Black Cuisine Soul Food Festival in San Francisco canceled to help prevent coronavirus spread
SAN FRANCISCO - The recomendation from San Francisco's Department of Public health to cancel large non-essential events due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) came as a big disappointment to a nonprofit who's planning to hold the 40th Black Cuisine: Soul Food Festival in the Bayview neighborhood Saturday.
As many as 2,000 people were expected to attend.
Cathy Davis, executive director of Bayview Senior Services, organized the event. She said a lot of food has already been prepared. Now, it'll be offered on a take-out basis, but there will be no festival.
Davis said months of work was disrupted late Friday afternoon.
The event is a fundraiser for the Dr.George W. Davis Senior Center, but Davis said city officials asked her to cancel the festival to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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"I didn't want to have to tell the seniors who look forward to this event every year, but I also have to respect what's being said and what we have to do. But my first reaction was please don't do that to us," said Davis.
She and her staff are doing what they can so the food hopefully won't go to waste.
"People can still come and get food. We just can't do the community gathering," said Davis.
The tents set up outdoors for the live entertainment will sit empty.
Davis said this is a big loss because the festival attracts thousands with its food, live music and other activities.
The staff said they are disappointed, but that they're taking it in stride.
"You have to do what you have to do to protect people," said Joel Warren, a cook at Dr. George W. Davis senior center.
At Spark Social SF, a food truck park in the Mission Bay neighborhood, Sinclair Coleman, a bartender with Tipsy Tap said he's taken precautions.
"Just a little nervous, not going to be scared. Just a little nervous. Wash my hands a lot now. I do wear gloves when I clean up."
Patrons said they aren't changing their plans this weekend.
"I was just going to go out with my friends out in the city. We're not having any second thoughts. We're actually going to take Muni," said Nicole Legaspi who lives in San Francisco.
"It's kind of a little bit of a ghost town now," said Carlos Muela, owner of Spark Social SF.
He said the coronavirus scare has led to more than a dozen party cancellations for groups with 30 to 100 people. On Friday, he said he received large party cancellations friday from two companies that decided not to hold their conferences scheduled for April and May.
"So with that, a couple of their break-out parties that they were going to do with us got cancelled as well and those are upwards of 700 -800 people," said Muela.
At the senior center, staff hope the 40th anniversary of the food festival will be celebrated at a later date.
"Cross our fingers and hope it goes away," said Warren.
Muela said his food truck park business will be okay for now, but that he relies, in large part, on bookings for company picnics starting in June. Those gatherings are often for groups of thousands.
The concern is that the coronavirus scare will linger.