Solano Avenue Finds

By Rachel Trachten | Photos by Zach Pine

 

Remember When the Southern Pacific Railroad ran along Solano Avenue? No, probably not. But a few people in the neighborhood might recall a treat from the former Larson’s Bakery or McCurdy’s Ice Cream enjoyed after a movie at the Oaks Theater (now a climbing gym). If you’re on the 1800 block today, you’ll find a wide array of enticing restaurant and shopping options.

 

 

Berkeley shop owner Fern Solomon often looks back to 1981, the year her brother Jacob started building wind chimes in their parents’ garage. Delighted by his talent for handcrafting these perfectly tuned creations, Fern started helping him sell them at swap meets and harvest fairs. Together, they grew the hobby into a business that enjoyed many years of strong sales until the rise of cheap corporate wind chime knockoffs started cutting into their profits. Fern turned her sights to creating a retail gift shop specializing in handcrafted art. Her first Fern’s Garden (in Long Beach) was a popular local destination for 20 years until it closed.

 

 

“People would come into the store and say, ‘I’m from Berkeley. You should be in Berkeley,’” says Fern. In 2017, she took their advice and found a new home for Fern’s Garden at 1831 Solano Avenue, Berkeley. Her daughter, Lia Neal, helps run the store, where their handcrafted wares are about 80 percent by American artists and 20 percent fair trade goods from around the world. “I don’t buy anything that isn’t ethically made,” says Fern. “I know how hard it is to be a maker, especially these days in this world.”

The shop offers a huge variety of home and garden items including handmade greeting cards, artistic tea towels, jewelry, magnets, body care products, and wind chimes (of course), all with an emphasis on quality, affordability, and ethical sourcing.

Fern also serves as a mentor to makers through a national crafting organization. “You can graduate from art school and not have any idea how to sell your wares or make a living,” she says. Her advice is often aimed at how to craft a beautiful item that’s also affordable, as with a birdhouse maker she’s currently advising. Fern is also a City of Berkeley commissioner for the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District. She branded her section of the district “Upper Solano.” It’s an area with over 100 independent businesses that offer a uniquely rewarding shopping experience.

fernsgarden.com

 

It’s hard to miss Of All Places, the colorful little specialty food and wine shop located a few steps from Fern’s Garden.

Co-owners Joe and Celia Catalino were working in the food industry before the pandemic, he as a sommelier and she as a food artisan, caterer, and food stylist/photographer. When people suddenly became housebound in 2020, the Catalinos created an online wine club that delivered to 300 customers throughout the Bay Area. As restrictions eased, they contemplated their friends’ urgings to open a brick-and-mortar wine shop. “We wanted a little specialty market that also has provisions if you want an easy dinner or snacks or really good chocolate,” says Celia.

The supermarket right across the street could be seen as a detraction, but the Catalinos think it works. They say that people picking up basics at Andronico’s often come over to find some special sauce, wine, or dessert.

 

 

“We are solely focused on small-production groceries,” says Joe, who as a sommelier understands what it means when a product has a sense of place. “A lot of the brands we carry [are made by] friends or people we’ve gotten to know since we’ve had the business.”

A favorite product the Catalinos have on the shelf is the masa made by their friend Emmanuel Galvan, chef-owner of Berkeley’s just-opened Café Bolita. “We knew when we opened this store that it would be important to have a place here for his products,” Joe says. The three got close when Galvan joined the wine club and the Catalinos were ordering masa. It grew into an exciting exchange of ideas about food and entrepreneurship.

“We always say that every product here has a story, and we want to share that story,” says Celia. “We’ve tried everything on the shelves.”

If you get hungry while browsing the array of irresistible pantry goods at Of All Places, the Catalinos usually have some of their house-made fresh-roasted turkey and Havarti sandwiches available.

ofallplacesmarket.com

Caponata Egg Salad Sandwich

Recipe and photo by Celia Catalino, co-owner, Of All Places

 

 

Caponata is a traditional Sicilian dish of fried eggplant in an agrodolce (sweet and sour) sauce with celery, onions, olives, and capers. Sicilians serve it with hard-boiled eggs, and this sandwich is our take on that pairing. We like our eggs with jammy yolks, but feel free to cook yours longer if you prefer them more set. We find that caponata always tastes better the next day, so we make it ahead of when we want to enjoy the sandwiches.

Yield: 4 sandwiches with plenty of caponata left over. You can store leftover caponata in your fridge for up to 7 days, but you’ll probably eat it all up well before that.

For the caponata

• 2½ pounds globe eggplants, skin on, chopped into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for frying and drizzling
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices
• 2 cups tomato passata or sauce
• 4 celery stalks cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1½ cups pitted and halved green olives, preferably Castelvetrano
• ⅓ cup capers rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

For the sandwiches

• 6 jammy (7-minute) eggs, cooled, peeled, and quartered
• Focaccia
• Baby arugula
• Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
• Flake salt, for finishing

To make the caponata: Fill a large sauté pan to 1½ inches with olive oil and heat. Fry the eggplant in 2 or 3 batches until golden-brown and soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Season well with salt. In a separate large frying pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion slices until just soft and translucent. Add tomato passata, celery, olives, capers, honey, vinegar, and salt to taste. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Gently stir in eggplant, being careful not to break it up. Simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.

To assemble sandwiches: Cut focaccia into sandwich-sized squares, and slice in half lengthwise. We like to grill our bread in a frying pan with some olive oil, but this step is not necessary.

Gently fold the quartered eggs into the caponata, making sure to preserve the integrity of both the eggs and vegetables.

Layer baby arugula on the bottom focaccia slices. Top with a scoopful of the egg salad. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and flake salt before adding the top layer of focaccia.

Enjoy with plenty of napkins!