Emerging Chefs Get a Boost at Public Market Emeryville

 

By Claire Bradley | Photos by Clara Rice

 

It’s no exaggeration: There is something for everyone at Public Market Emeryville. Culinary adventurers find 16 food vendors representing cuisines from around the world, while families appreciate kid-friendly seating and an adjacent playground. Revelers enjoy artisanal drinks and live events such as concerts and trivia nights.

Dustin Durham, marketing and leasing specialist with Oxford Properties Group, says his company purchased the 36-year-old food hall in 2021 and brought management in-house last year. He appreciates how the model supports local and emerging restaurateurs like Baby Café Hong Kong Bistro, a business that first found its footing at Public Market Emeryville (PME). “They started here, and now they’re opening three other locations within California.”

 

 

Baby Café owner Jun Chen brings out three drinks: a beautiful green tea brimming with fresh fruit, a high-caff Hong Kong Milk Tea made with seven types of black tea, and the ever-popular Thai iced tea, which Chen proudly explains they brew with real tea leaves and not the ubiquitous powdered mix. The drinks go perfectly with the café’s addictive Popcorn Chicken and their Hainan Chicken Rice, a Singaporean specialty made of hyper-fresh poultry (delivered at 6am every morning!) and golden-yellow rice that’s enriched with the chicken stock and fat. A fresh ginger and green onion sauce cuts through the richness and makes the whole dish sing.

Next door to Baby Café is C Casa. Its owners started in Napa Valley and now have three locations offering re-imagined Mexican food with an emphasis on fresh, healthy ingredients. You can watch the corn tacos being made by hand and then appreciate the layers of fresh flavor on these beautifully presented tacos. Everything on the menu is gluten-free, and there are exciting vegetarian options like avocado tacos loaded with corn salsa and cotija cheese, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions.

Thanks to a longtime partnership with San-Francisco–based nonprofit La Cocina, Public Market has launched many darlings of the Bay Area food scene, the most famous being Nyum Bai, which occupied La Cocina’s PME kiosk for several years before owner Nite Yun opened her (now closed) Michelin Star–winning restaurant in Oakland’s Fruitvale district. Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, another PME favorite that launched with La Cocina, is leaving the market at the end of July 2024 to open their own space in San Francisco. “We don’t want to see her go, of course,” says Durham of Minnie Bell’s chef and owner Fernay McPherson, “but for me, I love seeing that growth. It’s awesome that someone came in here, and this is her first restaurant, and now she gets a brick-and-mortar store in San Francisco.”

 

 

Start-up magic is happening again with Nusa. Before coming to PME, chef and co-owner Jennifer Huang and co-owner Perry Huang were selling their classic Indonesian pastries at a weekly farmers’ market stand, but their Lapis Legit (a “1,000” layer cake), Kue Lapis (a pandan coconut mochi layer cake), Nastar (pineapple tartlets), and sweet rice pandan custard always sold out quickly, so the duo needed a new model with more potential. They learned about the low-cost opportunity to occupy a kiosk at Public Market and worked with La Cocina to develop an Indonesian menu to augment the alluring sweets. PME diners can now enjoy Nusa’s Beef Rendang (a deeply flavored caramelized spiced beef stew), Nasi Goreng (an Indonesian fried rice served with a fried egg on top), Tahu & Tempe Bacem (coriander-braised tofu and tempeh), Karedok (a West Javanese salad), and Soto Ayam (comforting chicken and rice-noodle soup).

 

 

Beyond the start-up opportunity with La Cocina, Durham sees the whole market as an incubator. “[It’s] for restaurateurs who want to come and try their hand without owning a full restaurant. It’s a much safer environment because they have a team like Oxford to do all the marketing for them, rather than doing everything on their own. We’re coming in on the caring side; we’re not just the landlord,” he adds. “We want to see how they work and operate and how we can help.”

Many of the stalls have liquor licenses and serve beverages that complement their cuisine. There’s also the Public Bar by Blush running through the center of the food hall. Specializing in sophisticated slushies, the bartenders mix up twists on old classics, like the piña colada-inspired Vanilla Sky slushie and the sparkling wine-based French Kiss, an updated French 75.

 

 

For anyone who wants a sweet finale to their feast, Mr. Dewey’s Cashew Creamery is steps away. Classic flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip snuggle up nicely in a cup or cone with newer concepts like Caramel Almond Crunch and Golden Spice.

Public Market Emeryville boasts more options than anyone can try in a day, so many folks make it a weekly stop or come with a group of friends. QR codes on each table allow diners to order from multiple vendors, a convenient option for groups who want to try a little of everything. Here's our guide to Public Market eateries, and if you can’t decide, we’ve included recommendations for what to try first.