SARAH HOWERY HART
OSTERIA MONTE GRAPPA
Talking Food: Chef Stefano Bernardi and wife Tammi Bernardi If any business had to prove its resilience during the pandemic, it was restaurants. It especially hit hard for Stefano and Tammi Bernardi of Osteria Monte Grappa (OMG) because Stefano’s family is from northern Italy, where early covid-19 outbreaks in the early spring of 2020 dominated headlines. “During the beginning of the pandemic, we were in disbelief,” said Tammi Bernardi. “We didn’t know what to make of this virus spreading through China and making its way to northern Italy. This is the area where Stefano was born and we still have many family members and friends there.” As it became clear that the virus was becoming a pandemic, with 12
OM — July 2021
borders closing and restaurants’ capacity being reduced, “we started to get nervous. We started serving strictly outside, and finally we went just to take out. How could we make this work?” the Bernardis said. Fortunately, many of their front-of-house and kitchen staff wanted to continue working, “so that became our new takeout crew ... that was not the norm at Osteria Monte Grappa but we found a system that worked for us and moved forward with just takeout.” The Bernardis said “this would not have been possible without the Help of Ojai and their Great Plates program.
