Among all the many roles Robert Amar has played in the local culinary scene over the more than two decades, the ubiquitous presence at the front of the space in a myriad of local dining places (Buddakan, Tangerine, Fare, The Inn at St. Peter’s Village), evangelist dog in Underdogs, his now closed underground place to eat sausages near Rittenspace Square Square , his recent adventure as the founder of Small World SeafoodArray, a wholesaler of eating shops among his favorites.
“I can get it directly for non-b.s quality stuff. And do well through the chefs by knowing their cycles,” says 51-year-old Amar from Montreal, who had about 20 regular customers. “They had me and made a smart living of my life.”
But like many vendors of places to eat that suddenly found themselves at a standstill at the start of the pandemic, Amar ended up with a bloodless truck filled with two hundred pounds of new seafood when the places to eat in Philadelphia suddenly closed due to the coronavirus in the middle. . It’s March. So he sold it to his neighbors in Fairmount, who told his friends. About 10 other people responded with more requests next week. And before he found out and with the help of a new partner, neighbor and restaurant veterinarian, Andy Farrell, they developed a direct-to-consumer business driven by an undeniable email newsletter and a series of weekly Google registration sheets. They now deliver up to 2,000 pounds of new seafood to an average of 500 consumers each week at downtown pickup sites.
“We just sold two hundred pounds of bone skate wing, and not a week before COVID that sold two hundred pounds of skate wing in the city center,” he said, saying love, noting that the constant demand for retail consumers’ variety is a departure from chefs who still need the same for their menus.
Small World is one of many eateries providers that have been in retail operations, adding Green Meadow Farms, Samuel and Son and Giordano’s Garden Grocery.
The convenience of accessing those new ingredients without wanting to move to a market obviously has a popular appeal for the 2500 email subscribers. Small World recently added a weekly deposit in Washington Square to existing stops in Fitler Square and Rittenhouse Square on Fridays, as well as Thursdays at Fairmount. And the expansion is underway, with imaginable stops Saturday in West Philadelphia and Mount Airy/Chestnut Hill scheduled for mid-September. Amar also plans to open a showcase at the company’s headquarters (444 N. 4th St.) to sell smoked fish, broths and sauces until late fall, “referring to the behavior of other people inside” when the city gradually reopens. .
For now, however, a relaunched company that has touched the sensitive fiber by bringing quality seafood from restaurant to motivated local cooks, has been its own reward.
“The amazing thing is that the network is a component of it,” Amar says, “and how it connects us those days with so many other people in the city.”
—Craig LaBan
Visit Small World Seafood (https://smallworldseafood.com/) to learn more about weekly donations and how to sign up for email updates. Two pound packages of fish in portions, from $18 to $34.