4 MB THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020In 2013, after years of working as an art di-
rector, Miriam Weiskind gave in to her love
of pizza, first giving pizza tours and then
making pies at Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint,
Brooklyn.
This year, she lost both jobs because of
the pandemic.
“I was trying to file for unemployment
and I was one of those 300,000 people that
had been put on hold or pending,” Ms.
Weiskind said. “And I’m like, ‘What am I go-
ing to do?’ Well, there’s one thing I can do:
bake pizza.”
Ms. Weiskind posted a menu in the lobby
of her apartment building, offering free pies
(donations accepted). After a few weeks,
she was distributing pizzas across the five
boroughs, and even to a family in Connecti-
cut. Customers place orders through Ms.
Weiskind’s Instagram account, and then
pick up their pies outside of her apartment
in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She is currently
making about 70 pizzas a week, she said.
Israel Barranco Royaseli, a real estate
agent with Corcoran, has always loved to
cook specialties from his native Mexico. So
when the coronavirus outbreak prevented
him from working for a while, he started
selling flan to his neighbors in Prospect Lef-
ferts Gardens, Brooklyn, through targeted
emails and Instagram. Even though he has
recently returned to his real estate day job,
he said that he intended to keep his flan side
gig alive.
“Some people have told me it reminds
them of home,” Mr. Royaseli said.
Ms. Weiskind and Mr. Royaseli are notalone in their decisions to sell food out of
their homes during the pandemic. Culinary
offerings across the city, some legal (most
baked goods and donations-only enter-
prises are protected), some perhaps skirt-
ing the law a bit, range from Hungarian
goulash in Brooklyn to carrot cake in
Queens. And while doing this is not new —
many New Yorkers, especially immigrants,
have long peddled everything from tamales
in the subways to birthday cakes on Insta-
gram — the coronavirus outbreak has cre-
ated a whole new market of sellers and buy-
ers.
When Tiffany Tummala learned about a
woman selling cinnamon rolls in her neigh-
borhood, she couldn’t resist placing an or-
der. She had grown tired of cooking and do-
ing dishes all the time. With her purchase,
she could indulge in comfort food and help
out a neighbor in need.
“I’m able to work from home, and my sal-
ary has stayed the same, but a lot of people
in my neighborhood are gig workers or free-The Culinary Side Gig Picks Up Steam
During the outbreak, home
cooks offer their specialties
for sale or just to feel good.
By DEVORAH LEV-TOVPHOTOGRAPHS BY BRITTAINY NEWMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMESThe Brooklyn real estate agent
Israel Barranco Royaseli, left,
with containers of his flan,
above. Richard Scandola, top
right, is a customer.Top, Miriam Weiskind, right,
photographing her pizza
customers Maura Zaldonis,
left, and Erinn Lew. Above,
a Weiskind margarita pie.lance,” Ms. Tummala said, “and I know a lot
of people are struggling.”
When Mary Shepard and her family, in-
cluding three teenagers, all came down
with Covid-19 in March, Ms. Shephard
started buying baked goods from her Upper
East Side neighbor, Allison Shapiro.
“It was our bright spot during our three
weeks of being sick,” said Ms. Shepard, who
ordered challah, cinnamon babka and choc-
olate chip cookies every week from Ms.
Shapiro. “I got really sick, I could have died,
so you know what? I’m going to enjoy that
chocolate chip cookie.”
Ms. Shapiro, a college junior, formed her
new company, BakeShap, when her sum-
mer internship at a Manhattan restaurant
was canceled. She started by baking for
neighbors like Ms. Shepard, but soon word
of mouth had her making deliveries across
the city.
“I think people are still trying to figure
out how to celebrate in these weird times,”
Ms. Shapiro said.
Paulina Barron, the baker behind the cin-
namon buns, moved to Prospect Heights,
Brooklyn, from Costa Rica in January for
graduate school. Her home baking venture,
Dough Studio, has been a way for her to con-
nect to her new community.
“It has helped me a lot because I’m new in
the country and this has increased my net-
work,” Ms. Barron said. “I’d love to think
that some people I’ve met could be potential
friends.”
For some, selling food is entirely about
making money during a stressful time. Na-
talia, a substitute Spanish teacher who
asked that her surname be withheld for le-
gal reasons, lost her income when the
schools closed in March. Her husband, a
general contractor, saw his work slow
down. So Natalia, who moved to New York
from Argentina 12 years ago, decided to
start making and selling empanadas.
After sending an email to her neighbor-
hood group (Windsor Terrace and Kensing-
ton in Brooklyn), Natalia drew immediate
interest, she said. “I put my first ad up
around 6 a.m., and by 7 a.m. I had 20 orders
already.” She soon found herself staying up
all night twice a week to make the em-
panadas (chicken, beef or vegetable), and
she estimated that she was earning $400 to
$500 per week.
While the lockdown has caused wide-
spread job loss, it has given many of these
enterprising home bakers and cooks the
push they have needed to start new busi-
nesses, even if they recognize that their suc-
cess is circumstantial. To that end, a new
app, WoodSpoon, which connects home
cooks with local buyers, has seen its busi-
ness soar.
In March, WoodSpoon was still in beta
mode when the pandemic hit. “Everything
changed, basically overnight,” said Oren
Saar, a co-founder of the company.
Overnight, he said, WoodSpoon received
hundreds of inquiries from newly unem-
ployed cooks and professional chefs.
Now there is currently a waiting list of
more than 200 home chefs who want to join.
Chefs on the platform include Lenka Gen-
gelova, a food blogger from Slovakia who of-
fers dishes like smoked fried cheese and
pierogi, and Kevin Martinez, who cooked at
Nobu and Jean Georges.
“After Covid, everything changed,” Mr.
Saar said. “So restaurants will change and
this industry will change, and the way peo-
ple consume food will change, and I think
that we are part of the solution.” At the mo-
ment, WoodSpoon is available only in New
York. He plans to expand to California next,
followed by other locations.
Still, for some sellers, it’s less about mak-
ing a living and more about helping others.
Rachel Davies, 22, is donating all proceeds
from her new venture, R.D. in the Kitchen,
to food banks and social justice organiza-
tions. Operating out of her apartment in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, since
March, Ms. Davies bakes up to 60 cookies a
day. She also offers a service for customers
who would like to donate cookies to front-
line and essential workers.
Similarly, Ms. Weiskind, the pizza maker,
is giving away pies to essential workers,
others who have lost their jobs and anyone
who says they’re having a tough time.
“Knowing that you’re going to enjoy this
pizza and that it’s going to make your life
easier,” Ms. Weiskind said, “that is the
greatest thing that you can pay me.”OUTSTANDING
INDIVIDUALS
CREATE
OUTSTANDING
COMMUNITIES
The dedication, compassion, and strength that The Bristal
team displays daily is evident – especially to those who
choose to call The Bristal home, as well as their families. The
happiness and well-being of residents means everything to us,
so their heartfelt appreciation is both powerful and motivating.
We’re proud to share their sentiments for the outstanding
individuals who make The Bristal such a special place.For a list of all locations in the tri-state area, visit: THEBRISTAL.COMLicensed by the State Department of Health.
AN ENGEL BURMAN COMMUNITY Eligible for Most Long Term Care Policies.Thank you for all you are doing to keep the residents
safe, happy, and well fed! Mom is amazed at all
you are doing on a daily basis!- Suzanne K. (family member)