Famous Food

Brody Jenner does not disappoint ... he's apparently self-quarantining with the help of a very attractive UCSB grad.

Brody and his UCSB alum made a food run Friday, ending up at Erewhon market in Los Angeles. They shopped, and then beat a hasty retreat in Brody's pickup.

Brody's been a busy dude. He was dating Josie Canseco, but that ended in October. Before that, he called it quits with Kaitlynn Carter after a year of "marriage." It actually was never a real marriage ... they had a ceremony in Indonesia, but never made it official.

Ben Stein braved the outdoors Friday to make a trek to the market ... and the image is gripping.

Ben's 75, so he's in the high-risk group. He looked frail as he hit up Pavillions supermarket in Los Angeles ... with an assist from a nurse.

The "Ferris Bueller" teacher walked slowly as he entered the store ... without protective gear.

It's a snapshot that tells a story of the frightening times we're in, where going to the grocery store becomes a scary proposition.

A popular restaurant forced to close its normal business due to coronavirus guidelines, transitioned into a pop-up grocery store, but the health department put the kibosh on that too ... and the restaurant's pissed.

Bacari PDR in Playa Del Rey shut down its restaurant and kitchen last week, but obviously, it still had a lot of food and supplies in its inventory.

So, it began selling fresh produce, meat and toiletry items to the local community to try to make ends meet during the difficult financial times ... along with helping residents find essential groceries they might have struck out on elsewhere.

The L.A. County Health Department wasn't having it, though. Bacari says a representative showed up Friday at the restaurant-turned-market and shut it down ... because it doesn't have a grocery license.

The restaurant's understandably upset and is blasting the L.A. County government for shutting them down. Bacari maintains it was just "trying to survive, and getting much-needed supplies to the neighborhood."

The catch-22 for Bacari is they've been told the health dept. is not accepting new grocery applications due to the pandemic -- which is, of course, the only reason Bacari's in this situation! The restaurant has reached out to Mayor Eric Garcetti to try to rectify the situation.

We're told at least 2 other restaurants nearby, in Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica, are doing what Bacari PDR was doing, but it's unclear if they've also been forced to close.

We've reached out to the health dept. ... no word back, so far.

As for what Bacari was selling ... stuff like avocados, tomatoes, loaves of bread, shredded cheese, lettuce, chicken and other meat -- all for pretty reasonable prices.

A vile woman purposely coughed all over a grocery store's fresh produce, resulting in a huge waste of food and rotten day for its employees ... and the authorities are pursuing charges.

According to the co-owner of Gerrity's Supermarkets, Joe Fasula ... the woman -- who he calls a "chronic problem in the community" -- entered the store in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon and began hacking on all the fruit and veggies ... along with a small section of the bakery and meat case.

Fasula believes the woman did this as a "very twisted prank" amid the coronavirus pandemic, but she left the store no choice but to throw out all the food she came in contact with ... for obvious health and safety reasons.

The owner believed the lady's sick stunt cost the store about $35,000 worth of product, not to mention forcing workers to clean and disinfect everything along with the health inspector ... and possible COVID-19 exposure to customers and at least 15 employees.

Fasula says the silver lining is the Gerrity's team was able to remove the terrible prankster quickly and contacted police. He says the case is with the District Attorney's Office ... and it's pursuing "numerous charges."

Federal law enforcement recently announced it's considering terrorism charges for anyone purposely spreading COVID-19 ... it's unclear if this disgusting woman has coronavirus, though.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is moving further into the good graces of Americans looking for guidance amid the coronavirus pandemic ... his mug is now on a super-popular donut.

Here's the deal ... a bakery in upstate New York is selling new donuts with Dr. Fauci's face on them, and the sweet treats are flying off the shelves!!!

Donuts Delite in Rochester started selling the donuts with Dr. Fauci's face earlier this week, and the bakery says they've already sold hundreds of 'em.

Dr. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert who has become a fixture in daily TV briefings on the virus, is gonna like the delivery options too ... because the bakery is offering curbside pickup, takeout and contact-less delivery.

The Dr. Fauci donut is a plain donut with frosting and if you want, you can it get it with filling. His face is printed on wafer-thin edible paper and placed upon a layer of buttercream frosting. Yum!!!

Dr. Fauci's not only helping save lives with his expertise, he's becoming a rising star in pop culture ... and he just did a fascinating Q&A with Steph Curry, which drew rave reviews from Barack Obama.

Quick, someone get a dozen Dr. Fauci donuts to our junk-food eatin' President!!!

Maybe these will save the economy!!!

Drew Brees just announced he's donating $5 MILLION to the State of Louisiana to help with coronavirus relief efforts ... just days after signing a new $50 mil contract with the Saints.

Pretty awesome move from Brees who's already beloved in New Orleans for doing good work in the community ... like building all-inclusive playgrounds.

"Brittany and I are committing $5,000,000 to the State of Louisiana in 2020," Drew says ... "The priority now is helping our communities get through this tough time."

"After considerable research and conversations with local organizations, we will be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need."

He added, "Let’s all do our part, maintain hope, and get through this together."

Drew's donation is the largest we've seen so far from an active pro athlete -- pretty amazing stuff.

With grocery stores under siege by desperate shoppers, meal prep companies are coming up big ... mostly 'cause health freaks refuse to give up their diets.

TMZ spoke with several different meal delivery companies in California and beyond, and they all pretty much told us the same thing ... business has been BOOMING these past few weeks, with drastic changes in their subscriber base -- and lots of returning customers too.

Take Nutrifit, for example -- which has been operating for 30-plus years. They say they've actually seen a significant uptick in both new and old customers alike over the past week -- with a 15% increase in both categories. For the oldies coming back, we're told some folks are coming out of the woodwork from decades ago ... and they think it's due to coronavirus. Makes sense, especially since their family serving plans are up 25% too.

As far as what most people are hitting them up for ... Nutrifit says it's by and large health and organic food. We're told their most popular a la carte items of late are mahi-mahi and salmon, Mexican turkey lasagna, organic chicken paprikash and of course, vegan chili. Mmm

Nutrifit says its meals are tailored for the health-conscious, so they attribute the rise in business to people realizing that and wanting to stay on track with their regiments. They've also been asked about cleanliness, and Nutrifit assures us anyone who might come into contact with a customer's food is using gloves and social distancing when necessary.

A similar trend has been happening for other meal prep companies as well, like Fitness Kitchen L.A. and California Chef ... only their numbers are even crazier. FKLA's new orders this week have jumped by over 63%, and CC's new subscriptions are up by a whopping 80%!

Both orgs tell us their customer base has expressed interest in maintaining their lean lifestyle ... and apparently, some customers are even getting their older parents involved too to keep them out of grocery stores and away from potentially infected food runners.

We're guessing there are plenty of people out there who just want some comfort food ... and can't blame them.

If you live in India and the coronavirus doesn't kick your ass, the police might ... if you're caught venturing out of your home during a mandatory 21-day lockdown.

Video has emerged of cops in India violently attacking and punishing residents in the streets after Tuesday's declaration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that nobody is allowed to leave their homes ... not for any reason.

Naturally, many of the 1.3 BILLION folks in one of the world's largest countries panicked and flocked to stores to stock up on food and supplies, but in some cases ... they were met with extreme force by authorities ordering them back to their homes.

Officers wearing surgical masks can be seen beating people breaking the rules, while it appears others gathered up groups of violators and made them do pushups.

Either way, the behavior of the cops seems contradictory to social-distancing guidelines.

Though the violence was captured on video, a New Delhi police spokesman has denied any sort of police brutality.

On Wednesday, there were more than 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India, but the number is expected to rise.

Celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz has died because of the coronavirus ... this after checking into a hospital and succumbing to an infection, according to his family.

The "Top Chef Masters" star's death was confirmed to Indian media outlet, Scroll.in, with members of his family saying Floyd died Wednesday at a facility in New Jersey -- where he'd been getting treated upon returning from an international trip to Mumbai earlier this month.

He admitted himself after feeling feverish, and then later ... testing positive for coronavirus in New York, per Hunger Inc. -- the parent company that ran his restaurants abroad. Floyd also addressed his hospitalization on Instagram ... just a few short days ago.

Cardoz had been featured as a contestant on 'TCM' for several episodes in 2011. He also starred on "Iron Chef America," "After Hours with Daniel Boulud," "Reservations Required," "Worst Cooks in America," "Big Morning Buzz Live," as well as appearances on talk shows like 'Rachel Ray.'

Some of his fellow 'Top Chefs' paid tribute to him after hearing the news, such as Padma Lakshmi who wrote of her contemporary ... "@floydcardoz made us all so proud. Nobody who lived in NY in the early aughts could forget how delicious and packed Tabla always was. He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch. This is a huge loss..."

He was known for his Mumbai restaurants, the Bombay Canteen and O Pedro. Floyd also had restaurants in NYC.

Floyd was 59.

Costco is lining the wallets of its employees with even more money, but they won't get the loot unless they tough out the pandemic.

The chain's CEO sent out a memo to all of its employees, which reads in part ... "In recognition of your hard work during this unprecedented time, all full-time, part-time and limited part-time hourly Costco employees in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will receive an additional $2 per hour for hours worked during the five weeks of March 2 through April 5, 2020.

Sounds great, and God knows these employees are a lifeline for untold thousands of people who get food and vital supplies from the mega-store.

Here's the catch ... "The additional compensation will be paid in a lump sum in your April 17 paycheck."

Translation ... you gotta stick it out till the end and if you don't, you don't get the money.

Gwyneth Paltrow is protecting herself and her loved ones against coronavirus -- let's face it, she knows a thing or 2 about pandemics.

The "Contagion" star braved her local farmers market Sunday in Pacific Palisades, wearing latex gloves and practicing social distancing as she came home with a haul of fresh veggies.

Gwyneth's husband, Brad Falchuk, ditched his gloves and mask as they got closer to home, but only when there was no one around.

As you know ... California is under a "safer at home" mandate as we attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. You can leave your house for food and farmers markets are still open, but there's no sampling.

L.A.'s Mayor, Eric Garcetti, is calling this a make-or-break week for Angelenos and he's been chiding folks for flooding the beaches and parks despite orders to say 6-feet apart ... but Gwyneth's setting a good example for all.

Gwyneth says we're all on a learning curve as we adjust to the new normal, but she adds it's important to take the new rules seriously and not abuse freedoms.

Say this for Gwyneth ... she practices what she preaches!

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Vegas is still serving customers during the 30-day "stay home" order -- but strictly from its kitchen.

Yes, the only people coming to the stage at the strip joint will be the chefs, according to its honchos ... who tell us the kitchen will be open for those in need of food assistance in the Las Vegas valley.

Nevada governor Steve Sisolak announced a statewide closure earlier this week of all non-essential businesses, urging residents to stay inside to avoid contracting the virus. Businesses that serve food and provide delivery, drive-thru, pick-up or curbside service can stay open.

We're told the Hustler Club's looking out for seniors, too -- they'll deliver the free food to people who are at least 60 years old, while curbside pickup is available for everyone else.

The free meal service is being offered daily from noon to 6 PM while supplies last.

America and junk food are getting back together after years apart ... and it only took a global pandemic to kick start the reunion.

According to a new Bloomberg report, a massive and noticeable trend is starting to emerge in the buying pattern of panicked U.S.-based shoppers these past few weeks ... who've been flocking to their local grocery stores and grabbing the essentials off the shelves en masse.

Long story short ... the country's giving up kale, and they're going back to Oreos. In other words, keeping up with the health kick is over, people. We're going back to what we know.

There's a number of possible reasons for this outlined in the report, but the biggest seems to be basic shelf life and expiration dates. A lot of the junk food shoppers are pivoting to is simply going to last longer than pretty much any of super/health foods they've gravitated towards of late. Plus, a lot of the old-school snacks are sold in bulk, and are easier to grab and go in these scary times. Another explanation ... we're creatures of habit.

The numbers are there to back up the theory too -- sales for companies like General Mills, Tyson Foods, Campbell Soup, Kraft and Heinz are going through the roof of late. The company behind Spam is also blowing up with a 37% spike, and Oreo maker Mondelez Int'l is also peaking.