Summer 2014
Fibershed Recipes
SOUPE AU PISTOU Serves 8 1 to 1½ pounds fresh shell beans, shelled (about 1½ cups shelled) 3 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly 1 leek, sliced and soaked in water until clean 1/3 cup olive oil 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed Bouquet garni with: 1 sprig thyme, 1…
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FIBERSHED Fashion gets a slow-food-style makeover By Jillian Laurel Steinberger Where does our clothing come from and where does it end up? We’ve grown accustomed to asking such questions about our food and our water, but why not about our fabrics and dyes? What if we could get sweaters, jeans, and hats made from locally…
Read MoreWhat’s in Season?
BY BARBARA KOBSAR ILLUSTRATION BY MARGO RIVERA-WEISS Choosing produce harvested at its peak is your sure bet for fabulous flavor and freshness. May Small grow pots of herbs and greens, such as those sold by Mariposa Microgreens, have become a popular item at farmers’ markets. If you have one, you’re happily snipping tender and tasty…
Read MoreLead in your soil?
BY STEVE CALANOG AND BIRGITT EVANS • PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN BY JACK PERTSCHUK Over the years, we have heard many smart, inquisitive gardeners express concern, confusion, and fear about environmental contaminants in their soil. Lead is very often mentioned when talking about gardening. While urban residents may know they should be concerned, rarely do they…
Read MoreSharing the Pie
Local caterers take the boss out of the kitchen BY RACHEL TRACHTEN Whipping up 200 empanadas is all in a day’s work for the women of Fusion Latina. At Richmond’s Artisan Kitchen they’re a synchronized team, chopping zucchini and onions, rolling out dough for tortillas, and slicing poblano peppers. Although the kitchen work is typical…
Read MoreThe Seven Stars of Summer
BY JESSICA PRENTICE Jessica Prentice, Maggie Gosselin, and Sarah Klein created the Local Foods Wheel to help us all enjoy the freshest, tastiest, and most ecologically sound food choices month by month. Here are seven of Jessica’s seasonal favorites. You can learn more about the Local Foods Wheel and the group’s other ventures at…
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TASTING THE EAST BAY A Food Tour Sampler BY SAM TILLIS Food tourism is one of the fastest growing travel trends today, and this is not least the case here in the Bay Area, where numerous companies have sprung up to fill the niche. Curious to see what the fuss was about, I signed up…
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THE CAMPUS GROCER Food collective brings healthy fare to campus and community BY ANNA BALASSONE When UC Berkeley proposed bringing a Panda Express onto campus in 2009, a group of students did what Berkeley students do best: They protested. The university rescinded the proposal, and instead of a fast-food chain, the campus community acquired a…
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LA COCINA ALUMS LAUNCH EAST BAY BUSINESSES BY SARAH HENRY The incubator kitchen in San Francisco’s Mission District known as La Cocina has garnered well deserved praise for kick starting the culinary careers of many low-income edible entrepreneurs, primarily women of color from immigrant communities. To date, the nonprofit program, which provides technical assistance, business support,…
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ABESHA ETHIOPIAN WELCOMES ALL COMERS BY SARAH HENRY Shortly after returning from a visit to Ethiopia, fellow food writer Molly Watson walked into Abesha, a restaurant in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, sniffed gleefully, ordered the vegetarian combo, and hungrily tucked in. “This tastes like the best food I had in Addis Ababa,” she concluded. That’s…
Read MoreLucky Dog
Hayward Hot Sauce Gathering Heat By Sarah Henry It started as a weekend hobby and turned into a hot commodity. So just over a year ago, after seven years of tinkering with recipes at home, former IT and project management man Scott Zalkind ditched the day job in favor of slinging hot sauce at…
Read MoreEditor's Mixing Bowl
Everything flows and nothing stays fixed. The principle of change as the only constant in the universe, attributed to Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, is stock in trade for a journalist. But nevertheless, I can’t help admiring a seeming constant that for over seven years held steady through our editorial process at Edible East Bay.…
Read MoreContents Summer 2014
EDITOR’S MIXING BOWL SIDE DISH Lucky Dog Hot Sauce Abesha Ethiopian Restaurant La Cocina alums launch East Bay businesses UC Berkeley’s student grocers East Bay food tours SEVEN STARS OF SUMMER FINANCING OAKLAND’S NEW RESTAURANTS CO-OP CATERING BUSINESSES LEAD IN YOUR GARDEN SOIL? FIBERSHED Recipes: Kerrs Dinner to Dye For WHAT’S IN SEASON ABOUT…
Read MoreFinancing Oakland's New Restaurants
BEHIND THE BOOM The Finances Fueling Oakland’s New Wave of Restaurants By Sarah Henry • Photos by Stacy Ventura Oakland is having a protracted It moment. First came word that the New York Times deemed the “gritty” city one of the 45 places to visit in 2012. Last year, the international press weighed in…
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