Posts by Edible East Bay

  Alyssa Gilbert wears many hats in the world of artisan cheese. Her Oakland shop, Ollie’s American Cheese + Provisions, is a great place to go learn about and buy locally and nationally made craft cheeses, and it’s also a catering kitchen that designs cheese and charcuterie boards and grazing tables for events both large…

Story, recipe, and photo by Christian Reynoso     I  love watching olive oil as it first streams out of the olive press. Opaque and electric green, it’s charged with the raw power of volatile aromatic compounds. The Italians call unfiltered, newly pressed olive oil olio nuovo, and they know its shelf life in the…

    Rain or shine, we can’t wait to visit Malcolm and Karen Bond’s frantoio (olive mill) in Winters for their lively holiday party. The star of the event is always the Bond’s olio nuovo (new olive oil), which is both prized and extremely limited. We’ve attended in all kinds of weather, but it’s always…

  Slow Food East Bay (SFEB) invites you to come enjoy a meal that is true to Ukrainian foodways today and learn from Chef Anna Voloshyna about the history of Ukrainian food, the ways in which wars throughout history have changed how Ukrainians eat, and how today’s conflict is affecting the food system and culture.…

  When one of my cousins gleefully reminded me of the Halloween spook houses they used to build in their Baltimore basement, I immediately recalled the time they made me put my hand in a bowl full of “eyeballs” (actually peeled grapes coated in oil). Dredging up that memory brought back all the fun of…

  Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch has been a cherished family destination in the Livermore countryside for 35 years. Families can spend the whole day exploring, playing and making memories. There are farm animals to feed and pet, an old-time Western town to wander, and a winding corn maze to conquer. Kids love the hayride,…

  Brentwood’s Smith Family Farm welcomes the community for two popular traditions. The annual Tomato Day on Saturday, September 27 features samples from Bay Area chefs, tomato-themed games and prizes, live music, and food and craft vendors. And the day marks the opening of the Pumpkin Patch, which continues through October 31, 9am to 5pm…

  It’s never too soon to start getting ready for Halloween, and this free quirky two-hour history tour at Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery is one place to start. Guide Barbara Gibson takes you to the final resting places of Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron, James Folger, Frank Norris, Ina Coolbrith, and Domingo Ghiradelli, as well as…

Readers always remark about the beauty of our quarterly magazines, so to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have created a display of all 80 covers. To see it, come to the Richmond Marina Bay Park Farmers’ Market this Sunday, September 14, 10am–2pm. Edible East Bay publisher/editor Cheryl Angelina Koehler will be there along with some…

  Get ready for an unforgettable evening on Thursday, September 25, 5:30–8pm as you enjoy a VIP tour of the North Berkeley Farmers’ Market, where Ecology Center staff will introduce you to the farmers and the seasonal ingredients that bring these markets to life. After the tour, the group gathers at Vintage Berkeley to enjoy…

  By Cheryl Angelina Koehler, editor of Edible East Bay Each year, the Alameda County Cattlewomen hold two beef cook-offs at the Alameda County Fair. Professional chefs are sidelined for these contests as a group of backyard barbecue enthusiasts arrives early in the day to set up their outdoor kitchens and make a go at…

  In the heart of Oakland, a movement is growing—one plate at a time. Chef Rene Johnson, beloved for her culinary talent and community-driven mission, is being called by many “The Heartbeat of Oakland” thanks to her powerful Soul Food Stroll event series. These vibrant, family-style gatherings are more than just meals—they are acts of unity, healing, and hope. Rooted…

  In 2023, urban sketcher Cathy Raingarden and Edible East Bay ‘s editor Cheryl Angelina Koehler attended the Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee in Kingsburg Historical Parkway down near Clovis. They had an amazing time meeting the farmers and tasting all the delicious varieties of nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, apriums, and apricots grown there in the Central Valley’s…

Do you have a great pie that you like to make from an item you grow or produce at home like fruit, veggies, herbs, flowers, or honey? If so, you’ll want to enter it into the Summer Pie Contest at Urban Farm Oasis’s Summer Solstice Party on Saturday, June 21. The party starts at 10am…

By Kristina Sepetys     This week’s recommendation isn’t for a particular cookbook full of tempting photos and must-try recipes, or a food memoir, or even a novel with a delicious plot. It’s for a destination. If you’re a cookbook lover—and if you’re reading this, you probably are—make your way to the Friends of the…

  Foods created by independent artisanal crafters and growers can be exceptional, and there’s often an interesting story behind them. When Rockridge Market Hall (5655 College Ave, Oakland) hosts its Second Annual Indie Food Fest on Saturday, May 10, noon to 3pm, you’ll get to meet and chat with a group of independent producers of…

  Step into the Community Kitchens’ Central Kitchen during #oaklandrestaurantweek to taste Oakland’s culinary future! Future Chefs of Oakland is a pop-up event that will highlight three exciting new players in Oakland’s food scene, each offering a selection of dishes on March 27–30, 5:30–9pm at 2270 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. These up-and-coming pop-up chefs are…

    Slow Food East Bay is the San Francisco’s Bay Area’s East Bay chapter of the global Slow Food movement, a grassroots community of people dedicated to championing Good, Clean, and Fair Food for All. Using that broader mission, the group creates inclusive projects and gatherings that reflect the diversity of the East Bay,…

  If you’ve never met Mr. Garlic in person, you’ll have the pleasure at this evening of good fun, good food, and a lot of garlic, aka the spice of life. In 1975, when Berkeley journalist and artist L. John Harris published The Book of Garlic (Holt, Rinehart, Winston), a revolution in taste was launched,…

  A federal funding freeze is hitting Alameda County, where six agricultural conservation projects approved for funding are now on hold. The Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) is reaching out to the community to ask for help raising $15,000 to fully fund these critical projects located in West Oakland, Hayward/Ashland, the Oakland Hills, and…

  Join Oakland-based nutrition consultant Lila Volkas to learn the art of non-alcoholic mixology. This month, Lila offers in-person workshops as well as virtual sessions with shipped kits, and she’s also launching The Mocktail School, your ultimate guide to zero-proof mixology! Choose from these tasty March offerings: Mocktail Mixology Tuesday, March 18, 6pm at Sipeos, 126…

  Looking for fresh ideas for a sustainable world? Boost your optimism and energy by taking part in the Urban Foodscape Tour: Innovators Nourishing the East Bay. It’s happening on Wednesday March 26, 9am–4:30pm, one day in advance of the March 27–29 Bioneers conference exploring solutions to environmental and social challenges. Guided by Bay Area…

Edible East Bay’s Valentine Surprise Guide We see Valentine’s Day as a time to celebrate love in all its forms, and we believe a celebration can be anything we want it to be, from a simple sweet treat enjoyed on a park bench to a drink with a best friend… For our Valentine Surprise Guide,…

  Edible East Bay shares in the sorrow of the Di Ruocco family on the recent passing of Carlo Di Ruocco in his 90th year. The founder of Oakland’s Mr. Espresso roasting company, Di Ruocco brought Italian-style coffee to the Bay Area when he began importing Italian espresso machines in the 1970s and then applied…

Join Gold Ridge Organic Farms’ resident cheese expert Alli Keyser-Marti for a hands-on cheese board workshop on Saturday, January 25, 11am–1pm at Gold Ridge Organic Farms in Sebastopol. Explore how to create your own beautiful board showcasing a wide array of flavors, textures, and colors. Learn how to incorporate a variety of edible flowers and…

  We recently reconnected with Mackenzie Feldman, co-director of Re:Wild Your Campus, the outgrowth of the organization she founded in 2017 to help her own campus, UC Berkeley, stop using toxic garden chemicals. She also co-wrote Groundbakers, a cookbook featuring 60 recipes for plant-based comfort food as a joint project with her mother, Kathy Feldman.…

  Cheese lovers won’t want to miss the 2nd Annual Epic Cheese Fest at Rockridge Market Hall. On Saturday, Jan. 25, from noon to 3pm there will be free tastings and demonstrations with some of Market Hall’s favorite artisan cheesemakers from the Alps and beyond. Meet the makers, importers, and industry icons while sampling renowned cheeses…

  Oakland based food artisan, teacher, and storyteller Henry Hsu (@eatoramasama) describes his past identities as public health worker, architect, and designer, but food was also a great passion, so he took on a job with Oakland tofu maker Hodo Foods. Like many living in the vast Chinese diaspora, Hsu understood that his Taiwanese heritage…

  November 4, 2023, was a memorable morning at Edible Communities’ annual Edible Institute. None among us—the assembled publishers of regional magazines like Edible East Bay— can forget the exhilarating keynote speech delivered by Steve Sando, founder of the Rancho Gordo bean company. In an hour filled with passion, warmth, and humor, Sando revealed how…

  Will you join us on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 6–8pm at Revival Bar + Kitchen? This informal and affordable gathering is an easy way for Edible East Bay staff and readers to spend some time together, conversing while enjoying Chef Amy Murray’s warm hospitality and the restaurant’s delicious pizza as described in our Winter…

    Edible East Bay began reporting on California’s Homemade Food Act in 2013, the year after the bill first made it possible for home-based food artisans to unleash their creativity in the marketplace. A decade later, home-based makers are populating pop-up markets all over the state, and some of these venues, like the annual…

  When you pick up a copy of Edible East Bay from a local business each quarter, chances are it got there thanks to PIIKUP, the small local delivery company founded and operated by April Fenall. This unique Oakland-based nonprofit makes a big impact on the lives of the people they hire and train in…

  Tamales are one of the oldest foods in the Americas, dating back to 7,000 BCE. The steamed corn husks wrapped around different deliciously seasoned fillings—from meat, fish, and beans to insects—were an easy-to-carry meal for warriors, hunters, and travelers in ancient civilizations like the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. They’ve continued to be a popular…

  One of our favorite holiday-season habits is to go out to Malcolm and Karen Bond’s frantoio (olive mill) in Winters for their lively holiday party. We’ve attended in all kinds of weather, but it’s always fun to gather on the patio next to the olive grove where a fire crackles in a huge outdoor…

  Way back in the early years of Edible East Bay, we met the incredibly industrious K. Ruby Blume when she was just starting to create an urban farm in Oakland as the home for her Institute of Urban Homesteading. Years went by and her longing for real farmland took her to Oregon, where she…

  Fun is right there in the name, and the MSSF Fungus Fair promises a day filled to the brim with it. You can count on lots of great hands-on mushroom activities for all ages. Here’s what you’ll find: Displays of 300+ species of locally collected fungi and an ID table where you can bring…

  Here’s a chance to visit one of the wineries covered in our Winter 2024–25 issue story on East Bay Pinot Noir. On Saturday, December 7, noon–5pm at Perfusion Vineyard, 6102 Park Avenue, Richmond, you’ll find wine tasting, live music, artisanal grilled cheese, and 12 local makers selling holiday gifts at the winery’s Pre-holiday Makers…

For most of us, the holidays are about spending time with the people we love and sharing special meals and food together. During the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, more food goes to waste than at any other time of year. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, each year, about 200…

    Support your neighbors and community by partnering with your local food bank and pantries. Each week throughout the holiday season, we’ll highlight a fun new way to lend your support starting with an offer from Emeryville’s Prizefighter Bar. Join in to prevent hunger and ease food insecurity. This week, our highlighted event is…