March 28th, 2020
Dear Community,
The gravity of the present moment is hard to grasp. Things that felt solid are now fluid; in this liminal space between what was and what is to come, we want to take this opportunity to center ourselves and communicate with you, our community, about why we do what we do and how we hope to navigate the public health crisis posed by COVID-19.
We sit at the nexus of the food and service industries. Neither are known for their profitability but, all the same, we've managed to build a resilient values-driven business in which we take pride. The present moment has been especially scary for us. Typically, our events season starts in April, our staff grows exponentially, and we shake off winter hibernation to send our pent up energy into the world. As of now, all of our early spring events have been cancelled/postponed, and the rest of our year holds with tepid uncertainty. It is scary financially, as it is for service industry workers everywhere; and it is scary culturally, as people physically retreat from one another. But when those fears settle, we're called to remember our motivations for doing what we do in the first place.
Gatherings of people are the essence of our business, and it is a humbling endeavor by nature. In these moments of celebration wherein our clients bring their communities into being, it is such an incredible privilege to be trusted in our capacities as chefs and service professionals. We often remark how crazy it all seems sometimes: if you're getting married, for example, you're asking the people who you love most in this world to all convene to mark a moment in time, to perform ritual and be witnessed, and to journey together in the support of your loved ones. If you're attending one of our farm dinners, you break bread with strangers and grow your community that much more. We organize these moments around nourishing each other with delicious, seasonally inspired, local food. A reflection of place and time, coupled with our business' values of treating people well and investing in our local community.
To be a part of creating and supporting that culture around food - it can be tedious, and there are many unsavory elements, to be sure. But it is deeply fulfilling, and that sense of wonderment and awe doesn't get old! Now, however, we are facing the prospect that many of those moments may not happen and the prospect of that void is both sad and unnerving.
The anxiety is manifold. It is a fear for the loss of those moments (though many will still happen, just later); it is concern for our team; and it is the unknowing of how and when this will all settle. But once we metabolize that fear, we're left with our own responsibility for managing the circumstances we're afforded.
So, what are we going to do about this?
First, we are going to weather this storm. We have assembled a talented, diverse, resilient team of aesthetes, artists, and chefs -- and we can't not create and innovate. We usually do so with the excuse of serving food as cover for our obsession; but in this moment, we're committed to using this crisis as an opportunity to try new things, further hone our craft, and grow in new directions.
Second, we are going to take care of our people. Service industry workers are especially threatened by this pandemic, as restaurants and bars close and many employees - already some of the most vulnerable workers in our economy - are laid off. But it is in this uncertain moment that investing in our people is the single most important thing we can do. We are going to weather this storm, together.
Third, while we gain our footing internally, we will look outward to our community with the intention of supporting our neighbors and the most affected. If there's one lesson to glean from this situation, it's that we are only as secure as the most vulnerable among us; we must lift each other up.
Fourth, once public health officials deem it safe for large gatherings to convene, we will strictly follow public health guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19. We expect those guidelines to evolve as we learn more about this disease; but for the safety of both the general public and our staff, we are committed to doing all that we can to mitigate the virus' toll.
Thank you all so much for your support. We couldn't have gotten to this point in our business were it not for you; and we hope to weather it and celebrate with you on the other side.
Wishing everyone health and safety,
Wheelhouse