. Now it’s pickup only in the West Brighton and Charleston outlets.

A reader reported closures of Island Coffee Shop in Castleton Corners and Andrew’s Diner in Great Kills.

Andrew, 12, making a beef-bean concoction for dinner

My 12-year old cooked dinner last night. I was proud of his bean-ground beef-chicken stock concoction, although his brother made gagging noises and said it looked like dog food. But you can put anything in front of me these days. I am even more appreciative for whatever’s in front of me.

Keep in touch, food friends.

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