Seafood suppliers are now selling directly to NOLA locals | Shutterstock
Louisiana wagyu, alligator meat, conch, and other products usually reserved for NOLA restaurants are now available to the public
With the shutdown of dining rooms across the state, the wholesalers that supply New Orleans restaurants with meat, produce, and seafood are losing significant business. Just as many local produce suppliers and farms quickly pivoted to direct-to-consumer sales, some of the area’s top meat and seafood sources have opened up their offerings to the public for at-home cooking.
JV Foods, which co-owner Tim Bordes says previously delivered to 400 restaurants in the South, is now selling a huge menu of Louisiana wagyu, five cuts of steak, more than 20 seafood items, and poultry direct to consumers (as well as some produce). While the company slowly started home deliveries in late March by word of mouth, it has since implemented an ordering system for curbside pickup or deliveries for orders over $150.
A typical customer of Bordes and JV Foods co-owner Robby Hares is French Quarter seafood destination GW Fins, currently closed after continuing to operate for a short time after restrictions were put into place. The restaurant’s head chef Michael Nelson visited the warehouse on Friday to help Hares and Bordes promote their shift, featuring footage of product and the pair’s excitement about “getting the highest quality ingredients” directly to consumers.
Customers can message JV Foods through Facebook or text Hare (504) 416-7228 or Bordes (504) 343-0316 to place orders, with pickup available at their warehouse in Kenner Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
A typical supplier for restaurants, grocery and corner stores, and other wholesalers, Piazza Seafood shifted operations in recent weeks, experimenting with selling to locals on top of donating product to Chef’s Brigade, a program that raises funds to pay local restaurants to prepare free meals for health care workers and first responders in the area.
While Piazza previously sold occasional items to out-of-town people looking for specialty seafood, the company’s just-relaunched website is now set up for customers to order various fish fillets, shellfish, a slew of crabmeat and crab claw options, and even alligator meat for home. There’s no delivery available for now, but contactless pickup takes place at Piazza’s loading dock in Harahan, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Major Louisiana meat supplier Natco jumped quickly to consumer sales, making product available at its warehouse and via pop-up “meat truck” locations in Metairie and New Orleans. The company, which has been selling to New Orleans restaurants for 95 years, has since completely rebuilt its website as well, where customers can now order beef, chicken, and seafood for next day pickup Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
See here for a running list of produce pickups, deliveries, and restaurants turned-grocers, and check back with Eater for updates on where to get meat and seafood directly from wholesale suppliers.
- Produce Pickups, Deliveries, and Restaurants-Turned-Grocers in New Orleans [ENOLA]
- Top New Orleans Restaurants Cease Takeout as Local Coronavirus Cases Continue to Rise [ENOLA]
Source: Eater New Orleans - All
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