Posts by Edible East Bay

A New Law Allows Mobile Farmers’ Markets to Take Payments by WIC Fresh fruits and vegetables are important to a healthy diet, but good access to is not easy for everyone, due to costs and whether a community even has a green grocer open for business. Mobile farmers’ markets help fill the gap. With support…

  Now in its 38th year, the Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition celebrates the city’s art and artists with a dazzling array of works in all media. The public is invited to this annual juried art show, featuring paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, drawings, ceramics, textiles, and furniture, along with performance art and poetry. The event showcases…

  Ten years ago, Berkeley made history as the first U.S. city to successfully take on Big Soda as the community passed the nation’s first sugary drinks tax with proceeds benefiting healthy equity in our community. The Ecology Center and a broad coalition of community leaders and organizations invite you to a special screening of…

  Do you love fresh local food? The Berkeley Farmers’ Market has a special slice of local for you on September 19 when they guide you on a tour of the North Berkeley Farmers’ Market, where you’ll get to meet the passionate farmers and vendors and discover the sustainable practices that bring fresh, locally grown…

  Celebrate agricultural arts and sustainable living at the 33rd annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm on Saturday, October 5, 2024. The festival opens at 11am and goes full steam with live music and dancing until 11pm. Those who choose to stay and camp out at the farm also get treated to…

  Brentwood’s Smith Family Farm welcomes the community for two popular traditions! The annual Tomato Day on Saturday, September 28 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…

Imagine the San Francisco Ferry Building Grand Hall with unlimited samples of artisan cheeses—plus pairings and drinks—live music, a gorgeous grazing table, and the beautiful views. That’s what you’ll find on Saturday, September 21, 6–9pm, at the 9th Annual SF Cheese Fest. “SF Cheese Fest celebrates our diverse cheese community and the bonds between rural cheesemakers, urban cheesemongers, and…

  Help spread the word! Alameda’s Bay Farm School is seeking to hire a new TK-5 Garden Science teacher for their award-winning garden teaching program. Applicants should be passionate about edible and native gardening. This is a wonderful job opportunity for someone wanting to work with kids within a super-supportive faculty and parent community. For…

This owl knows a healthy environment when she sees one, which is why she resides at Castillo de Canena in Spain, where the Vañó family grows olives and produces extraordinary extra virgin olive oils. “The groves are fully irrigated, creating a natural ecosystem where cultivation is based on a deep respect for the environment and…

  When restaurateur, cookbook author, philanthropist, food journalist, and radio host Narsai David passed away on June 20, 2024, the East Bay lost a light that blazed over our local culinary scene for more than six decades. A few days after Narsai’s passing, local author, artist, and raconteur L. John Harris shared some thoughts on…

  Here are a few options we found for your Bastille Day pleasures: You can impress the staff at Rockridge Market Hall with your marvelous French pronunciation when you ask for PEA-sah-LAH-dee-AIR (pissaladière) or Mool FREET (moule frites), but these are just a couple of the delicieux highlights you’ll find at the market’s Bastille Day…

Creating a plastic-free future is possible only if we change our plastic use habits. Through July, the Berkeley Ecology Center shows us how, with a series of events providing education about plastics and how to avoid them: Perils of Plastic Foodware On Saturday July 13, 11:30am–12:30pm at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers’ Market, you can learn…

  Urban Farm Oasis (formerly Biofuel Oasis) invites you to come see what your East Bay neighbors are up to in their gardens and urban farms. On this free tour on July 13, 11am–3pm, you’ll learn about water saving techniques and how to keep rabbits, bees, and chickens. You’ll start at the Oasis, where you…

  The Bay Area has blossomed into a thriving hub of seed libraries. It started with the Berkeley Ecology Center’s Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL) in 2000. Then Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library, which was founded in 2010, popularized the idea by creating an easy-to-follow model of how to open such a library. The result…

  Who ever thought to match matcha, parsley, or milkweed blossoms with a cupcake or make a savory version for dinner? Cupcakes are a great medium for creativity, as these seven recipes from around the Edible Communities amply demonstrate. You’re sure to find one that inspires you, and nature has plenty of flowers for decoration!…

    Come out to Livermore’s Wente Vineyards on Sunday, May 19, 11:30am–2:30pm for a spring luncheon buffet as the San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier holds its Karola Saekel Craib Excellence in Food Journalism Fellowship Celebration. You’ll enjoy award-winning wines plus a lively and provocative conversation about challenges facing our nation’s food supply.…

  When I first dined at Lo Coco’s on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue in 1984, I was charmed by the two child waitresses who served up our pizza. (Oh… did  I say wine?…) One turned out later to be a snappy good writer, and gosh, how much else I didn’t know was going on there… In…

The 2024 Bay Area Book Festival returns to Berkeley in its 10th anniversary year with panels, readings, and other activities for book lovers of all ages. The fun starts early on May 4 with Family Day and resumes on June 1 and 2 with the anniversary celebration. In order to help Edible East Bay readers…

  Head out to Lafayette on Sunday, April 28 for an afternoon of wine tasting, food, and entertainment as wine growers and winemakers in the Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda area celebrate the anniversary of the Lamorinda appellation. Try award-winning micro batch wines from the Lamorinda Appellation as you taste old favorites from Thal Vineyards, Meadow…

At Edible East Bay, we admire Alice Medrich for her James Beard Award–winning cookbooks, chocolate expertise, and those lovely former Cocolat shops that we used to frequent in Berkeley. For her third act, Alice has been turning toward environmental activism by helping to create new gluten-free and vegan baking mixes with local upcycled ingredient company…

  Have you become intrigued with discovering the flavor sensations of California’s premium extra virgin olive oils? If so, you may yearn for an opportunity to taste them together with experts and makers who can guide you through the different monocultivar flavors and milling styles as you learn what makes each special. Your chance to…

  More than 100 new films are on view at the 27th annual Sonoma International Film Festival, including the short documentary From Kitchen to Community about local restaurant owners. We were excited to hear about the film from Romney Steele, the cook at Oakland’s the Cook and Her Farmer, one of the restaurants in the…

Take two quick actions to help food-insecure consumers and farmers’ markets Act now to save Market Match, a program that helps food-insecure Californians afford more fresh food and incentivizes the purchase of fruits and vegetables. It works like this: a customer who uses $15 of their CalFresh/EBT benefits for groceries at a farmers’ market will get…

By Claire Bradley   In the East Bay’s mild climate, our edible gardens provide us with year-round nourishment. But as gardeners, we can also pay it forward by incorporating native plants that nourish the ecosystem we depend on. It’s common knowledge that adding flowers to a vegetable garden attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, boosting productivity…

The ramifications of new weight loss drugs on the pleasure of the table, the health and food industries, polices, and nutrition. A virtual panel hosted by Les Dames d’Escoffier International San Francisco Chapter Tuesday, March 26, 9:30-11am on Zoom     The San Francisco LDEI chapter hosts a provocative and timely online Table Talk panel…

A perfectly ripe moment for California Artisan Cheese By Cheryl Angelina Koehler   Photo courtesy of the California Artisan Cheese Guild Notwithstanding wine, chocolate, potato chips or (insert your personal obsession here_______), cheese stands alone in its power to tempt. The reason? Well . . .  beyond the obvious pleasures of protein, fat, and salt,…

    Calling all chocolate lovers who also love learning! Come explore the chemistry of chocolate and cocoa as you learn about their hydrophobic (water repelling) nature. This free online event is hosted by Scientific Adventures for Girls and the Lawrence Hall of Science to promote family participation in fun science activities. Elementary students and…

  Join Slow Food East Bay at Korner Oakland in Fruitvale  on Sunday, March 3, 5–8pm, for the next installment of their Cultural Food Traditions Project. The March 3 event features the traditions of Puerto Rico as experienced through the cooking of Chef Manny Rodriguez, a fine-dining chef who is now diving deeper into his…

  Join Chef Bryant Terry, Tofurkey founder Seth Tibbott, and Ashley Kirk of Planted Foods as you discover the magic of plant-based cuisine at the Plant Futures Fest. This plant-fueled culinary adventure and career catalyst is geared for students and early-career professionals looking to meet experts, innovators, and changemakers in the plant-centric food sector. Plant…

  Looking to learn in community about Indigenous foodways, ethnobotany, and cooking? Join environmental educator Maribel Garcia at the Decolonized Kitchen, an hour of connection and reclamation while learning about our native plant relatives one recipe at a time. Enjoy a discussion, a presentation, and a cook-along. Come prepared to take notes and share your…

  Now in its 35th year, Bioneers hosts social and scientific innovators who explore solutions to global environmental and social challenges. As the annual conference returns to Berkeley on March 28–30, it starts out with a pre-conference urban food and farming tour hosted by Bay Area Green Tours. Heading out on Wednesday, March 27, the…

Years ago on a visit to Fez, Morocco, I found myself conveyed along in a crush of people moving through the narrow corridors of the medieval medina. Fearing that I might get tipped into a display of spices at the entrance to one of the cubbyhole shops, I turned my head and found that the…

  An especially hip place to crowd in and swoon over sweets (plus savories and flowers) on Wednesday, February 14 is the old brick factory at 2701 8th Street in West Berkeley that was turned into the collective workplace + shops  known as the Berkeley Kitchens. Nine of the makers who create their treasures in…

  At the Golden Gate Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers’s Annual Scion Exchange, gardeners trade scions from heirloom varieties of fruit grown in Northern California. The event includes a free grafting class, demos, rootstocks for sale, a fruit tasting, and a plant sale. Select from hundreds of varieties to graft onto your trees…

  By Kristina Sepetys Morningtide, a home goods shop off Solano Avenue in Albany, offers regular pop-ups that draw lines to the local food artisans they host. On Saturday and Sunday February 10 and 11, 11am-2pm, they’ll be hosting a Valentine’s pop-up with Topogato, a specialty chocolate company known for their vividly colored artful truffles…

By Kristina Sepetys     CHANGE OF VENUE ALERT: Blooms End has announced that the Saturday, January 13, 2024 pop-up from 10am to 1pm will be held at Hammerling Wines, 1350 5th Street, Berkeley. (The Hammerling tasting room is located between streets, behind Hammerling and Donkey & Goat on 5th Street and Vinca Minor on 4th…

  Finalists. Congratulations for making the Finalist cut at the 2024 Good Food Awards with your tasty, authentic, and responsibly made products! We’ll be watching and hoping to see you among the Winners at the ceremony in April. Readers! Check out our East Bay finalists list here and let us know which yummy foods are…

An apple (and more) caught our eye as we read about upcoming programming at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley. Plants Illustrated Exhibition: Edible Native Plants of California January 17–February 4, 10am–4pm except Tuesdays We’re especially excited about this exhibition showcasing edible California native plants. The closing reception on Sunday, February 4, 5–6pm, features…

  Californians are known to be wimps about cold weather, and folks in truly cold climes don’t buy the excuse that our houses lack insulation. Better than making fun of us would be to soothe us with hot soup. Click here for 9 soup recipes from around the Edible Communities, most from parts north. 1:…

  One of our holiday-season habits is to go out to this lively party at Malcolm and Karen Bond’s olive orchard and mill in Winters. Having attended more than once on a rainy day, we know that whatever the weather, we’ll have fun. We’ll gather under the huge umbrellas on the patio, where a fire…

  Come join the humans of Soul Food Farm and Morningsun Herb Farm—along with the donkey elves—at this festive holiday fair. Local artisans offer handmade soaps, pastries, local meat, honey, bread, handmade knives, candles, photography, lavender products, and more. Entrance and parking are free. Please bring a small new toy to be donated to a…

  Join Slow Food East Bay for a dinner at Korner Kitchen with Cleodia and Ryan Martinez of catering company Midsummer Kitchen. The two chefs are dedicated to flipping the narrative on Filipino cuisine away from the stereotypical pork-filled and fried dishes toward beautiful and delicious plant-based dishes. They’ll be using recipes from Ay Sus!…

  Meet chef-restaurateur Sylvan Mishima Brackett, author of the new RINTARO: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California at a book signing event and tasting on Saturday, November 4, noon–2pm at Rockridge Market Hall, 5655 College Avenue in Oakland. The New York Times recently named Rintaro one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. Come meet Sylvan,…

  Come join Maria del Carmen Cortez, clinical herbalist and permaculturist, to learn about food plants that originated in Latin America. Each participant will pot three different plants to take home and learn how and when to plant them and when to harvest. Saturday October 28, 11am–noon Dimond Branch Oakland Public Library 3565 Fruitvale Ave…

  Spend a lovely hour in the Crops of the World Garden at the UC Botanical Garden learning about traditional amaranth harvesting methods and practices. Members of Indigenous Permaculture will share the rich history of this food and its importance to the people of Mesoamerica. Participants will share in community while celebrating the deep Indigenous…

Celebrating a 3,000-Year-Old Tradition in the Time of Climate Change By Annie Wang     Three-thousand years have passed since the time of the Shang Dynasty when the Mid-Autumn Festival began. Through the millennia, people all over East Asia and throughout the Chinese diaspora have celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the…

  Oakland filmmaker Dr. Gail Myers calls Rhythms of the Land a “valentine to generations of Black farmers.” The documentary premieres at the Oakland International Film Festival on Thursday, September 14 at the Grand Lake Theater. Dr. Myers, a cultural anthropologist, visited 10 Southern states to interview 27 elderly Black farmers, gardeners, dairy ranchers, and…

  Urban Adamah’s Rosh Hashanah Festival & Weekend Retreat features drop-in events or a full weekend of activities and lodging, September 15–17 in Berkeley Urban Adamah, in partnership with Base Bay and Moishe House, is opening its doors for Rosh Hashanah ritual, learning, celebration, nourishment, and rest. Attend the full retreat on-site with room and…

  The SF Cheese Fest is celebrating its 8th annual event in San Francisco proper, bringing together more than 20 California artisan cheesemakers, cheese lovers, and anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge of cheese. All attendees can savor and pair cheese and cheese accompaniments with local wines, beers, and other beverages while enjoying live music.…

When our editor was a kid, she was obsessed with learning to cook every imaginable kind of dessert and exploring every available type of ingredient. She made donuts, baked Alaska, even marshmallows from scratch. When she found a recipe for watermelon ice cream, she had to try it. Nobody wanted to eat it, and her…

Renovation Balances Form and Function to Offer Greater Community Access and Great Home Gardening Ideas By Claire Bradley   What happens behind that thick hedge? It’s a mystery that many a visitor strolling the rose garden at 86 Cañada Road in Woodside may have pondered since the historic Filoli estate (built in 1917 as a…

  Coming up on Thursday, July 27, 6–7pm is a chance to hang out on Zoom with Erika McKenzie-Chapter, herd manager and head cheesemaker at Pennyroyal Farm in Mendocino’s Anderson Valley. At this California Artisan Cheese Guild event, you’ll discover the secrets behind Pennyroyal’s award-winning cheeses. Pennyroyal Farm is a goat and sheep dairy, farmstead…

    Roxx On Main at 627 Main Street in Martinez is always a fun place for food and music, but through September, it becomes an informal art gallery as artist and gardener Gary Crandall displays his 12 original linocut prints in a show called “Farm Hands.” Roxx on Main is open Tuesday through Friday…

  Plastic-Free July is an ideal time to practice and learn more about ways to minimize your personal (or business) use of plastics and single-use disposables. The Ecology Center is here to help with a variety of free events packed with information and tips for reducing your use of plastics year-round. On Saturday, July 22,…

  Did you know that 35 percent of all edible food is wasted in the United States and that 25 percent of the food we bring home winds up in our garbage bins? You could save time and up to $1,500 a year for a family of four by making the most of your food…

By Anna Mindess   Many annual festivals have their special foods, and so it is with the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, which falls this year on June 22. Zongzi are this festival’s special dish. The bamboo leaf–wrapped rice rolls are stuffed with a variety of treats like salted duck egg yolks, roast pork, and shiitake…

  Set out your happy hour spread and pull up a chair for a chat with San Luis Obispo County cheesemaker Jack Rudolph of Stepladder Creamery. It’s part of Meet the Maker, the California Artisan Cheese Guild’s educational series, where cheese enthusiasts, industry members, and food lovers get to meet the artisan producers who make…

  The Oakland Public Library is hosting a delicious variety of garden workshops throughout the month of June. Learn from a variety of experts about growing an herb garden, African American staples, and caring for yarrow. This program location is wheelchair accessible. To request disability-related accommodations or to request American Sign Language (ASL), or other…

  What are the possibilities when building with edible ingredients? The question prompted San Francisco’s Mason Kirby architects to put out a challenge. Who among the Bay Area’s many food and design enthusiasts might be game to step up and enter their First Annual Edible Architecture Competition? Maybe you? Entries will be on display on…

  Up for a road trip? Head down to Kingsburg Historical Park near Fresno on Saturday, June 24, 4–8pm to join the Ecological Farming Association at the 15th Annual Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee. Taste and purchase fresh produce from small farms that specialize in growing delicious varieties of nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, and apriums plus…

  Get on down to the Grand Lake Oakland Farmers’ Market on Saturday, May 20 at 10am for this fantastic event. You’ll get to meet geologist/geoscience writer Andrew Alden whose new book, Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City, is just out from Berkeley’s Heyday Books. Buy a copy and get it signed or buy…

  Here at Edible East Bay, we eagerly await each year’s Good Food Award winners, those products recognized by the Good Food Foundation for superior taste as well as for the businesses’ social and environmental responsibility practices. This year, we’re thrilled to see so many local businesses honored, including both repeat winners and first timers.…

  Learn how to grow food in your own garden with gardening, composting, and landscaping educator Lori Caldwell. At this Berkeley Central Library event, Lori will cover topics including crop rotation, seeds vs. starts, soil fertility, plant succession, transplanting seedlings, watering /irrigation, and the best crops for your garden. Emphasis on reuse materials will also…

  The Oakland Public Library is hosting a grand array of garden workshops throughout the month of May. You can learn about pollinators, native plants, and growing an herbal garden from a variety of garden experts. Program locations are wheelchair accessible. To request disability-related accommodations or to request American Sign Language (ASL), or other forms…

  At its second BBQ Without Borders, held this year on May 13, 5–9pm at the Oakland Museum of California, the nonprofit No Immigrants No Spice (NINS) invites you to celebrate the importance of immigration to our culinary experience. The dinner features regional barbecue prepared by chefs from Cuba, Japan, and India. Join Chef Lilly…

  The Bay Area Book Festival returns with nearly 300 prominent authors for adults and youth, appearing on indoor stages on Saturday and Sunday, May 6–7. Exclusively on Sunday, May 7, the festival includes a large outdoor stage, literary exhibitors, gourmet food vendors, a lively family area, and a youth expo in Berkeley’s Civic Center…

  Discover the sweet world of beekeeping and local honey production at the Hayward Farmers Market on Saturday, April 15, 11am, with an exciting event that features a live observation hive, honey extraction and bottling, honey tasting, and free arts and crafts for kids. You’ll also be treated to presentations and a chance to talk to two…

  Did you know that over 90% of the bugs you see in your garden are good bugs? And did you know that encouraging those beneficial insects is one of the best ways to effectively reduce the number of pests in your garden? At this free webinar on Thursday, April 13, 5-6pm, you’ll learn how…

  Since 2017, Public Market Emeryville’s La Cocina pop-up kiosk has been a magic launchpad for notable new eateries like Nyum Bai, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, Mama Lamees, and A Girl Named Pinky. Now it’s time to welcome Carmen Figueroa, chef/owner of El Mesón de Violeta. Stop by the kiosk any Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to…

  Come to the Decolonized Kitchen, a gathering for learning about Indigenous foodways, ethnobotany, and cooking with environmental educator Maribel Garcia. In this hour of connection and reclamation, you’ll learn about our native plant relatives as you enjoy a discussion, presentation, and cook-along, where everyone can share their insights, stories, and wisdom with others. Maribel…

  TCHO Chocolate of Berkeley opens its doors to the public on Thursday, March 23, 5:30–8:30pm to celebrate Women’s History Month with an event that features factory tours and chocolate tastings of some never-before-seen chocolate products. It’s also a chance to meet nearly a dozen women who own and/or lead East Bay–based food and beverage businesses,…

  Everyone certainly knows that Chef Martin Yan can cook, but on Sunday, April 2, 2–4pm, when we sit down with the star chef at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, we’ll learn about an excitingly wide world of Chinese food in Chef Yan’s conversation with Cheuk Kwan, author of Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese…