Posts by Edible East Bay

Eating Alone, an exhibition of food-centered street photography, explores the similarities and differences among people eating alone from San Francisco to Paris, New York to London. The subjects of these candid shots don’t know they’re being photographed as they enjoy a meal on a park bench or a quick snack while sitting on the sidewalk.…

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of growing grapes? To find out more, join the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) in partnership with the Center for Urban Education on Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) for a panel discussion about environmentally sound wine grape production. Learn from sustainable growers using organic or biodynamic methods, and sample…

If you believe that gardening and cooking should be taught in school, you’ve got the perfect reason to indulge in a restaurant meal on Thursday, February 18. Participating restaurants will donate a percentage of the day’s sales to support the Berkeley Public School Gardening and Cooking Program, where pre-schoolers through high school students get their…

  2/6: Prepare for the big day this Saturday at For the Love of Chocolate, The Pasta Shop Fourth Street Berkeley’s annual Valentine’s event. From 1 to 4pm, you can meet (and taste samples from) Bay Area chocolatiers Barlovento Chocolates, Charles Chocolates, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, and Poco Dolce Chocolates and find items for that romantic…

Ever tasted Haitian chocolate? No… maybe not, since until recently no Haitian-grown chocolate was available in the United States. With chocolate being called Haiti’s “golden ticket to prosperity,” interest is high among chocolate makers and chocolate connoisseurs to sample it. “Haitian chocolate is an exciting and interesting origin,” explains Eli Curtis, who runs Bisou Chocolate in…

By Julia Prince “It’s all about crab at this time usually,” Hapuku Fish Shop chef/manager Evan Martin says with an accepting shrug. Martin is referring to California’s Dungeness crab season, usually running strong now, but closed this year due to toxic levels of domoic acid in the waters. However, enthusiasts of the Bay Area’s beloved…

Berkeley’s Ohlone Herbal Center is a place for the study and practice of traditional Western herbalism. Core faculty member Kelsey Barrett provides a glimpse into this field with an introduction to a nourishing green and a recipe to help us move healthfully from winter to spring. Emerge from Winter with the Power of Nettles By…

Set in the picturesque harbor in Princeton-By-The-Sea, the festival honors the area’s major fishing industry. Events include demos by celebrity chefs as well as talks on ocean warming and sustainability, the seafood chain, and the role of restaurants and food servers in shaping the future of local seafood. Chefs and speakers are curated by the…

Now is the time to try a new restaurant or visit a familiar favorite! Berkeley Restaurant Week kicks off on Thursday, January 21 with terrific lunch and dinner values through the end of the month. More than 20 Berkeley eateries offer outstanding prix-fixe menus of $20 per person for lunch and $25 or $35 per…

Scion: A detached living portion of a plant—such as a bud or shoot—that can be grafted onto rootstock to create a new plant that joins the strength of the rootstock to the desired characteristics of the scion. Gardeners interested in having heirloom varieties of fruit growing in their yard do this sort of grafting.  At…

By Katie Gatlin You may have come across Tomatero Farm at your favorite East Bay farmers’ market, and if you’re like me, you can feel the warmth of a community there. “We’re not pretentious, not showy. We’re family. It’s just good produce,” says Vanessa LeJeune, a market worker with Tomatero. She’s been with the farm…

If you’re seeking a culinary mentor, now is the time to apply to the 2016 Women in Culinary Leadership program. Since 2012, The James Beard Foundation has offered this hands-on education to help women break into the culinary industry. Mentors are from restaurants across the country and include Napa chef Cindy Pawlcyn of Mustards Grill.…

Imagine fleeing your country and leaving behind loved ones, your business, your home, everything that you know and love. What would you take with you? How would you build a new life in an unfamiliar place? What many refugees and immigrants bring is their passion for food, culinary skills, and an entrepreneurial spirit—some of the…

Oakland-based artist and gardener Helen Krayenhoff, formerly on staff at Edible East Bay, has just completed a book of illustrated recipes for the 12 months of the year. Here’s her description of the book and her process for creating it: My recipe book is just fresh off the press. I spent some time this fall writing…

Tune in for the premiere of the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship to see Oakland’s own Yahshimabet Sellassie-Hall, age 12, compete. Ten bakers, ages 10 to 13, must create the perfect pie with just the right balance of crust and filling and also prepare a flavored ice cream from scratch to complement their pie. One…

The annual KPFA Winter Crafts Fair returns to the Craneway Pavilion on the Richmond waterfront this weekend, showcasing handmade items by more than 200 artists. Browse, shop, and enjoy a stunning variety of art, jewelry, and crafts at this annual event benefiting KPFA 94.1 FM public radio. New this year: Conversations in Fiber, a quilt…

By Kristina Sepetys These jars of chunky, luscious goodness will do double-duty for you over the holidays, as a delicious ingredient for easy appetizers or a wonderful gift. Bay Area-based jam maker Lisa Donohue, who named Mimi’s Confitures for her maternal grandmother, creates these handcrafted chutneys and jams from local ingredients. Her Onion Jam, a 2014 Good…

Add to the local cheer and support the local economy at this winter open house hosted by the Institute of Urban Homesteading. Enjoy samples of jam, honey, mead, cheese, mustard, cordials, and more. Many handmade items are available, starting as low as $1. This year’s event also features party favors and a raffle. Free, but…

By Haley Pollock At the East Bay Waldorf School, students bake Santa Lucia buns each December to celebrate a Scandinavian tradition about teaching kindness. The story honors a woman who, hundreds of years ago, delivered provisions to the needy in the dark, wearing a crown of leaves and candles to light her way. With its…

Soup. Uttering that word can make you feel warm, loved, safe. When we want to comfort and nourish those around us, soup is what we turn to. When author Barbara Abdeni Massaad wanted to do something to aid the Syrian families in the refugee camp near her home in Lebanon, she began with soup. Every…

Join a fun and festive Livermore Valley wine country tradition. Wineries decorate their tasting rooms, showcasing special wines, arts, crafts, holiday music, and a variety of artisan foods. Admission is free, but tasting fees may apply and vary by winery. Donations of unwrapped toys are warmly appreciated and given to the Toys for Tots program.…

In the Winter Holidays 2015 Issue of Edible East Bay, contributing editor Sarah Henry reports on two farms forging economic ties and creating community with local independent restaurants in her story “A Tale of Two West Oakland Farms.” In the article, there’s a misidentification of Mandela Foods Cooperative, the West Oakland grocery store opened since 2009.…

By Kristina Sepetys Beginning in the 1980s, Joanne Weir worked with David Tanis, Lindsey Shere, David Lebovitz, and a host of other fine chefs during her years at Chez Panisse. So it was something of a homecoming for Weir when she climbed the stairs to the Chez Panisse Café on a chilly evening last month.…

  By Charlotte Peale If you’re wondering how to send some local flavor to far away friends and family this holiday season, consider a delicious confection from Donsuemor, a line of French pastries that originated in the home of an East Bay baker. Back in 1976 in her home kitchen, Susie Morris began baking traditional…

Meet California cuisine founder Alice Waters as she signs copies of her latest cookbook and talks about the building-block ingredients she relies on. My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own is a delightful collection of essays and recipes illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Alice’s daughter, Fanny. Bring your culinary questions, and learn…

    The fun-loving legal experts at the Sustainable Economies Law Center know how to throw a great party. Their annual showcase offers a delightful mix of news about their latest endeavors, hilarity, fun, and great food cooked up by the Phat Beets Youth Pickle n’ Catering Company. Meet change-makers and social justice advocates, and…

Real Good Fish is expanding their CSF to the East Bay. The “community supported fishery” works like a produce CSA subscription, but for fish and seafood. They’re hoping to reel in some info from local fish lovers who might want to join. Take the survey here. Real Good Fish is able to provide “boat to…

A tasting, a talk, and a book review   A Kitchen Gypsy at Chez Panisse Celebrated chef and author Joanne Weir signs copies of her new book Kitchen Gypsy and shares memories from her days working on the line at Chez Panisse. Guests enjoy wine and tasty bites provided by the café. After the book…

Artist Celia Wedding invites you to come see her linocuts at the Jingletown Jazz Room, the tasting room for Ale Industries. Celia is a favorite on the pages of Edible East Bay, and her artwork is featured on our Fall Harvest 2011, Summer 2014, and Fall Harvest 2014 covers. The Second Friday gathering at the Jazz Room…

Roll up your sleeves and join City Slicker Farms as they create a new urban farm and park. Volunteers are needed to help form farm beds, lay irrigation, and put in the plants. Sign up for either workday and be a part of an exciting new community space. Info and registration: here Build a Farm…

Willing hands are needed as The Town Kitchen, an artisan lunch delivery service which offers training and employment opportunities to low-income Oakland youth, partners with Pandora Media to prepare 1,000 meals for people in need. The menu highlights local distributors: Imperfect Produce, Semifreddi’s Bakery, and GreenLeaf Produce. Once assembled and bagged (with handwritten notes), meals…

CSA customers give the gift of healthy food By Thaddeus Barsotti Farming is a job that connects natural resources and people. Our farm, Capay Organic, is blessed with our region’s early springs, hot summers, cool falls, and tolerable winters, which together yield a year-round, seasonal selection of produce that is second to none. It is…

  Have you been feeling sad or fatigued? Come learn about nutritional and other strategies to address seasonal mood dipping and low energy. Dietitian Jessica Wilson explains how food can influence mood and brain chemicals. Everyone welcome. Free, but registration required. Info: here. Food & Mood Monday, November 9, 6:30–8pm Women’s Cancer Resource Center 5741…

  Pay a visit to the Donkey & Goat Winery cellar for a festive tasting of their favorite Thanksgiving wines. An assortment of nibbles representing the holiday menu are paired with the wines. Guests can purchase limited library wines, and a selection of screw-top wines are available at a deep discount. Cost: $15. Club members…

  Watch the Séka Hills Olive Mill in action and taste the olio nuovo (early-harvest, unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil). In the tasting room, visitors enjoy guided tastings of Séka Hills olive oil, wine, honey, and nuts from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. The Olive Crush Festival features olio nuovo, wine tastings, and tours, plus wood-fired…

Calling all ghosts, witches, and zombies to the costume parade at the Diablo Valley Farmers’ Market. Prizes are awarded for the scariest and funniest costumes, plus the best farmers’ market theme, most creative, and best overall. Try to guess the weight of the giant pumpkin, decorate mini-pumpkins, and play the pumpkin pitch game. The market…

Head over to Rockridge Market Hall to meet J. Kenji López-Alt, managing culinary director of Serious Eats and author of the popular blog The Food Lab. Kenji discusses his long-awaited book and offers demos on preparing kale, making vinaigrettes, and poaching eggs. Taste his recipes, get your autographed books, and take advantage of this one-day 10{94d79dd6af1e87a94e700e4c297236468333f22e27ed5757b44711974a9a4b91} discount on…

This big pomegranate party salutes the delicious ruby-red fruit and pairs it with nuts. Guests can enjoy pomegranate- and nut-filled foods and watch cooking demos by local chefs. A presentation from the Fresno Chaffee Zoomobile, art classes from the Madera County Arts Council, children’s games, crafts, and face painting are also in store. Pomegranates are for…

From honey to propolis, everything bees make has healing qualities. Learn to make your own bee medicines including an herbal honey, a salve with beeswax, and propolis tincture. Combine the bee products with common medicinal herbs like rose petals, rose hips, lavender, and calendula. Everyone goes home with a salve and herbal honey. Cost: $40…

  Food Day is an annual event intended to inspire changes in our diet and action to solve food-related problems. Hosts at this autumn picnic at Hayward’s historic Meek Estate include the Ashland Cherryland Food Policy Council, Hayward Seed Lending Library, Project EAT, and other community partners. A highlight of the day is the East…

The BUGs (Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners) Conference addresses the evolving Black farmer movement taking place nationwide. Workshops and discussion topics include fresh food access, sustainability and self-sufficiency, school gardens, and the critical relationship between food and health in the Black community. The conference is open to the public and includes farm tours on October 15, workshops,…

Berkeley’s Ohlone Herbal Center is a place for study and practice of traditional Western herbalism. With this brief article and recipe, core faculty member Kelsey Barrett provides a glimpse into this field with an introduction to an important root harvested at this time of year. Burdock: Edible Medicinal Power for your Fall Pantry by Kelsey…

Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company invites the public to bring harvested olives to the mill on Community Milling Day. Watch the process take place and come back the following week for a share of the freshly milled oil. The milling rate is $0.75 per pound of olives. No minimum quantity is required, but olives must…

  Farm Fresh to You invites the public to a free pumpkin harvest and tour at its farm, Capay Organic. Ride a tractor-tram around the farm, decorate a pumpkin, and make new friends at the farm-animal petting zoo. Farmer Thaddeus Barsotti gives a talk about organic agriculture, and the Farm Fresh To You market stand…

Come see what’s possible when creativity meets ingenuity. The East Bay Mini Maker Faire showcases the inventions of established and emerging local makers ranging from crafters and homesteaders to tech enthusiasts and scientists. This family-friendly event features urban farming and sustainability, rockets and robots, digital fabrication, DIY science and technology, alternative energy, bicycles, handmade crafts,…

Now in its third year, Uncharted is a dynamic festival that features cutting-edge speakers, interactive labs, and pop-up performances. About 40 writers, innovators, and pioneers from across disciplines explore key topics in culture, food, education, public policy, the environment, activism, technology, and the arts. Speakers include Anna Lappé, Alice Medrich, Joshua Johnson, Sandra Gilbert, W.…

Indulge in bagel tasting and find out who bakes the best bagel in the East Bay as Temple Sinai hosts a double-blind taste test of six locally produced, commercially available bagels. Enjoy your bagels with or without a variety of schmears (chopped liver, tuna, cream cheese, lox, and egg salad), and test your bagel trivia…

This annual exhibit showcases the cornucopia of food crops that originated in the Americas thousands of years ago. It runs through Sunday October 18, 10am–4pm daily at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley. Don’t miss the following special events that are part of this exhibition: Info and registration for all events: here Thursday October 8, 1–2:30pm Horticulturist Ken…

                      Hundreds of artisans, businesses, and community organizations join the district’s shop owners for a family-friendly street fair offering a tempting variety of items for sale, scrumptious foods, a kids’ zone, and circus performances. The Picnic with Market Hall features tastings and chef demos along…

This free festival celebrates the California olive at the historic 133-year-old Wagner Ranch in Orinda. Learn about and taste a variety of olives, olive oils, and vinegars; attend free olive-recipe cooking demos and docent tours through the historic ranch and olive grove; enjoy games, crafts, music, and food. Bring the whole family. Free admission. Tax-deductible…

Join Fremont’s Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce for a weekend in the olive grove behind the San Jose Mission celebrating olives, olive oil, good food, and live music. Specialty vendors sample and sell their products, with food available from the Food Truck Mafia, and beer and wine from the MSJ Chamber booth. Children enjoy…

This juried show features works by more than 100 established and emerging artists and craftspeople who live or work in Emeryville. Now in its 29th year, the exhibition showcases a splendid array of paintings, sculpture, photographs, ceramics, and textiles. The individual works demonstrate the range of Emeryville artists and their engagement with varied aesthetic, political,…

  At the annual fall plant sale at Merritt College, you can find perennial vegetables, rare fruits, and heirloom annual edibles, many of which cannot be found elsewhere. Their selection of California natives, drought-tolerant plants, Mediterranean climate plants, herbs, and unusual plants of all types continues to expand. They grow 80–90{94d79dd6af1e87a94e700e4c297236468333f22e27ed5757b44711974a9a4b91} of the plants, with…

  Oaktoberfest in the Dimond, Oakland’s family-friendly craft beer festival, returns for its 8th year, with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tapping the first keg in a traditional Munich-style Oktoberfest kick-off. Highlights include 45 local craft breweries, a homebrew competition, family games and crafts, food booths, cooking demos, and beer-food pairings, all topped off with live…

Enjoy a day of farm tours, a pumpkin patch, bean winnowing workshops, and tomato tastings. Buy produce directly from the AgPark’s eight small-scale organic farmers who usually sell at farmers’ markets, through CSA subscriptions, and to local restaurants and stores. This diverse group of farmers grows traditional varieties of herbs and vegetables from India, Iran,…

Carnival games, silly scarecrows, and homemade lemonade are just the beginning at this favorite Piedmont event, now in its 17th year. If you like to cook, bake, preserve, or garden, consider entering a food you’ve prepared or grown in the festival’s popular Edibles Contest. This year, Edible East Bay publisher and editor Cheryl Koehler is…

Find an impressive selection of water-wise plants, including many California natives. Expert staff and volunteers are on hand to answer questions, offer advice, and help you create a drought-resistant garden. Ride the shuttle from the Lawrence Hall of Science lot to the sale. Park in the upper levels and look for the shuttle stop marked…

Use your ingenuity and cooking skills to improve food choices in East and West Oakland. Come up with a healthy dish that can be sold at corner store delis for $5 or less. This contest is put on by HOPE, a collaborative of public agencies, community-based organizations, and Oakland residents promoting health and well-being for…

Meet Oakland writer and cook Dana Velden, who asks us to seek deeper meaning in the kitchen space. Her book of essays, an extension of her popular Weekend Meditation column on TheKitchn.com, examines the kitchen as a place of awakening and joy. Velden offers meditation techniques, kitchen tips, and favorite recipes, and she explores what…

Come on down to your community farm for a harvest festival and fundraiser with workshops, a communal feast, music, children’s activities, and many opportunities to get your hands in the soil. Workshop topics include California bees and flowers, patriarchy in the food system, a community roundtable, edible weeds, ladybugs, and lots more. Info: here If…

This celebratory street-food festival is packed with delicious offerings made from regionally sourced, sustainably produced ingredients. The event is the premier educational program of the nonprofit Food Craft Institute. This year’s wide variety of vendors offer mouth-watering temptations including all the favorites: pizza, bánh mì sandwiches, and crème brûlée, plus surprises like ice cream tacos.…

Enjoy a self-guided tour of eight beautifully remodeled Rockridge kitchens ranging in style from classic Craftsman to contemporary. See innovative uses of new and traditional materials, creative solutions for smaller kitchens, and seamless integration of indoor and outdoor space. The kitchens vary from sleek and efficient working spaces to cozy multi-use family gathering spots, and…

Taste local honey and homemade kombucha, pet the chickens, and vote on the East Bay’s best honey. Free demos and urban farming workshops offer guidance on backyard beehives, winter gardens, keeping chickens, and more. Enjoy a 10{94d79dd6af1e87a94e700e4c297236468333f22e27ed5757b44711974a9a4b91} discount on all items in the store and a 10-cent-per-gallon discount on recycled biodiesel. Kids welcome. Free. Info:…

Calling all Bay Area bartenders and mixologists! Entries are now being accepted for the Lamorinda Arts Council’s Art of Mixology Cocktail Competition and Tasting on October 10, 2015. The fundraising event is co-hosted by Orinda Theatre Square and sponsored by Lamorinda Theatres. It will be held at the Orinda Theatre Square from 4:30 to 7pm.…

  Fiber artisans from Nevada County share their beautiful wares at Berkeley Hort. This annual event features an array of lovely offerings, such as Eileen Lee’s woven scarves and shawls; Sierra Mohr’s botanically dyed scarves and beautiful cashmere sweaters; Ingrid Knox’s towels, shawls, and blankets; Stephanie Ruff’s knitted baby items, hats, and cowls; and Susan…

Celebrate the apple harvest in an antique heritage apple orchard with varieties you won’t see anywhere else. Try your hand at cider pressing and hand-cranking ice cream, and taste the delicious results. Music, dancing, crafts, and old-fashioned games make this event a treat for the whole family. Free, but parking fees apply. Info: 888.EBPARKS or…

Celebrate this splendid food and wine festival’s 30th anniversary in a beautiful mountain resort. An outstanding array of events features celebrity chef cooking demos, Farm to Tahoe dinner, food and wine seminars, mixology, winemaker luncheons and dinners, and even a painting class. All this is topped off by the Sunday Culinary Competition and Grand Tasting.…

Join international leaders, farmers, scientists, community members, and environmental and food justice advocates for workshops, presentations, and networking. The conference is inspired by Dr. Vandana Shiva’s book Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis. Speakers include Vandana Shiva, Fritjof Capra, Anna Lappé, former EPA senior scientist Ray Seidler, soil scientist Rattan…

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the glorious Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park. All are invited for tours, cake, and activities for adults and children. The garden is an enchanting sanctuary for many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, grasses,…

Wouldn’t it be nice to come home to a box of fresh-picked produce delivered direct from farms in the Capay Valley? The Capay Valley Farm Shop recently began offering delivery of CSA boxes filled with tree-ripe fruit and heirloom veggies to homes and offices in the greater Bay Area. As a farm hub, the shop aggregates…

Kids Cook with the Stars Sprouts Cooking Club offers classes and camps for Bay Area kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds who want to learn hands-on cooking with fresh ingredients. After finishing its ninth season of summer camp, Sprouts held a special week-long series that featured celebrity chefs teaching aspiring chefs ages 8–13. Many of these youths…