The Steady Spark

Inspiration and survival for a chef and new restaurant owner in the days of Covid

“What does shutdown mean?” It was March 2020, and this was the question that Jezabel Careaga, owner of her eponymous cafe in Philadelphia, asked her close friend Gabriel. English was Jezabel’s second language, and this was her first global pandemic.

“I couldn’t imagine closing my restaurant. I had already depleted all my savings. We’re living day to day…