MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Thanksgiving is next week and every family’s celebration will look different this year.
So many people are in need of help as the coronavirus pandemic rages on.
The hospitality industry has been hit especially hard, but now the organizers of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival are reaching out to help and provide delicious holiday meals at the same time.
Imagine a homemade thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings, but without having to do all the heavy lifting.
“We’re calling it a one-stop, no shop, turkey dinner in a box,” said Lee Schrager, founder and director of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
Schrager is offering fresh-made Thanksgiving meals made to order, with 100% of the net proceeds benefiting the festivals' hospitality relief fund, which supports South Florida restaurants and bars and their thousands of employees that have been hit hard financially during the pandemic.
“A very trying time for so many people, particularly in the hospitality industry,” he said.
Schrager is building off his success with this past summer’s drive-through bake sale that raised a quarter of million dollars to help out restaurants and bars forced to shut down.
“You’re talking about six to seven months of reduced business and trying to stay afloat,” he said. “I think we’re going to see the worst of it in the next few weeks, so the need to do what we’re doing for the holidays is more important than ever.”
There are different options to choose from, with vegan and veggie meals, and yes, wine and flowers are included.
“We wanted to make this as easy and as seamless as possible,” Schrager said. “Really as home cooking as it could be. We’ve been curating the menu for the last few weeks; there’s over two dozen side dishes, a dozen desserts, a few salads. Something for everyone.”
For every 25 meals sold, two meals will be given to those in the bartending industry, hit especially hard, since bars, lounges, and clubs still have not reopened, and many workers remain unemployed.