Food truck team praise hospitality’s “survival spirit”

Tuesday 06 July 2021

"Superheroes" from across the hospitality industry have been praised for stepping in to save the day when a food truck when staff absences due to contact tracing left them on the brink of losing a major booking.

The Kismet Food Truck was booked to cater for Jersey Motocross’ Open Day on Saturday (3 July) and came very close to having to back out of the event.

The day before, the team had had to close their Ouaisné Bay venue, Kismet Cabana, after several of them had been contacted by the ‘Track and Trace’ team. 

“With our main team in isolation, we were heartbroken to have to cancel a full weekend of music and vital bookings with an uncertain timeframe of reopening down in the bay,” they wrote in a post on their Facebook page. “During this time we still need to pay our awesome team. We still have commitments including other people’s special events - we still have bills to pay." 

With no team available to work in the food truck, the team said they would have had “to let the organisers down at the 11th hour, wasting stock, prepped produce and losing more of our personal investment into the livelihoods of our team”. 

“It’s fair to say we were very emotional,” they added.

Luckily, the team was able honour their engagement thanks to the help of four “absolute super heroes” who flew to the rescue.

“Simon Soar of Jersey Hospitality Association offers to personally don some chef whites and flip some burgers alongside our friend Colin - who hasn’t been in a kitchen for three years,” the team said. “Super student Loza. just back from uni, and our new event champion and top mixologist James, with minimal notice, pitch in and form a champion team to cover the event and quite literally save our bacon.

“They bloody smashed it and we can’t be more grateful.” 

Meanwhile, Emily Walker of the Pink Panda Van and Chef Justin Saunders were waiting “in the wings” to step in if needed and Scott Le Breton borrowed a tractor to deliver a generator to the food truck.

Praising the involvement of all the “superheroes” the Kismet team said they had experienced “the incredibly special survival spirit of our local hospitality industry and the value of unconditional friendship at its finest”.

“What can we say except that we are so grateful for you amazing human beings,” they added. “This was a cracking event we were chuffed to be part of, thank you Jersey Motocross, thank you so, so much.”

Speaking to Express, Simon Soar, the JHA's Chief Executive, said he had been happy to help the team.

“I chucked my whites on and hopped in the kitchen,” he said. “We’re all in this together, we all get on, we are all here to help each other. If you can help someone, you don’t let them fail through no fault of their own.

“It was great to see so many people did step up to do that. I was really pleased I was able to help them.”

He added that this type of collaborative spirit had become common as a result of the pandemic.

 "The JHA has a motto, which is 'stronger as one' and I don’t think that could have been any more apt than over the past 18 months. We can get through these things together."

Kismet shared another post the following day welcoming the changes in the Government’s contact tracing policy.

It was announced on Sunday that people classed as direct contacts of a covid case would no longer have to isolate, as long as they are taking part in the testing programme and do not have symptoms.

“We are filled with utter relief to hear the decision to veto the isolation requirements for direct contacts by the Government of Jersey this evening and will be resuming business as soon as possible,” they said, adding that all members of the team had been tested for covid and received negative tests. 

“We need to survive,” they added. “Let’s crack on and try to live in this strange new world. If you feel sick, please use common sense - take the precautions required, stay away and get tested. We hope you a speedy recovery and will see you when you are better. Sending so much love to our amazing supporters, customers and friends for your ongoing support.”

Mr Soar was similarly grateful for the change, noting that he was aware of some premises that had lost their whole workforce as a result of contact tracing. He described it as a "huge relief" for the industry.