“I feel protected from the trade war in some ways,” she says. “I’m a supporter of shop local.”
She’s not entirely immune. Koslow says you get Comte cheese, on her menu as a $2-$3 add-on to sandwiches or omelets, from cow’s milk in eastern France -- and it would be hard to substitute its “elegant” flavor. She doesn’t see good alternatives to “smooth” Swiss chocolate or European wines, either.
‘That’s Not Fair’
While they’re affected differently, both restaurateurs say they see the complexities of trade disputes.
Strouk, a Frenchman who emigrated to the U.S. decades ago, said he’s not an admirer of aviation subsidies in his native Europe. “That’s not fair,” he says, expressing hope that a deal can be reached. “But why hit gourmet foods?”
Koslow worries that other countries will respond with their own tariffs –- which could hit the farmers she buys from. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Friday the EU is prepared to hit the U.S. with retaliatory duties if the sides can’t find a negotiated solution.
“I wouldn’t want to see local producers heavily affected,” Koslow says.
In her next venture, she might be more exposed. Koslow is set to open a new restaurant called Onda later this month near the beach in Santa Monica, with Mexican celebrity chef Gabriela Camara.
Alongside Californian fare, it will serve Mexican avocados and seafood from the Baja peninsula –- the kind imports that Trump was threatening to tax just a few months ago. Koslow calls her new restaurant a “border-defying” collaboration.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.