Find Out How One San Diego Business Is MAJORLY Pivoting During COVID-19
Just a few months ago, Nick Brune of Eco Caters and Simply Lunch, was having to turn down corporate and private clients, not being able to keep up with the growing demand for his catering services. And today, in the eye of COVID-19, weddings have been canceled, offices are vacant and events as a whole have come to a dramatic standstill.
Wanting to both support his local community and keep his employees almost overnight, Nick flipped his business model and his resources upside down by:
Launching Free Virtual Cooking Classes
This past month, Nick started a free weekly live cooking series where he teaches viewers how to master cooking techniques. The meals he cooks during the live demos are then delivered to the San Diego Food Bank for employees to enjoy. Each class is about 40 recipients and a new class is held every Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST.
Upcoming classes include:
The Cajun Jambalaya Experience
Fried Chicken, The Southern Way
How to Grill with Charcoal
How to Make Tuna Salad with a Proper Vinaigrette
Partnering with the San Diego Food Bank
Outside of donating meals from his virtual cooking classes to the Food Bank, Nick does an additional food drive on every show, with the aim to raise $5K for the Food Bank.
Re-Purposing Wasted Produce
Tons of local farms are having to throw out ample amounts of produce because a) restaurants aren’t using it as they are closed, and b) it is increasingly difficult to get it to people. Nick and his staff have decided to make lemonade out of lemons, in a very real sense. They are taking the produce that otherwise would have been tossed, turning it into pickles, ferments, preserves, etc. With each sale, $1 goes back to the food bank and $1 to the farmer (This food waste is happening on a national level, as recently covered by the NYT). Thus far, Nick and his team have dehydrated, pickled and/or baked 800 lbs of mushrooms alone, with the goal to pick up another 800 pounds this week.
Stay healthy, San Diego!
