A COVID-19 Relief Kitchen Created by an Unexpected Advocate

Over the past fifteen years, Ricardo Barillas honed his culinary career working in some of the most reputable restaurants in the country. Originally a bartender, he began managing upscale restaurants in 2004, and finally switched to broadline food distribution sales last year. Broadline food distribution seeks to provide "everything a restaurant needs to operate," says Barillas. He sells products, ranging from tinfoil to wagyu beef, to clients who are mainly upscale restaurants in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On March 11, he celebrated his one-year anniversary working for Gordon Food Service as a customer development specialist, and before COVID-19 eviscerated the restaurant industry of downtown Pittsburgh, he had been having a successful year. Here, Young presents details on the COVID-19 relief kitchen created by Barillas.