Industry SOS: The Covid-19 Time Capsule
Josh Niland
Writer Tristan Lutze and I have been spending the days following the government’s announcement in the appropriately socially-distanced company of some of Sydney’s best chefs, cataloguing the unique moment in history through the familiar eyes of Neil Perry, Matt Moran, Jacqui Challinor, Niland, and their ilk. It’s an unprecedented point in time that we felt needed to be documented.
The project, which will find its eventual home at the in-development Culinary Archive in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, continues to document the complex effects the pandemic has had on the restaurant industry and those that work in it. For Niland, these consequences include a deep introspection into not only the future of his business, but the roots of his enthusiasm for it.
“There’s a certain amount of damage that something like this does to your soul,” Niland says. “It cuts you in a place that you’ve never felt before. There’s something about this that’s a little bit scarring. I don’t feel the same anymore as I used to. I don’t know what I’m meant to feel right now.”
“Will we just flip back to being the kind of restaurant we were after this? Probably not. The only thing that people want is to be cooked good, wholesome, proper food while enjoying company. I’m questioning all the silly noise that comes with that.”
Writer- Tristan Lutze
Media production- Jeanine Bribosia (Cru Media)