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ere’s the price-tag to bail out the U.S. food industry following the massive disruption caused by the pandemic: $120 billion. To start, at least. On July 2, the newly formed Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), comprised of more than 215 restaurateurs, farmers, brewers, distributors and other pieces of the food supply chain, asked Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act, which would provide $120 billion to “small food and beverage establishments facing devastating financial setbacks.” The bill was introduced on June 18 and has bipartisan support, including from Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner. The IRC laid out the toll the pandemic has taken on the food industry
in its July 2 letter: $1 billion of perishable goods were wasted within a week of dining rooms closing; wine sales dropped 67%; spirit sales dropped 75%; seafood sales dropped 80%; and meat processors were forced to euthanize animals. The data shows how the closure of thousands of small restaurants affects every foodrelated industry up the supply chain; it’s why the IRC has the support of small business owners (like Bobby Stuckey), food celebs (like José Andrés and Andrew Zimmern) and food and beverage heavy hitters like Bacardi and Niman Ranch. You can support the cause by sending a letter to Congress via a form on the IRC site: saverestaurants.com/take-action.
A beleaguered food industry asks Congress for help
COURTESY BLACKBELLY/SANTO
Blackbelly/Santo owners build momentum in search for cure
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lackbelly/Santo owner and chef Hosea Rosenberg and his wife, Lauren, found out earlier this year their 3-year-old daughter, Sophie, had a rare genetic disorder, multicentric carpotarsal osteolysis (MCTO). Since, they’ve launched the nonprofit Sophie’s Neighborhood to raise funds to find a cure or treatment. In just the last couple of months, they’ve raised $250,000 of their $2 million goal, which will fund the research needed to find a cure. So, on July 19 (National Ice Cream Day), stop by Lucky’s Bakehouse & Creamery, Blackbelly, Santo, Gelato Boy or Fresh Thymes in Boulder and purchase a designated Sophie’s Ice Cream Social item, and some proceeds will go to Sophie’s Neighborhood. You can also participate in a bake sale organized by Cookies4Cures, a nonprofit started by Boulder 10-year-old Dana Perella, wherein you’ll buy some cookies and proceeds will go to help find a cure for 26
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City Star brews beer for a good cause
Sophie. All the details on both events can be found at sophiesneighborhood.org/fundraise. And, most importantly, the fundraising so far has enabled the Rosenbergs to make progress on finding a cure — they’ll soon begin a research project with the scientist who discovered the gene that causes MCTO; and after connecting with MCTO patients around the globe, they’re building a patient registry and history study, which is critical to developing treatment. JULY 9, 2020
erthoud’s City Star Brewing has joined nearly 1,000 breweries around the world in brewing beer to support the Black is Beautiful Initiative, an effort to highlight issues of racial injustice and use the brewing industry to raise funds and awareness to effect change. Each brewery in the initiative is asked to “brew a unique stout, commit to the long-term work of equality and choose their own local organizations to donate to that support equality and inclusion.” City Star recently released a blackberry chocolate stout (donning the Black is Beautiful name) on tap and in 16-ounce cans. Twenty percent of the sales of City Star’s Black is Beautiful will be donated to NAACP Denver. Says City Star co-owner Whitney Way of the decision to join in, “We lack diversity. Our community lacks diversity. It’s no secret the craft beer industry lacks diversity. Berthoud is a predominantly white community, where we are often blind to racial injustice and the challenges that people of color face daily. Because of our location we feel even more compelled to brew this beer in support of justice and equality for people of color.”
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BOULDER WEEKLY
