Cassie Piuma: Sarma, Somerville
Profile SIX in this series: Boston Chefs and the Covid-19 Pandemic
Photos by Kristin Tieg
It was one of the hottest days in the summer of 2018 when I found myself walking across an empty parking lot toward a well-known restaurant in Somerville.
It would be a couple of hours before Sarma opened its doors to dinner guests, but owner Cassie Piuma met me with a cheerful hello, making me feel genuinely welcomed in the cool corners of her restaurant. It didn’t seem possible that a woman who possessed such a palpable calmness could also harbor such endless energy.
But Piuma, who this week was nominated as a finalist for James Beard Best Chef Northeast, is defined by her passion for work and family.
Perhaps come August the sound of sizzling dishes from Sarma’s kitchen will linger in the air. The parking lot will be filled with socially distanced bicycles and cars, and the festive camaraderie of a spaciously modified crowd will unmask themselves to our new reality.
But until then, how are these stay-at-home guidelines affecting Cassie Piuma?
What are your thoughts right now in the peak moment of the pandemic crisis?
Just keep cooking lady!
Keep moving, strategizing!
Don’t allow yourself to give in, give up, don’t ever fucking give up!
When the guidelines were released in mid-March, what were your immediate thoughts?
I wasn’t really sure what to think when it all started ... it felt like a wacky dream or a movie (that I didn’t want to watch!), but then the reality set in and I was like, OK, this is what it is right now. How do we move forward?
What steps did you take to prepare for the lockdown—both professionally and personally?
Professionally: We took a massive inventory of everything we had in the restaurant and then created a plan, a menu of sorts and a timeline to utilize the products. Some food was sold, some was given to the staff, some was donated to local shelters and first responders.
Bottom line, nothing was wasted.
Personally: I went to the store and bought 100 yogurt smoothies, bananas, Cheerios and string cheese ’cause I know my kids can live off that for weeks and then I hit the ground running, cooking my ass off and working with our team to develop new protocol for Sarma take-out.
Are you using this time to experiment with other dishes or are you not working with food at all?
Unfortunately, there’s not much time for experimentation. These past two months have been straight up survival mode. Do the things you know, that are manageable, reasonably priced and can bring comfort to as many people as possible.
Everybody’s talking about Netflix, HBO and other TV streaming; do you have any recommendations you want to share?
I got into “Ozark.” It’s intense but good to have some distraction that won’t put me to sleep.
What are the staples in your kitchen that you can’t do without?
Fresh lemon juice, walnuts, garlic, Turkish red pepper paste, feta cheese, cilantro, pomegranate molasses and tahini. And good quality spices.
Have you been able to keep these items in stock?
Yes! Thank gawwwwwd! We’ve had to switch some brands but mostly no problem.
What is your go-to menu now that you are cooking at home?
We fire up the grill whenever we can. My husband bought me a Big Green Egg for my birthday so now we’re also into smoking! My go-to is a big vegetable-centric salad with a chunk of grilled meat and bright, punchy dressing. And croutons! Our GM has been picking up this spicy olive bread from a local bakery that makes the best croutons evvvvver. We also do taco night at least twice a week.
What kind of safety precautions are you taking?
Masks, gloves, constant sanitizing of surfaces, deep, deep cleaning ... you name it. It’s always been a conscientious environment but now it’s a hospital. The dining room has been transformed into a real-life flow chart complete with directional signs, operating instructions and contactless transactions. It’s basically a different business. We develop new rules every day and constantly communicate about how we can make the operation safer and smarter.
When I get home at night after cooking, I strip my clothes off at the front door and stumble to the shower naked and reeking of the lavender sanitizer my mom—who works at Whole Foods—sent in bulk.
I think my neighbors are getting a show😳
How are you coping with stress?
Stress is a chef’s bread-n-butter. We love it, we hate it, in some ways many of us thrive off of it. But this is next-level stuff and it’s downright exhausting.
My goal is to not get too far ahead of myself, deal with each day head-on and try to maintain a healthy, realistic, positive attitude.
It’s easy to let your mind unravel with possibilities, but more productive to put one foot in front of the other. The future is uncertain, and we may lose control of the circumstances, but we can always maintain perspective.
Will this pandemic crisis change the way you do business in the future, and if so, how?
This pandemic will undoubtedly change the restaurant scene forever. If and when we reopen, it will likely be to a laundry list of restrictions, guidelines and increased liability.
Some, sadly, may never get back on their feet. The threat of losing these precious pieces of our community is just devastating and we are going to do everything in our power to stay connected, share resources, support our friends and lift up our industry.
Is there anything you would like to share in reflection on this crisis that we are all in together?
The incredible kindness we’ve been shown during this crisis has been nothing short of heartwarming. The friends who have dropped off food, beverages, sweet notes of encouragement and checked in to make sure we are safe and supported has made the situation bearable.
I thank my lucky stars every day that we have this good fortune but also recognize that absolutely none of this would be possible without the mini, but mighty, skeleton crew that volunteered to work during a global pandemic. They put their faith in our hands and signed up knowing nothing about salary, schedule, health insurance or personal safety. They sacrificed so much and just said “YES, we want to help you, we want to support Sarma.” That’s commitment, that’s courage, that’s the kind of people we’re desperately fighting to save.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity; it appeared in May 2020 as an online exclusive, part of a larger series of interviews with local chefs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
