Opening a Restaurant During These Times

It wouldn’t be the best time to open a restaurant.  When most have closed and only a handful remain for deliveries, the industry has been one of the most hard hit with COVID-19.  But just a couple of weeks ago that’s exactly what Adam Leonti and Paul Shaked did in Little Italy, New York.

Sofia’s Panificio e Vino has opened yes, but not under its original planning.  However, the restaurateur (Shaked) and chef (Leonti) have adapted to the current COVID-19 inflicted circumstances.  They set up a deliver and to-go menu.

Situated on Mulberry Street (where Sofia’s of Little Italy once was – a business run by Shaked’s family) Shaked explained how Little Italy may sometimes “feel like this forgotten corner of Manhattan [but that opening his restaurant there has been “a way to reinvigorate and highlight what is a culturally rich and historic neighborhood.”

Chef Leonti is famous for Leonti in the Upper West Side that closed a few months ago and for the establishment of the Brooklyn Bread Lab.

Kindness in Times of Corona

In these distressing times it’s sometimes quite wonderful to see just how incredible community members can be toward each other.  True it’s very difficult, challenging and potentially incredibly depressing but there are also so many positive things happening everywhere and in Below 14 communities, we have seen many such cases.

Delancey Street Seafood restaurant Grey Lady is using this opportunity to show kindness and consideration to the local community.  Chef Tadd Johnson spent an entire week preparing 30 gallons of different types of soup to give out to those in need in the community.  Together with its sister eatery Canary Club, these “protein and produce” bursting soups have been made in three delicious flavors: broccoli-cheddar, potato-leek mushroom and seafood chowder.

When we used to walk around the Lower East Side we may have seen the odd looking posters…what are they?  They are perhaps CovId-19 art, photos of people kissing while wearing surgical masks as a general call for doing this together, getting through as a nation, and holding on while the world takes a breath (inside) during the pandemic.

The Act of Love is a street art campaign created by Arina Voronova who explained:

“While scientists are working on finding a cure for the virus, we, humans, can only spread love and support each other.”

There are around 500 posters but an additional 500 will be distributed around New York in the coming days.  Another goal of the project is to make people aware of Asian American discrimination during these days.