This week’s conversation with Access Humboldt starts with the flak Humboldt restaurant staff are taking from patrons who don’t want to wear masks. On top of the stresses of increased protocols during the pandemic and exposure to scores of local and visiting customers, it’s a lot. And while opening bars is a concern, Humboldt’s public […]
restaurants
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Restaurant Mask Drama
Manuel Martinez was only 20 minutes into his shift bussing tables at Golden Harvest last weekend when he spotted a customer walking in without a mask. When Martinez asked if he had one, the man turned hostile. “He said, ‘Fuck you guys,” and just turned around and left,” says Martinez. In 16 years of restaurant work […]
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Mazzotti’s Shutters in Response to Statewide Closures
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order today shutting down indoor restaurants and other indoor businesses in 19 California counties due to rising COVID-19 infection rates, Mazzotti’s on the Plaza owner Joseph Mazzotti has closed the Italian eatery, at least for now. In a Facebook post, Mazzotti wrote the closure would be until further notice. “Our staff, […]
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NCJ Preview: Know Your Public Health Officer and Jamaican Home Cooking
We’re talking about Humboldt’s Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich, profiled in this week’s issue. New to her post but with a long resume behind her, colleagues say she’s weathering the controversies of masking and sheltering with grace. And Eureka welcomes Jerk Kitchen’s Dell Bryan and Joanne Kerr, who are bringing Jamaican cuisine to Humboldt. Hit […]
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The Pots Smell Good
In Christiana, the rural town in Jamaica’s Manchester Parish where his grandmother lived, Dell Bryan learned to cook from her. His wife of 35 years, Joanne Kerr, explains they were both born in the capital city of Kingston, but “he would live with his mom in Kingston for six months, then she would send him […]
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Le Monde Makes Way for Manzanilla
On March 20, after the county’s shelter in place order began, Le Monde owner Alex Begovic posted on Facebook that the Henderson Center restaurant would be closed until further notice. The restaurant was already up for sale that month but, according to Begovic, the sale fell through amid shelter in place and by April he’d […]
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Old Town Nooner No More
Lorrena and Joe Filgas, owners of Cafe Nooner, Cafe Nooner Too and their associated catering business, announced on Facebook that they will be closing the original Old Town location in Opera Alley due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple will maintain the Henderson Center restaurant Cafe Nooner Too. Read the full post […]
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NCJ Preview: Local Protests and Our New Dining Normal
This week we’re talking about the Black Lives Matter/George Floyd protests against police brutality in Eureka. And as restaurants open for dine-in service, what’s the new normal and can they survive? Hit subscribe for weekly updates from the NCJ YouTube channel and rundowns of local stories in Humboldt County.
Posted inEat + Drink
Reopening Dining … Or Not
Meredith Maier of Six Rivers Brewery had already put together a plan for her restaurant to follow not only state and OSHA guidelines, like masks for staff and tables 6 feet apart, but a set of house rules, including only admitting those 21 and over, seating at only five tables and offering counter service as […]
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The Pandemic’s Great Divide: 12 Hours in an L.A. Restaurant
Edson Romero maneuvers his black Cadillac Escalade under the early afternoon sun onto Highway 101 in Los Angeles. Behind him is the Boyle Heights home he shares with three siblings. Up ahead is Echo Park, and the job he’s held since the recovery from the last economic crash, back in 2011. He’s dressed in his […]
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Eureka Offers Free Café Permits
In support of restaurants offering dine-in service with the state and OSHA requirements for social distancing, the city of Eureka is offering free permits for café tables and chairs on sidewalks. Patio and indoor seating are allowed starting Friday, May 29 for those businesses with safety plans already approved by the Office of Emergency Services. […]
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Dine-in Approved Restaurants Can Open Friday. Will They?
Tuesday the county cleared restaurants with safety plans approved by the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center to open for dine-in service as soon as Friday. A list of those restaurants is below and being updated daily on the county’s website here, much like the list of retailers approved for walk-in business on the same page. However, […]