EAST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Ever since the coronavirus hit, Cara Haltiwanger has had to put all her eggs in one basket.
As the food industry scrambles to survive, Haltiwanger, a chef and caterer, hatched a unique plan to sell her famed egg sandwiches by cooking them in her East Hollywood apartment and then lowering them down four floors with an actual rope and bucket.
“The first time I did it, it was extremely exhilarating and crazy because it was very experimental," she told Spectrum News 1. "I was like, am I really going to drop a bucket off a fire escape and is that really going to work?”
Turns out it did. Haltiwanger has been selling out, delivering 50 sandwiches during her three hour shift — all from the safety of her fire escape.
“They get an email with instructions explaining to be on time, to not talk to anybody, to be quiet and leave, to wear your mask and your gloves, and just get your stuff and get out,” she said.
Her customers can’t seem to get enough of it. Phil Mercado has been driving by every Sunday like clockwork, showing up under her window like a hero in a Disney film, waiting for his cue to pounce.
When it’s his time, he hops out of his car, and grabs his loot.
“You just kind of wait in your car, when the coast is clear and the person in front of you has gotten,” Mercado said.
For Haltiwanger, it’s a way to crack open the breakfast market during a global pandemic, while making some extra much-needed cash.
“Every time I do this, I’m super satisfied and happy and I get a little money in my pocket for my bills,” she said.