Illegal food trucks

A couple of Michelin-level culinary stars are facing the consequences of their actions. First, the owner of a Michelin-recommended Denver barbecue joint was forced to close after his staff quit en masse over some financial messiness. And a Michelin-starred D.C. restaurateur is backpedaling after he disparaged federal workers and immigrants on X. Pull up a chair for The Prep.

In today's edition:

🔹A champion pastry chef's inspiration
🔹Food trucks stealing business?
🔹Restaurant interior design trends
🔹A meat-packing labor shortage
🔹Fisherman sue over lobster claims

'Respect your team, customers and vendors'

Food, music and culture are baked into Lasheeda Perry’s business, Queen of Flavor LLC, which offers restaurant menu consulting services, custom desserts and a dessert tasting room in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Perry, a trained pastry chef, previously worked as an executive pastry chef for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and decided a year ago to move from Los Angeles to Florida to be closer to family. She also teaches pastry classes on the Food Network Kitchen App (she’s appeared on several shows, including Beat Bobby Flay) and travels the country for work. Perry was one of five chefs invited to New Orleans to cook at Taste of the NFL during Super Bowl weekend, raising money for Gen YOUth. “It’s important to me to give back when I can, baking or using my time to help the youth,” she says.  –Marcy Medina 

What was your path to becoming a pastry chef?

In high school, home economics was transitioning out of curriculums,  and my teacher was left with kitchen equipment. They decided to start a culinary program, and it’s where I fell in love with cooking. That teacher began training us to get into top culinary schools, and I got a full scholarship to Johnson & Wales University, which allowed me to network with people from all over the world. I went to Ireland, Australia and China, and I was a kid from Philadelphia who didn’t leave the state growing up. 

What led you to start your own business? 

I knew it was important to crawl before I walked, so I trained under amazing chefs in fine and corporate dining to get exposure to every aspect of the industry. I came out with a tasting room because it allows me to tap into different parts of cooking. I don’t classify myself as someone who only loves to bake; customers know I can switch it up.

How does the tasting room work? 

Three ways: I post about workshops and tastings on my website, and people sign up. I usually cap it at 22 people. Or groups can book a private team-building event like a cake decorating workshop. The third way is if someone needs catering, we schedule a meeting there to see what they have in mind. That human connection is what makes Queen of Flavor special. I get to sit and talk with people, and customers are making friends and building community.

What types of desserts are trending now? 

Unique ingredients are always trending. I also get a lot of requests for sweet and savory pastries because one person will like sweets but their partner won’t. Pie crust and croissant dough lend themselves to both.

What advice would you give young chefs?

Be humble, and don’t get caught up in people. Respect your team, customers and vendors, and everything else will fall into place. 

Above: Lasheeda Perry (Courtesy)

Guac of shame. Even though President Trump has paused his 25% tariffs on Mexico, a fed-up taqueria owner in San Francisco is sticking with menu changes, such as using chickpeas instead of avocados in guacamole and saying adios to limes. 

Cattle call. The world’s largest meatpacking plant is bracing for a critical work shortage as President Trump sets his sights on rounding up immigrants, including the 1,000 or so Haitians who work in the plant. 

In the pits. A Michelin-recommended barbecue restaurant in Denver has closed after the entire staff walked out over allegations the owner was mismanaging finances, which resulted in bounced checks, among other things. The Colorado Department of Revenue has seized the business.

Kids meal. Bon Appétit tackles the age-old question: Should kids be allowed in fine-dining establishments? Some restaurants are finding ways to say “no” without actually saying it.

Shaken and stirred: Our reaction to this mixologist who creates super inventive drinks based on comfort foods, like Korean cold noodle soup, chilaquiles and banana bread. 

D.C. chef walks back disparaging rhetoric on X

Restaurateur Matt Baker, who earned a Michelin star for his Washington, D.C. restaurant Gravitas, is in the “find out” stage of reposting derogatory sentiments on social media. Anela Malik of @feedthemalik blasted Baker for “retweeting Elon, anti-immigrant clips, how DOGE is stopping the steal, disparaging federal workers, and more.”

In response, Baker posted on Instagram “I do not condone hate or discrimination in any form. I do not support targeting immigrants or people of color. I also stand with our federal workers who contribute so much to the character of our city,” he wrote. “My online associations were thoughtless, and I never intended to hurt this city or its people, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

Why it Matters: Baker is supposed to be opening his first steakhouse, in the Kimpton George Hotel, this spring. (Washingtonian)

Rogue food trucks: Stealing business or filling void?

Bar and restaurant owners in San Francisco are fed up with illegal food trucks poaching their customers at night.

“The city doesn’t do anything about it,” says SoMa restaurateur Michael Rotella. “It’s insulting to an operator paying rent and permits for a truck to just pull up and sell food.”

Patrons say the food vendors, many of which are operating without a license, fill that much-needed late-night gap after restaurants close. 

Why it Matters: V Cafe owner Fong Lau blames mobile food operators for an estimated $500 loss a night on Fridays and Saturdays. “They kill all the local business around here,” he says. (The San Francisco Standard)

Fisherman can sue lobster watchdog group for defamation

The Maine Lobstermen's Association can proceed with its lawsuit against the nonprofit Seafood Watch, which urges consumers not to buy their lobsters. The issue? Fishing nets and other gear used to catch lobsters are said to wreak havoc on endangered whales.

A judge denied a motion to dismiss the case.

The fishermen say the average price per pound of lobster dropped by 40% after Seafood Watch, run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, changed the sustainability rating of lobsters caught off the coast of Maine from yellow to red in 2022.

Seafood Watch has filed an appeal.

Why it Matters: “This ruling is a crucial step in holding the Monterey Bay Aquarium accountable for misleading statements that have unfairly targeted our industry,” Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said in a statement. “Maine lobstermen have been stewards of the ocean for generations, and we are committed to defending our livelihood against baseless claims.”  (New York Times)

39%

Consumers who say they are looking for more newness on menus this year. (Restaurant Business)

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"Wash it, don’t wash it. As long as you maintain it and cook delicious food in it, that’s all that matters."

– Josh Scherer, chef, author and co-host of Mythical Kitchen, on why everyone needs to calm down about cast iron pans. Episode 243. (🎧Mythical Kitchen)

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