"My journey of showing people
how to eat better (and enjoy it) ​
has helped me to understand that spotlighting what drives others
to produce great products…
​sharing their insights and talents…
​is a gift to self." ~ Laura Pensiero

ARCHIVED COLUMNS:
May 2020:​
"Nature Can't Stay in Place"
​February 2020:
"Ode to Chocolate"
December 2019:
"Happy Healthy Holidays"
​May 2019:
"Pull the Trigger:
Your Health is What Matters Most"
April 2019
"Introducing Laura Pensiero, RD"

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When All Seems Lost…Laugh Until it Hurts:
A Female Restaurateur’s “Survival Kit” to COVID-19
​(Part I of II)
August 2020

Sometimes it feels like it’s illegal to have too much fun. But outlook, optimism, and surrounding yourself with the best people possible can make a hell storm, like the apex of the COVID-19 period in New York State, a period of growth, perspective, and rib hurting laughs.
 
I am truly privileged to say that I, and those I care about, maintained good health during this lingering pandemic. While we all experienced mind-bending “what if” scenarios, thoughts of potential bankruptcy, extreme personal and professional life changes, dramatic daily adjustments with constant changes to rules and mandates…and just general fear, we were fortunate to have each other and a daily purpose.

From March 17th, 2020 (the day of almost complete NYS shutdown), we worked, and we had fun. While it was “takeout only,” I made a decision early on that we would not close at all. My calculation wasn’t necessarily financially driven because the losses were still vast; rather, I was determined to keep my kitchen employed and bring in key members of my front of house staff, ones that preferred to stay off unemployment and were comfortable working. I also had a strong instinct that shutting down the proverbial engine would make it far more difficult to restart when the time came. So, the herd and I hunkered down from March 17th to June 3rd.  We lived based on the trust that all of us were being responsible in our personal lives outside of the restaurant.  

Dining on Gigi Patio

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My days were filled with loan applications (upsetting when, prior to the outbreak, one was not needed) and trying to decipher every new law, rule, and mandate that came down the pike so that we could readjust and comply. Additionally, with many food chains broken, daily adjustment of the menu became paramount. The temporary changes in New York State Liquor Authority Laws, which allowed for takeaway alcoholic beverages, also became an adjustment – our frozen Sake Margaritas brightened the spirits of many Rhinebeck residents and truly helped keep Gigi in business.
 
I’ve learned to trust in others and ask for help…

I’ve always had a difficult time asking for help in my life. This changed a few years ago when Dennis, a dear high school friend and now CEO of a large venture firm, scolded me for letting a very difficult business period go too far without calling him. His guidance and advice, along with finding a great accountant, navigated me to the other side of what seemed to be an insurmountable business period. In late winter 2020, I was in the best position I had been in for years, but then came COVID-19. Dennis, while managing his portfolio of businesses hit with COVID-19 challenges, made time every week to guide me through ever-changing loan applications and terms as well as assisting with projections and timing of some very key business decisions.

​Onward we go…

Takeout service began midafternoon. At the onset, it was only me and Cornelius (my life and business partner) who, by the way, is not a “front of house” kind of guy. Numbers and fixing just about everything in the restaurant are his forte. But it was "all hands on deck."
 
One morning, I ran into my longtime, business neighbor, Scott Eckert, on the Gigi patio. We looked each in the eyes and together said, “I’m going crazy!” In my case, it was from 14-hour workdays, constant worry and a general lack of staffing. For Scott, a former restaurateur and the longtime manager at the adjacent store, it was from “doing nothing” but living in his head, watching the news and wondering. Scott and I, as it turned out, worked at The Culinary Institute of America at the same time, but didn’t know each other then. He decided to help me out, and while I knew of his dedication to the store he formerly managed, I soon realized that he is a person 100% committed to customer service, as well one of the funniest people I ever met. During all of these years working a stone’s throw away from one another, we never truly got to know each other. Our developing friendship became one of the many gifts of this dark period. While I was hoping Scott would stay with Gigi following this shutdown period, I never pressed. But six weeks in, he told me, “I love it here, and I’d like to stay.” I literally broke down in tears.

Laura (left) with Scott Outside Adjacent Store, Changes

L to R: Kelly, Scott & Laura

​My longtime bartender/bar manager, Kelly Floryan, had moved to Tennessee in November 2019 - a big loss to Gigi. Kelly’s resettling started with a devastating tornado followed by the closure of the restaurant she had just started to work for. Kelly, also a very hard worker, could not sit back and wait. I invited her to come up and help us, not only with the takeout-only period, but to assist with service training once we moved into Phase 3. Kelly left her longtime life partner and joined us for ten weeks. She made a huge difference in our ability to reopen when service was permitted. Having my rock and soul sister around during these surreal times was monumental to pushing forward. My spiritual brother and Gigi Server Captain, Jean Luc Ahounangonou, an immigrant success story, also made a decision to help during this period. While he probably could have made just as much on unemployment, he chose to work and help Gigi through to the other side. 

​After being extremely diligent and persistent, I received the first round of Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans. I then paid current payroll and any former employees that I had not received unemployment notification for and could reach by phone or text to confirm their status. Initially, I thought I had only 8 weeks to deadline and that 75% needed to go to payroll – difficult when you are essentially closed except for takeout. The rules later changed to 24 weeks and 60% to payroll. Still, no regrets – the right thing to do.
 
Then, Kyle McClusky, a talented aspiring chef who had worked with Gigi in the past, came home due to his school closure. One blessing of the slow down (from 12 lunch/dinner shifts a week to takeout only) was that I could actually address and rebuild my kitchen. I had never had enough time to slow down, reflect, and reorganize. Kyle, who has been cooking since he was fifteen years old, decided that culinary school was not the best venue for online learning. I am grateful and amazed by the degree to which he stepped up and assumed a significant amount of responsibility as well as professionally communicating with me daily. Since reopening, Kyle and I have continued to evolve Gigi into a new period of focused quality and a kitchen culture that makes adapting to the future of our foodservice model easier.
 
I am so grateful to everyone mentioned and to so many others. Never again will I bear difficulties alone, rather than trusting in the most extraordinary people. 

Real fear was tangible…
 
Any longtime restaurateur will develop a sixth sense about guests who walk through the door and people in general. The moment you greet them it is clear whether they want to be alone, would like to converse, are celebrating, mourning, happy, agitated, etc. COVID-19 brought the need for this skill to a whole new level. Many seemingly terrified guests would drive up for pick-up and not want to have a conversation. We’ve heard “just put the bags in the back of the car” several times. Some were so nervous that they did not want to take their takeout bag from us even with gloves and masks. They would say, “Please put it on the ground.” Others were lonely and isolated and wanted to chat from a social distance. We also received such great compliments from customers during this difficult “takeout only” period, such as “We could tell you were smiling with your eyes.” And we certainly were!
 
But we managed to have fun…
 
Having some fun was essential. For us, it was literally the salvation of our sanity. At closing, the crew laughed and danced to decompress - Scott channeling Stevie Nicks and me Mick Jagger. Cornelius did some form of Zulu rugby dance, and Jean Luc practiced his Jagger strut for a final showdown. All in all, we made lemons into lemonade.

​In the midst of chaos and hardship…

Doesn't life throw us challenges all at once? During all of this, Tasha, my female German Shepard, had two ACL surgeries, and my younger male, Freddie, became the mascot of our closed restaurant.

But a much darker situation arose during this period as we were targeted for “violations.” I was told to remove all of my tables, chairs, and benches (which had been spaced over 10 feet apart) from our large patio or my Certificate of Occupancy and Liquor License would be revoked.
​
​​I’ve always abided by a safety first mentality, and these had been placed to allow customers a comfortable place to wait for their packaged takeout orders so that they didn’t have to walk inside. I had not violated any state orders regarding the pandemic. Many other restaurants in town had done the same. And it didn’t stop there. A local rag spun disparaging falsehoods about me, claiming a lack of concern for safety.​

Wasn’t the restaurant industry hurting enough? Where was the loyalty to local business? What more did I have to endure? ​​​

Laura’s “Restaurant Survival Kit”

• Keep the faith: I developed a “Never Closing” mindset.
• Use the skills you have: I drew from my decades-long background in nutrition, sanitation, public health, and culinary.
• Become a social media animal: I find it essential to let the public know all safety measures taken and to stay engaged with longtime treasured guests and friends.
• Review guidelines regularly: I checked the “Reopening New York” web page daily to check for changes in reopening codes.
• Be diligent: I regularly completed and affirmed Guidelines for Outdoor and Takeout Food Service/Delivery.
• Be proactive: Prior to opening, I called my longtime Department of Health Inspector to outline all measures taken and requested guidance for any items I may have missed or might consider. I also requested an inspection as soon he resumed field inspections.
• Stay on top of training: I train and retrain my staff daily to adjust to changing mandates.
• Put hygiene at the forefront: I installed 8 sanitation stations throughout my restaurant and patio, including the front doors of the restrooms.
• Go above and beyond: I installed “Plasma Air.”​

• Think out-of-the-box: I am installing gorgeous tempered glass partitions, courtesy of my friend Franz Stafford of Innovation Glass, as an added measure of protection for indoor dining.
• Understand traffic flow and crowding: I transitioned our longtime private dining room into a pick-up area to prevent congestion in the bar area.
• Find community partners: I partnered with other local businesses, such as Grand Cru Beer & Cheese Market, selling their Growlers in the Village.
• Readdress the Oldies but Goodies: I revived the former Gigi Marketplace (closed at Greig Farm in 2014) in a private dining area.
• Go for a “less is more” mentality: I simplified the menu and allowed guests to pick their own sides for entrees during “takeout only” services. Then, I slowly brought back our full menu with our usual seasonal, local specials.
• Utilize online options: I updated and brought back our “Easy Entertaining” online catering form.
• Reinforce the rules/guidelines regularly: I reinforce and ask my team members to be vigilant in “policing of the patio” and the interior of my restaurant to prevent any violations. Law enforcement is expected to "police" 100 feet or more from our establishment.
• Protect yourself: I installed cameras everywhere I could legally do so due to mandates which encourage citizens to report other citizens. 

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​It’s worth noting that while the majority of culinary students are women, only 7% rise to the level of chef or owner. I am both and have been for decades. I have done a lot to support my community. I brought national media attention to Rhinebeck’s “farm to table” scene, and I have never had a violation against my business. On a personal level, I don’t even have a parking ticket. Therefore, I found these tactics to be particularly offensive due to the fact that so many restaurants were going under, and all I was trying to do was to serve the community by keeping my loyal customer base safe and to have a restaurant my long-term employees could return to.

​But then another light emerged…
 
Another beautiful moment in this insane period came from a phone call from Sean Eldridge, CEO of Hudson River Ventures, a former congressional candidate, and the founder and president of Stand Up America. Sean recognized that up to one third of restaurants would likely close through no fault of their own. He explained that he would like to forgive the remaining balance of a loan he made to Gigi years prior. This generosity will never be forgotten. 

Laura with Officer Gregory Campus

And there were other kind friends and community members who showed their support in one way or another. 

But on one particularly challenging day, my good friend Officer Gregory Campus, Briarcliff Manor PD, walked in and found us all sobbing. I had told my team that my father was the reason I could not back down - I had always gotten my strength from him - but we had been stretched to our limits, emotionally, psychologically and physically. 

So when Gregory walked in, it was a sign...and it gave us all the strength we needed to carry on.

​Table service once again…
 
Typically moving from winter into spring in a restaurant setting allows a restaurant to hire and train from March through Mother’s Day. Not in 2020. It is impossible to train front of house staff without service. Thanks to Scott, Jean Luc, Kelly, and Cornelius, we put together the best service team I’ve had in years - and we did it in four days!  The weather gods, too, have blessed us…as we are “living like farmers” on our expanded patio – weather watching daily. We have no idea what autumn and winter will bring, but this strong team is up for any challenge.
 
I’ve always felt that I’m a person of strength (definitely stubbornness and will), but I’m ever so grateful for the challenges this period brought because I now feel my own power within. For too many years, I have been afraid that showing this would make me unlovable/unlikeable. Actually the reverse is true – the more I’ve become my true self and embraced empowerment, the more new relationships have opened up to me.

The cautious, reserved Laura is gone. I’ve touched my own power button, and I will not cede it.

Custom Glass Partitions for Indoor Dining

Gigi Marketplace is now open in the private dining room
to the back of the restaurant.

Online Catering Menu (Click image above.)

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Laura Pensiero is Sanctuary's nutrition columnist and the founder, chef/owner and creative force behind Gigi Hudson Valley (Gigi Trattoria and Gigi Catering). She is the author of Hudson Valley Mediterranean and co-author of The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook. Find out more about Laura by reading her interview with Sanctuary HERE.