Dallas Diners Can Now Bid on Zoom Calls With Top Chefs to Raise Money for Charity

Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.

Fundraiser allows food-lovers to #AskChefsAnything for charity

A ton of Dallas-area chefs, writers and restaurateurs are participating in the #AskChefsAnything fundraiser, which allows food-lovers to bid on 30-minute Zoom chats with the personality of their choice. Proceeds from the fundraiser go towards Harvest Project Food Rescue, which provides fresh fruit and veggies to underserved communities in Dallas County.

The idea for the fundraiser came from two restaurant industry veterans in New York City who wanted to help immigrant workers in the food service world, one of the groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Dallas, participants include David Uygur of Lucia and Macellaio; Paula Lambert of The Mozzarella Co; Jerelle Guy of Black Girl Baking; Peja Krstic of Mot Hai Ba; and many more. Bidding starts at $100 for a 30-minute Zoom call in which winners can ask pretty much anything — discuss recipes, ask for advice or whatever else comes to mind. The auction is currently underway and bidding closes at 8 pm on Thursday, June 25.

Fort Worth fave Salsa Limon reopens in Cultural District

Salsa Limon, purveyor of traditional street tacos and other Central American bites, reopens this week in new digs across from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The original museo location closed in 2016 when owners quite literally relocated the building to the River District due to the construction of a new development on University Drive. That development, Elan Crockett Row, is the new home of Salsa Limon Museo II, which will open quietly this Friday, June 26.

Texas Restaurant Association launches COVID-19 certification program

A new program created by the Texas Restaurant Association aims to help restaurants navigate the many protocols and recommendations for reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, CultureMap reports. In order to “stoke consumer confidence,” TRA has teamed up with Dallas College, a secret shopper organization A Closer Look, and the Texas Workforce Commission to train and certify restaurants on the recommendations provided by the state of Texas for stopping the spread of the virus. A minimum of five employees at each restaurant must complete the course, and restaurants will be evaluated by secret shoppers form A Closer Look. Restaurants who complete the certification will get a decal they can apply to their front doors.

Last week Texas saw a string of record-level days of coronavirus diagnoses. Several Dallas-area restaurants have had to close due to outbreaks among staff, and several more have received TABC violations for not meeting the recommended standards for social distancing.