Editor's note: This is the first of a series of 4 mini articles written by Yara Elian, a High School Senior, providing an insight into how local Bay Area restaurateurs are coping in these uncertain economic times caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. If you are local to the Bay Area, please support these featured restaurants. If you are not local to Bay Area, please support your local restaurants- they really are in need of our patronage!
Chef Guisell Osorio of Sabores del Sur remains optimistic even during the uncertain COVID-19 times. It is hard to keep the business afloat, overall sales are off well over 50%. The take-out business has been active but not enough to even come close to replacing in-store sales.
“We have found a way to keep our staff working while this crisis plays out”, Chef Guisell shares. She partnered with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit supporting people who need a nutritious meal. With this program, Sabores Del Sur is providing several hundred low-cost (but delicious) meals per week which are then delivered by WCK to healthcare workers, first responders and school children in the Oakland School Dist. While Chef Guisells says, “It is an honor to be part of such a worthwhile cause,” I keep thinking about how incredibly big and giving her heart is. Very few are able to help others while they are struggling themselves.
After the crisis hit, many ethnic restaurants in the Bay Area closed completely. Sadly, Sabores del Sur is now the ONLY Chilean restaurant in the Bay Area, but it also presents an opportunity for Chef Guisell.
