“Back to The Hearth” During the COVID-19 Crisis

I have not used that phrase since the great recession in 2008, which I called the restaurant recession, as it hit so many so hard. We now are in a crisis much scarier than the great recession and where we end up after is anybody’s guess. We are a resilient people and we will get through this, together with our friends and family.

Back to the hearth refers to going back to safety, what we grew up with as a child, family memories of taste, aromas, flavors! In uncertain times, we as a people always go back to what we know, and what we know is a little different for each one of us. Our comfort food is personal and unique to each of us.

I feel so fortunate that I have been cooking for so many years because now having to stay home is an opportunity to cook with my family. Cooking with them more than I have been able to do for a long time. We are focusing on the comfort foods of all the different cuisines and ethnicities we can think of. We started with French, making coq au vin, Beef bourguignon, escargot, and have made all the classic mother sauces plus beurre blanc. We prepared classic bouillabaisse, that Mediterranean seafood soup, full of scallops, white fish, mussels and lobster, and the critical ingredient, saffron.

Moving to Italian, we prepared lasagna, Bolognese sauce, meatballs, parmesan cream sauce, chianti braised beef, Tuscan cabbage soup, Roman Egg drop soup, tomato bread soup, and of course pizza. On the Asian side, we have been making noodle soup, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese. Plus, all types of curries. Indian flatbreads, like paratha and naan. For our Latin comfort food, it’s all about tacos, every type, with every type of protein. Plus, we made borracho beans, Cuban black beans and enchiladas (my favorite). Since we still had saffron, we also made paella Valenciana.

We are now done with what our ethnic cooking and moving on to “Americana”

I grew up in the eastern shore area, Virginia and Maryland where the blue crab is king. I have many memories of everyone, making crab cakes, she-crab soup and Old Bay steamed shrimp. We are going to pursue those memories in another post.

Once we are through this crisis, and we will get through it, I do believe people’s attitudes and motivations about food are going to be more aligned with what they grew up with, what feels safe. Customers will cling to this for a while before they start to venture into new tastes and flavors.

As we start to re-open our businesses, those of us who remember what comfort is all about, and make every attempt to comfort our guests, will still be here, albeit with different looking foods and menus.

Please stay safe and keep cooking

Tony Lagana

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Tony Lagana

Chef Tony is a 42-year veteran of the food industry and is often known by his peers as “The New Product Guru.” Throughout his illustrious culinary career, he’s earned several notable titles and positions including Acquisition International’s “Most Influential Product Development Expert, U.S.” in 2019.

In 1997, Tony also founded Culinary Systems Inc., a group of culinary consultants that assist with culinary training, restaurant start-ups, concept development, and more. Since then, Tony and his team have generated over two billion dollars in sales for their clients in restaurants, retail, and manufacturing.

The strategic, technical, and culinary skills of Tony and his team can be seen on the menus of national chains, in the portfolio of national food manufacturers, and on the grocery shelves of products produced by major retail companies.