COVID Cuisine by LASA Ezine

COVID

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Pick Your Cuisine.. (table of contents) Alternate Story Formats 4 Ways to Keep You and Your Food Safe During a Pandemic

The Power Of Protein

Perfect Day of Food Giving Back During the Pandemic

The Anatomy of Tomato

Or.. Feature Stories An Alternative Source Of Food

Green Food Picks Up the Slack

What Austin Has Cooking for the Pandemic

Lending a Texas-Sized Helping Hand

The Disastrous Secret of DoorDash

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Meet The Editors Lucy Pigford Hi, my name is Lucy Pigford and I am a freshman at LASA High School. I enjoy swimming, reading and baking in my free time, and my favorite food is chocolate! I hope that you can learn a thing or two from our magazine and have a deeper understanding of the food industry in Austin during this pandemic.

Josue Gonzalez Reyes Yo! My name is Josue Gonzalez Reyes. I am a 15-year-old freshman that goes to LASA. I love playing strategy games, Cooking, and math. I own a small dog and im the middle child in my family. I am a food fanatic and that is one of the main reasons why Magazine Connects with food.

Jack Fenton Hi, my name is Jack Fenton, and I am a freshman at LASA. I love swimming and paddle boarding and just everything outdoors with water. This year has been very strange and I have not gotten to eat anywhere near the amount of good Austin food that I usually do, so this magazine has helped me get that out of my system. Thank you so much for reading!

Colin Horwedel Hello, my name is Colin Horwedel, and I am a freshman at LASA Highschool. I moved to Austin 4 years ago and I have been loving it. I enjoy collecting coins, fishing and playing video games. I have been enjoying LASA since I went to in person school. Its different being at school than at home learning.

Lili Brandt Hi my name is Liliana Brandt. I am a Freshman student at Lasa High School. I have two dogs and they are very dumb. I like reading books, watching movies, and diving. This year in Ezine 2020-2021 we made our own digital magazines. We decided to showcase how COVID-19 had impacted the Austin food industry. From the food banks to the restaurants to even the apps we created this magazine about Covid Cuisine.

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An Alternate Source Of Food How people carried on when the grocery stores closed down?

Two shoppers peruse a selection of masks at an Austin Farmers Market. Photo courtesy of Carlie Brandt.

By: Liliana Brandt

emember back in the early days of COVID-19 when the grocery stores were shutting down all around us and you could not seem to find food anywhere. All the stores you went to the shelves were barren. The food they did have was always that weird brand you had never thought to buy before. Remember looking around with your hands still wet from the gallon of hand sanitizer you had used on your way in, your face still unused to the mask. People were fearing for their lives when the grocery stores shut down and so during that beginning uncertainty many people turned to look for alternate sources of buying food; one large contender was the Farmers Markets.

“With all the new ways to get food and other goods that have popped up before and during the pandemic, like curbside pick-up and food drop-off services, it is no longer hard to get food to your house, but many people still would prefer to go in person”

“D

uring the pandemic its been the only shopping I do in person because I feel so much safer shopping outside” said Dominic Smith who was a regular customer of the Austin Farmers Market before the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine that came along with it but after the pandemic she only shopped in-person at farmers markets. Many people have taken this approach to keeping themselves safe as well. With all the new ways to get food and other goods that have popped up before and during the pandemic, like curbside pick-up and food drop-off services, it is no longer hard to get food to your house, but many people still would prefer to go in person. In person you can pick your own food and it has a better feel when you choose what you are buying and the Farmers Market allows for that even during this dangerous time. People feel much safer with others when they are outside instead of inside. “You stand a specific distance back from everyone and there is a one way motion through the Market many stalls have increases their safety by adding plastic sheeting in between customers and workers and produce” said Smith The are many Farmers Markets all around Austin and they all have implemented changes to deal with the crisis these new safety features are approved and were recommended by leading health experts and the CDC. Both the customers and the workers have been affected by the new safety changes implemented. Workers noticed changes like stricter cleaning routines like the wiping down of surfaces and washing of produce products. COVID CUISINE | 9

are required to wear masks and remain a healthy six feet of distance between them and other participants of the market.

The entrace to the Farmers Market with the list of COVID-19 guidelines posted. Photo curtesy of Carlie Brandt. There are many Farmers Markets all around Austin and they all have implemented changes to deal with the crisis these new safety features are approved and were recommended by leading health experts and the CDC. Both the customers and the workers have been affected by the new safety changes implemented. Workers noticed changes like

stricter cleaning routines like the wiping down of surfaces and washing of produce products. While customers have noticed the way the market flows change by only allowing people to go one way and requiring a stop at the beginning for the customers to get hand sanitizer and information on safety if they need it. Of course all participants are required to wear 10

“You stand a specific distance back from everyone and there is a one way motion through the Market many stalls have increases their safety by adding plastic sheeting in between customers and workers and produce” -Dominic Smith “They do a good job of keeping the customers safe. Some of the changes were requiring masks and a more rigorous cleaning process of the food”, said Shirley Manor, who worked at the Farmer Market selling produce until sometime during COVID. She

Johnson’s Backyard Garden is a very large popular produce stall in the market. They had a walkthrough stand before COVID-19 that customers could browse through the offered produce and then at the end go up to a cashier where they would pay for their food. Now after some COVID-19 changes, the employees of the market stay behind a plastic sheeting while the customers will point out what food they would like and then employees will grab that food for them and bag it up. They do this to reduce the interaction people have with the food so that it stays safer for all people. “It is mostly just the large vendors, the stalls are more spread out so there are less vendors in the whole area” said Guerra. Another change made is the spacing in the market due to the need for six feet of space in between people as often as possible the stalls have been moved further apart and many of the smaller farms and companies have been taken off the market. Bigger stalls like Johnson’s Backyard Garden have stayed but many of the regular customers have noticed that there is less of a variety in the shops and therefore the produce as well. Luckily there are more than nine different farmers markets in Austin on varying days of the week so if one

of your favorite stores was removed from one then you will probably be able to find it at a different location.

height of the pandemic for safety concerns have opened back up again and can be seen selling their food for hungry shoppers.

“Even I feel more comfortable going back now and the rules are less strict now” said Guerra. Now that we are hopefully on the tail end of this virus the farmers Market just like the rest of the businesses and shops all around Austin has allowed its rules and regulations to become slightly more relaxed. Instead of one way traffic, customers are allowed to move both ways even though

Throughout this pandemic and its many challenges, the shutting down of the grocery stores, the shortage of foods and goods, the fear of leaving your house even for a minute or of having to go inside of a building with other people there has always still been a need for food and these little local farms have really been a saving grace for so many people during this time. It

A sign with COVID-19 guidelines stands in the middle of the market to inform customers of the rules. Photo curtesy of Carlie Brandt

they can still only enter and exit one way. Some of the stores have come back as many of the food trucks and stands that had closed down in fear during the COVID CUISINE | 11

has allowed for a safe way for people to get their food without the risk of getting sick or having their food contaminated.

4 Ways To Keep You And Your Food Safe During A Pandemic Step-By-Step instructions By: Liliana Brandt

that will teach you how to keep yourself healthy during this pandemic by learning how to clean your food. With these tips and tricks on how best to care for your food from your produce, to your bags you can stay safe even during this time.

Step 1: Always Wash Your Food

You can’t exactly wipe produce with bleach or hand sanitizer but you can wash your food. Use water to rush fresh produce thoroughly. * If you want a deeper clean use a vinger:water solution. (3:1)

Step 2: Disinfect Products with Packaging

Peanut Butter

Things like cereal boxes, peanut butter jars, or anything in a can can be wiped off with disinfectant wipes to increase saftey.

Step 3: Wash Reusable Bags and Wipe Down Surfaces

After you are done putting your grocery’s away if you use cloth reusable bags you should wash them. You should wipe down any surface, like tables, that could potentially be a hazard in the future.

Step 4: Wash Your Hands

I know it’s the advice we hear whenever someone brings up the pandemic but it works and is an easy way to keep your food clean and safe for consumption.

Information from The Chicago Tribune, Texas Farmers Market, and Austin Eater COVID CUISINE | 13

The Austin Honey company’s stand open at the SFC Farmers’ market in central Austin. Photo by Jack Fenton

Green Food Picks Up the Slack How Farmers’ Markets are on the up after the pandemic. By Jack Fenton

eel the sunshine and the wind blowing through your hair. Carefree chatter and live music make their way through the square as children run around with tasty treats and parents meet for a well-deserved break. Everywhere you look people are buying roots and bushels of neon green vegetables. You stroll over to one of the stalls. They sell any and all fares, but the conversation is free and in large supply. Now, feel the cold air pushing against your skin and the fluorescent lighting beating down on you. The silence is deafening. Children are paraded around with the ‘look don’t touch’ philosophy. You keep your head down and buy what you need, no more, no less. You know your route by heart and manage to get out in a record 10 minutes. Which one would you choose? It’s no wonder why farmers’ markets are rising in popularity,

they make a chore into a treat and make an experience out of grocery shopping. The pandemic was just the straw on the camel’s back that made the shoppers not want to go anymore. They fit into your schedule on the weekends and make you look forward to the end of the week. Every weekend, farmers’

“It was not a well stocked store...The bakery was not functioning.” markets spring up all around Austin and sell all manners of things. The vendors are a very cheerful bunch and happy to strike up a conversation with anyone, even a student journalist. They love the experience and are extremely passionate about their products. You can see the care that each person puts into COVID CUISINE | 15

each and every unit. Some do it for the money, but the best ones do it for companionship and connections. B. Ann Ballanfonte has gone into many different grocery stores during the pandemic, and due to her senior status, she is quite keen on noticing any sort of failure to abide by the COVID-19 guidelines. She can tell exactly what safety measures are being kept and how she feels going into one of these stores being in a high-risk group. Shopping at grocery stores her whole life, she has yet to make the switch to markets, but that could change. “On Saturday, I went to HEB. And it was awful.” Ballanfonte said. “The bakery was not functioning; there was no fresh bread. It was barren. I’m sure it had to do with the weather there getting [the] product in, they probably didn’t have anything to bake bread with until Monday. But HEB on Saturday was just, they had things but they didn’t

have much of anything. It was not a well-stocked store.” This was right after the winter “snowpocalypse” but it still highlights the shortcomings of the grocery store market. Their supply lines are so large and interconnected that one winter storm can knock a whole store out. In a farmers’ market, all of the stock is stored in the area and so these larger catastrophic events don’t affect them nearly as much. The more self-reliance we have in town, the more resilient we are to natural disasters, which is a very good thing. Ballanfonte agreed with the importance of self-reliance but on a personal level. “I’ve never done [curbside pickup]”

Ballanfonte said. “I never have wanted to let someone else [pick] my fresh produce. I want

repels some people, especially seniors who are already the least confident group when it comes

to touch The Texas Food Ranch’s harvest at the farmers’ the lettuce market for sale Photo courtesy of Texas Food Ranch. head and make sure the tomatoes aren’t too ripe and to online services. They are also make sure the bananas are extremely likely to be less able green.” to hear and understand verbal This is a common instructions. grievance that has come up “It’s very hard to understand with these online ordering people if they’re all muffled services. They don’t give up and they mumble anyway.” you as much control over Ballanfonte said “Especially the product and that really people my age mumble. And 16

It’s getting back to normal levels again.

Bees from the Austin Honey Company pollinate local flowering plants. Photo courtesy of Austin Honey Company.

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The Power of Protien

How changing protien can make waves for your carbon footprint By Jack Fenton

Lentils are a great source of protien because they are plants that suck CO2 out of the atmosphere and the majority of their carbon footprint is from the transportation required to get them to your plate! They emit less than one Kg CO2 E per Kg of food.

Chicken is a really good option if you need to eat meat. It has less than seven Kg CO2 E per Kg of meat. It is already an extremely popular and cheap meat that could save our planet.

Kg CO2 E is Kilograms of carbon dioxide equivilant. This is relavent because some animals (like cows) emit lots of other greenhouse gasses that warm the planet much faster. It helps to provide a benchmark to compare them.

Cows are really bad because they realease lots of methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than CO2. This leads to them having a 27 Kg CO2 E per Kg of consumed meat. Companies are trying to cut this down through growing the meat in a lab, or recreating the meat taste with veggies.

Lamb is a really bad source of meat, coming in at twelve more Kg CO2 E per Kg of meat than Beef. The only good part about this meat is that it isn’t very popular in America and other regions of the world.

Fish are a tricky one to get right, they have an impact about that of chicken, but it really depends on where you get it from. Wild caught fish have a lower impact on global warming than farmed fish, but wild caught fish could contribute to overfishing and the collapse of marine ecosystems. This could cause more global warming down the line. Your best bet is to get sustainably caught fish, this way you can get the best of both worlds

Milk is another complicated one, it comes from a cow and so it should have more of a footprint, right? That actually happens to be incorrect and milk has a suprisingly low carbon impact of 1.9 Kg CO2 E per Kg of food. However, cheese, the cousin of milk, has an incredibly high carbon output of thirteen Kg CO2 E per Kg of food.

Nuts are another source like lentils, incredibly nutritious and good for the environment too!

Information courtesy of Buisness Insider and Environmental Working Group.

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What Austin Has Cooking For The Pandemic By: Colin Horwedel

How two of Austin’s many amazing restaurants have been dealing with the pandemic.

Bar seating area at Pinthouse Pizza on S Lamar Blvd. This Pinthouse Pizza has a more modern feel to it. Seating has been limited by COVID-19

Photo courtesy of helmsworkshop.com

You’re walking through Austin, looking for a place to eat. You’re not looking for a chain restaurant, you’re looking for something local. Something that you know will make you feel at home in Austin. You spot a place that looks perfect, Pinthouse Pizza. You can vaguely smell the sweet scent of the homemade pizza that your mother used to make.

Pinthouse Pizza is a pizza parlor started by six friends. Two of the founders, Ned Lavelle and his friend, met in college and got corporate jobs. Lavelle worked for Dell, and his buddy got a job at Qualcomm. After Growing tired of their desk jobs, the two decided to open up a Jimmy John’s sandwich store in Austin. They did this because they wanted

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“something that we could do that we would own, and we could grow.” While working for Jimmy Johns, these friends visited a pizza parlor that served beer. They brought the concept of beer and pizza back to Austin. When they discovered this combination of pizza and beer, they brought it to Austin. After that, Pinthouse Pizza became one of the first breweries in Austin. So, when

craft beer grew, Pinthouse pizza grew, too. “We caught the craft beer growth at the right time. And in the neighborhood that we’re in for the first store, there were no real pizza options,” Lavelle said, “I think folks in Austin were excited to have a local option that they could take their family to. That felt cool, because you’re going to a brewery and I sell something for everybody”. Pinthouse Pizza has many locations throughout Austin. Those locations

include 4729 Burnet road, 2201 E. Ben White Blvd., 2800 Hoppe Trail and 4236 S. Lamar Blvd. The first restaurant was opened at 4729 Burnet road in 2012, followed by the South Lamar location, which opened in 2015. The next location to open was 2800 Hoppe Trail in 2019. The final location is 2201 E. Ben White Blvd. Local restaurants can support the community by using locally grown ingredients. Which is exactly what Pinthouse pizza does. They get their ingredients from local suppliers

throughout Austin so their customers can eat healthy and fresh every single day. Pinthouse Pizza gets its spices from a supplier named Southern Style Spices, which is located in Manor, Texas. Southern Style Spices provides all the spices for Pinthouse Pizza. No one wants to get COVID-19, and Pinthouse Pizza knows that. As soon as you arrive at the restaurant, you will get your temperature taken. Then you can sit down at your table. In addition, Pinthouse Pizza is only using half of their tables, the

Bar table at Pinthouse Pizza on 2800 Hoppe Trail. The bar has a nice wooden build to it and nice leather-like seats. Seating has been limited by COVID-19

Photo courtesy of roadfood.com

Seating area at Cenote Cafe. Cenote has a very calming blue/green color scheme. Seating has been limited by COVID-19

Photo credit: Eric Pohl

rest of the tables are being used as dividers to protect customers from COVID-19-19. Along with those measures, Pinthouse Pizza has implemented curbside pickup. This allows people to order their food online, then drive to the restaurant and get their food without ever leaving their car. “Half our business is online ordering,” said Lavelle. Online ordering is becoming more popular throughout the restaurant industry. It is very convenient and makes getting food much safer. And with people becoming more reliant on

the internet, online ordering is vital for improving sales.

hoping to bring back some of its showcases.

If pizza’s not your style, then there are many cafes throughout Austin. But one that sticks out is Cenote Cafe. Cenote cafe is a cafe situated at 1010 E. Cesar Chavez St. Their menu consists of many items such as tacos, burgers and coffee. Cenote Cafe has COVID-19 procedures in place to keep people safe. They are at 50% capacity, and keep the tables apart. But Cenote Cafe is

“Right now, it’s all about what happens next. They opened up Austin again, and we’ll bring back comedy night. We’ll probably have some music on the stage,” said Rubin Gonzolas, General Manager of Cenote Cafe. The snowstorm was not enjoyable for anyone, including Cenote Cafe. “The restaurant itself lost a lot of products because it went bad and because it couldn’t refrigerate at all.”

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Perfect Day of Food This is how to have an awesome time eating in Austin. By: Colin Horwedel

For a nice coffee, go to Summermoon Summermoon Coffee is a family owned coffeehouse that was founded in Austin in 2002. It started with the creation of Moonmilk. After opening their first restaurant on 3315 S. First St, Summermoon grew into other cities in Texas like Dallas and Houston

For a nice breakfast, Magnolia Cafe is a cafe located on 1920 S. Congress Ave in Austin Texas. Magnolia Cafe opened in 1979. They have been open for 42 years, and are still open. Magnolia Cafe serves breakfast food along with burgers, sandwiches, tacos and salad.

Magnolia Cafe

For a nice dessert,

Amy’s Ice Cream Amy’s Ice Cream is an ice cream parlor with locations all throughout Texas. They serve a variety of flavors from belgian chocolate to dark chocolate to strawberry to many seasonal flavors.

Get some TacoDeli tacos for dinner at

Tacodeli opened in Austin in 1999. They also have many locations within Austin, Dallas, Plano and Houston. Tacodeli serves tacos, breakfast tacos, salads and soup.

For a relaxing lunch,

Pinthouse Pizza Pinthouse Pizza is a pizza place that also serves as a brewery. Pinthouse pizza opened in 2012. Pinthouse Pizza provides a wide variety of pizza. They have plain cheese and mushrooms. They also serve many types of beer. They serve normal beer and special drinks.

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Lending a Texas Sized Helping Hand

How the Central Texas Food Bank has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic while feeding the hungry. By Lucy Pigford A volunteer working with the Central Texas Food Bank helps distribute food. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Guajardo. Texas Graphic courtesy of clipartmax.com.

You drive into a massive parking lot outside of Austin, Texas. Signs direct you to drive towards the volunteers carrying boxes. You put on your mask and pop your trunk; a box of nutritious food, from milk to fruits and vegetables, is packed inside. You drive away, breathing a sigh of relief because this will be most of your family’s meals this week. With the stress of job losses and sickness because of COVID-19, many Central Texans have not been able to provide food for their families. The Central Texas Food Bank distributes food to people all over the 21 counties of Central Texas. These drive-up distributions are just some of the changes the food bank has had to make throughout the pandemic, starting in March 2020. “It used to be that we would have mass distributions where it was kind of like the farmers market where you come up and pick up your food,” Cosmas said. “Now it’s all a drive thru model. So instead of getting out of your car and picking up your food and putting it in boxes, it’s already pre-boxed for you. And it is usually produce, dairy and meat. Then, you just drive up, we load it [the food] into your trunk or the back of your car and then you drive away.” Locations of the mobile pantries have included the Travis County Expo Center in East Austin, Del Valle High School in Del Valle and the Austin Community College Hays Campus in Kyle. These mobile food pantries need a lot of staff to serve massive

amounts of food each day. In 2020, the food bank distributed 62 million pounds of food throughout the year, compared to 40 million pounds in 2019. To meet this requirement, there needed to be some personnel changes and additional hirings.

“We’re all wearing multiple hats right now.” “A lot of people who work here [CTFB] haven’t been able to do their normal day to day jobs, because they’ve been requested to go to the mobile pantries and distribute food as their full time job,” Cosmas said. An example of this is the nutrition

A volunteer works in the garden at the Central Texas Food Bank. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Guajardo.

educators that visit schools; most schools have been virtual for the year. The massive snow storm that hit Texas in February 2021 had a devastating effect on the food bank. “Unfortunately, we had to close just like everyone else, because it wasn’t safe for our staff to drive into the office. So we weren’t distributing during the disaster,” Cosmas said. “We started distributing again on COVID CUISINE | 27

Saturday [February 20].” To put this into perspective, 2000 people were served at the Del Valle High School distribution on Saturday [February 20] alone! Megan Hall is the Children’s Program Coordinator at the CTFB. She manages three kids meal programs; Kids Cafe, the Summer Meals Program and the Backpack Program. “These programs provide meals to kids during time periods when they may not have as much access to meals,” explains Hall. The Kids Cafe program partners with local afterschool programs like the YMCA to provide a nutritious dinner for kids that need it. The Summer Meals program offers meals to children during the summer when schools are shut down. Because of the pandemic, these programs have had to drastically change. The Kids Cafe came to a halt starting on March 13th, 2020, the day that schools shut down because of the first cases of COVID-19 in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Hall and her team quickly adapted to a drive thru model similar to the mobile pantries. “We provided frozen meals as well as other side items, snacks, fresh fruit and milk,” described Hall. “Last summer [2020], we had those types of distributions at 12 sites.” Hall emphasized the quantities of meals that they were distributing. “We were providing each child

14 meals at one time,” said Hall. “We actually served 14% more meals than we did the previous

“The goal of all these programs is to provide children the nutrition that they need to learn, play and grow throughout the year.” summer; It has still been a very impactful program [even through the pandemic]. We still got [approximately] 83,000 meals out to kids last summer, compared to 73,000 the summer before [2019].” They are now operating the Summer

goal is to provide nutritious food for kids without any judgement or strings attached. The shutdown of AISD schools and afterschool programs proved tough for these programs, but Hall quickly adapted. Because the CTFB is a nonprofit organization as well as a member of Feeding America, they receive government funding. I spoke to Thomas Foster, the Controller at the CTFB. He is in charge of budgeting and recording financial information for the food bank. He said that the food bank operates a great deal on donations. “Our busiest season for donations is the holiday season … we see a large portion of our donations for

has a “busy season,” where a vast majority of the donations, both physical and monetary, are received. “We have to slow down and gradually spend down that surplus; we can’t just spend all the money we raised to buy a bunch of food all at once; we don’t have anywhere to put it.” Adding to this concept, the food bank will gradually spend this donation money throughout the next three years. In early April, Foster was unsure of how long the food bank would have to spend in order to support hungry Texans. Thankfully, the food bank received the Texas Department of Emergency Management’s grant and the City of Austin’s Relief in a State of Emergency (RISE) grant early in the pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed in March as well, contributing to the aid received by the food bank. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a government loan that helps businesses and nonprofits continue to pay their employees.

Food that is packed inside the boxes given out at the mobile pantries. The trays of food (back center) are prepared by the food bank’s chefs and volunteers. Photo courtesy of Megan Hall.

Meals Program through the school year. To determine which areas of Austin to distribute these meals, Hall will look at the AISD website and determine which areas the children qualify for free or reduced price meals. They do not ask for any information from the children; their

the entire year just in those three months,” Foster said. “When COVID happened, beginning in mid March, people really stepped up not only just in the Austin community, but in our whole 21-county range.” He also said that the food bank 28

“In early March, we did apply for a PPP loan,” Foster said. “This was prior to the massive amount of donations we saw. In early April, we did get a PPP loan. They had a second PPP loan coming out … we wouldn’t have qualified for that because our revenues actually increased. So, we got paid for the first portion. The second portion we didn’t qualify for so we didn’t seek it out.” Foster made it clear that it is

extremely important to budget and forecast because the future is

“Before the pandemic, we had many shifts going on, from the morning to the evening, three times a day sometimes. And then for a while, in March and the beginning of April, we had to reduce shifts down pretty drastically.” unpredictable and the food bank needs to be a stable source of food for people who need it. Jennifer Guajardo is the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at the Central Texas Food Bank. She helps recruit new volunteers and manage volunteering activities. She talked about what safety precautions the food bank has instituted to make sure everyone stays safe and complies with local ordinances. In addition, Guajardo said that they canceled shifts for safety precautions and for employees. “We needed the staff to be available during the day when and to try to get food production happening during the daytime hours from like eight to five, so we completely canceled our evening shifts.”

volunteers. Most staff, excluding warehouse workers, are working from home. Guajardo also talked about the importance of social distancing. “In the warehouse, at the stations, we have only one person, if they’re from a different household, at each station, or if they come with a family member we’ll put them together.” Additional precautions Guajardo mentioned were that volunteers and staff have to wear masks at all

“We try a couple different things,” Guajardo said. “Existing volunteers that have helped us at certain sites where we’re needing the help, which is usually outside of Austin: we will text those people that are in that region, or that volunteered in that region before.” She also said that they use social media platforms, such as Facebook, to get the message out. Guajardo emphasized that volunteers are the backbone of the food bank. “We’ve done a lot to try to make sure people A volunteer packs a box feel safe

times, wash hands when entering and leaving the building and wear gloves. “In the beginning, we were trying to figure out how to do everything, but now I think we might even be stricter than the local restrictions, because right now we are at 25% capacity versus, I believe 50% capacity.” Guajardo has experienced the volunteer fluctuations firsthand. “There were growing concerns around April, maybe May for a little bit where we were a little bit low on volunteers,” Guajardo said. ‘But then that wasn’t really too much of a problem. We saw a lot of people come up to help us, especially parents, with their teenagers or kids old enough to volunteer.” Another important task during the pandemic is recruiting COVID CUISINE | 29

of food in the Central Texas Food Bank’s warehouse. This box will be loaded on a truck and be distributed at a mobile pantry. Photo

volunteering with us, because we also need the help. We want to make sure that volunteers can keep coming in because they’re the heart of the food bank and we can’t really operate without their help.” “I think this has been a really hard year for everyone, even if you were able to keep your job, it was still hard,” Guajardo said. “Somehow everybody was having a difficult time. So this year, I feel very fortunate to be able to be in a position to help other people somehow by being with this organization.” The Central Texas Food Bank has done just that: providing food throughout these hard times to the hardworking Texans that need it most.

Giving Back During Title

Monetary Donation

Generation Serve

Location

Central Texas Food Bank’s website

Zoom meeting

Time

10 minutes

1+ hour(s)

www.centraltexasfoodbank.org/get-involved/ donate

calendar.generationserve.org

Monetary donations are both convinient and help the food ank purchase food and supplies!

Generation Serve is a nonprofit in the Austin area that helps get kids involved in volunteering.

Family Friendly?

Website Description

Sources: Central Texas Food Bank, Generation Serve, Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

How you can help locals in need in these trying times. By Lucy Pigford

Central Texas Food Bank

Community First! Village

Food Drive

6500 Montopolis Dr, Austin, Texas, 78744

Zoom meeting

Your house!

3+ hour(s)

1+ hour(s)

4+ hours

www.centraltexasfoodbank.org/get-involved/ volunteer

mlf.org/remote-volunteer-opportunities

www.centraltexasfoodbank.org/becomeafundraiser

The Central Texax Food bank is a nonprofit that provides food to people in need all over central Texas.

Community First! village is a 51-acre planned community that provides housing, food, and services to Austin’s homeless.

Start your own fundraiser for the Central Texas Food Bank from the comfort and security of your own home.

The Disastrous Secret of DoorDash How one of the most successful food delivery services makes you waste all of your hard-earned Bread

By Josue Gonzalez-Reyes

You forgot to cook a meal so you grab the phone and click on the only red app you have. You order your favorite meal with a drink of your choice. You realized that it’s a bit expensive but it’s only a few dollars more than usual, no biggie. But the truth is right underneath your nose. Reno Ancheta is an experienced IT reseller. Not only that but he tutors children in his spare time. Ancheta has a passion for technology and acknowledges what we have in store for the future of online delivery. Ancheta loves math and teaching younger students math. What I find truly amazing about Ancheta is he does this for free. Miguel Osorio is The CEO catering manager of Indeed. He makes sure food, drinks, and Everything is restocked for the day. “The day-today operations every day. For a tech company.” here in Austin, Texas. Just like Ancheta Osorio loves Food. When asked about whether he prefers to cook or use the app he responded “That really depends. Just on two factors, how lazy am I being that day and the other factor is, do I want some really, really good [food].”

One of The biggest racingevents events in U.S.A (formula one) And Miguel Osorio Was Sent to Manege the food there.

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This image by Miguel Osorio demostrates what a regular day looks like. A counterpoint Ancheta brought up was “I enjoy cooking my own food, one because it’s healthier and two, because it saves a bunch of money and also [it’s] fun to cook.” “I prefer to order since it’s the convenience of just kind of pick it up and go. But I do like the idea of cooking as well.’’ Osorio stated. We can see from both interviewees that cooking is a fun thing to do, it’s a way to entertain yourself, as a method to distract someone Osorio also said he’d prefer to order since it’s convenient, and I don’t blame them when it’s that easy to order food. Ancheta Lives by himself and spends a total of $150 a week on food. At first glance, you might say that isn’t much but if you add it up it’s a large amount and that is for one person. In one month there are about four weeks, which accumulates to $600 just for one person. Now imagine a family of four. “I wasted about 20 or 30 bucks. I usually waste money when I use the

DoorDash.”Ancheta said. from those $150 he wasted about 30 dollars just on Door dash per week, which then became a total of $120 per month. “Half a million dollars just on food preparation, like flavor, is another couple of thousands for sure,” said Osorio When asked how much of that food is wanted he responded to “About. 20%” That is a total of 100,000 dollars going to waste. According to Osorio “We were one of the companies that they did composting before the city mandated it. So we do a lot of composting.”

Reno Ancheta Works hard as a IT seller and in the afternoon he teaches kids math.

Composting is one of the best things you can do if you have extra food scraps. It helps the soil by retaining water, stops plant pests and diseases, and best of all it’s a free fertilizer that does not use any chemicals. To add to that note Osorio also said that “we started a small garden. But it’s Miguel Osorio, is a hard just, it’s on a big scale. It’s kind of hard working guy that travels to do. Like a big piece of that to actual- around the world helping componies world wide 34

ly harvest everything.’’ This way a big company saves some little amount of money but it all adds up in the end, and it will all be worth it. Unfortunately for Ancheta, he lives in an apartment so he can’t have any massive vegetables nor plants, and when asked if he would get vegetation, he responded “one of my dreams is to have a garden, but that will be once I buy myself a house” Osorio also stated that they order food. “Basically every day. It’s about maybe half a truckload. And it just comes in and basically, it shows up A dock and we take it up to the third floor and distribute it in a freezer, fridge, and fresh produce. Every day.” As a bonus question, I asked Both Ancheta and Osorio what they do to save money while in quarantine for those of you who may have been having financial problems. Ancheta said “I deleted the door

dash and those apps” Theoretically it would make sense to do that since your local store is about 10 miles away and you are saving yourself about 20 bucks. He also added that “I started ordering things, just random stuff. And so I was like, okay, I can’t do that anymore. So basically I just told myself what I would do is, if I wanted something. I would put it in the cart and then I wouldn’t buy it that day, but if in a week or 24 hours. I still wanted it and I felt it was worth the money, then I would buy it.” On the other hand, for someone who personally does not use Amazon that much Osorio said “ Personally, I’m actually. Trying to grow. To have a new, scarce food. Just cut our expenses. Try to minimize it. And, you know, not waste.” In theory, Altho it might seem like your waiting for a couple of dollars it will add up. so before you think of grabbing that phone and ordering online, think to yourself, Do I have the time to go to the grocery store? If you think yes, then Go up and ahead to your nearest grocery store.

The Indeed Tower is located in downtown Austin, Texas and during Chirstmas, you can see the real beauty of the building.

Multitudes of people come world wide to see these great races, and many of them buy premium tikets where COVID CUISINE | 35 Osorio they can get food by exceptional chefs, in this case Miguel

The Anatomy of a Tomato By Josue Gonzalez

Have you ever wander what is inside a tomato? Well wonder no more, My purpose is to show you how does a tomato work.

The Seeed of a tomato Helps the plant reproduce and carry its genes It is small and yellow and its packed with vitamin A and C.

The placenta is the middle part of a toma. The placenta comprise the fleshy tissue of the tomato.

The tomato used to be the flower before it bacame a fruit and that flower had a stem, wich stayed on the fruit. The tomato used to be the flower before it bacame a fruit and that flower had a stem, wich stayed on the fruit. The Sepal Just like the pedicel,The Sepal was a part of the flower and it got left behind.

The lower cavity helps the seed stay in place and is the juicy and squishy part we love in a tomato

Fun Facts

Tomatoes are the state fr uit New Jears of y

Exocarp is the thin outer layer/ skin of a tomato forms the generally tough outer skin of the fruit

Tomatoes can come in a variety of colo including p urs ink purple, bla , ck, yellow and white

mesocarp is the inner skin of a tomato and its behind the Exocarp.

The

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