Less Meat is More at Anaviv’s Table

The chefs at Anaviv’s Table have added a new intention for their Richmond restaurant’s unique one-seating, set-menu dining experience. Thursday night dinners now give vegetables and grains center stage and include less meat while still providing a fully satisfying meal. The idea came about after the restaurant’s chefs, Arnon Oren and Kadie Vita, collaborated with…

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8 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Cocktail Season

Some of us can be overwhelmed with the seemingly endless flow of booze that accompanies the holiday season. But remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Here are some of Oakland’s best low- (and not-so-low) ABV cocktails to slow down with. Try a naturally low-octane highball like the Ramen Shop’s smoky Shop Highball made with…

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Family and Food: Taking Care of What we Cherish

  Maricelle Cardenas and her husband Roberto grew up in different countries and cultures, but when it comes to family and food, they have everything in common. Maricelle sums it up: “Lots of time spent together, and never without plentiful meals.” Roberto’s family in Italy always prepares a large pot of pasta, planning ahead to…

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Finger Food in Four Cultures

Farmhouse Kitchen’s Lao Table engages the eyes as well as the hands. Eat with the Hands for Practical, Intimate, Sensuous Meals By Anna Mindess | Photos by Cynthia Matzger   Amod Chopra, owner of Vik’s Chaat in Berkeley, washes his hands and sits down with some guests. His divided metal tray, called a thali, holds…

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A Magic Launchpad at Emeryville Public Market

  By Alix Wall | Photos by Rachel Stanich The story of how a Cambodian immigrant took her food business from pop up to food-court kiosk to a brick-and-mortar spot named one of America’s best restaurants within a few years has made food entrepreneurs with big dreams take notice. The journey is that of Nite…

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Source Guide Winter Holidays 2019

  Arts, Education, & Entertainment ECOLOGY CENTER  Building a sustainable, healthy, and just future through farmers’ markets, education, curbside recycling, and advocacy. 2530 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley. 510.548.2220. ecologycenter.org KITCHEN ON FIRE Award-winning cooking classes and team-building activities, private cooking parties, and catering. 1509 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, 510.548.2602. kitchenonfire.com MRS DALLOWAY’S Full-service, indie neighborhood bookstore.…

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Beans, Bars, & Bonbons

An assortment from The Xocolate Bar in Berkeley. Read more about the business below. A Glorious Chocolate Adventure By Rachel Trachten | Photos by Jon Milavec   Is there any better magazine assignment than the chocolate beat? Well, no, there just isn’t. Before launching our exploration of East Bay chocolate, we turned to Berkeley’s own…

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Treats to Please Every Palate

Purchase this book Book review by Kristina Sepetys Sweet Vegan Treats: 90 Recipes for Cookies, Brownies, Cakes, and Tarts By Hannah Kaminsky Skyhorse, 2019 If the words “vegan desserts” make you think of hard-to-prepare, overly sweet recipes, Hannah Kaminsky’s new cookbook with 90 recipes for plant-based confections may change your mind. Desserts like the Chocolate…

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It’s One Cute, Sweet World

Rachel Fong’s Kawaii Sweet World success starts in a Piedmont Kitchen Interview by Kristina Sepetys Purchase this book Rachel Fong, a junior at Stanford University who grew up in Piedmont, loves all things kawaii (the Japanese word for cute). She’s high energy and as prone to smile as the winsome confections she cooks up on…

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Here’s to Your Health

Herbal DIY gifts for the holiday season Recipes and photos by Anna Marie Beauchemin Clinical Herbalist, East Bay Herbals As an herbalist and chef I’m always looking for creative ways to share the culinary magic of herbalism. Here are three recipes that allow you to share the healing magic of herbs in a way that…

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Tacos in the Alley

By Kai Wada Roath  | Photos by Austin Goldin   Pleasing aromas drift through the open air down a little alley between storefronts on 40th Street in Oakland, where brightly painted pink, yellow, and turquoise walls lure in hungry customers, much like a newly opened stargazer lily would entice a hummingbird. It’s Tacos Oscar. Open…

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Create a Home Ecosystem of Perennial Edibles

  Gardeners Notebook By Joshua Burman Thayer | Illustrations by Cheryl Angelina Koehler   Have you ever imagined an orchard in your yard? Or perhaps you already have one but sense that your space is underutilized? Try composing your plantings into guilds. These are groups of plants that operate together to enhance each other’s health…

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What’s in Season?

Produce harvested at its peak is your sure bet for flavor and freshness. By Barbara Kobsar | Illustration by Charmaine Koehler-Lodge November Those little golden-orange citrus fruits showing up at the market this month are a pop-in-your-mouth treat, but if kumquats are new to you, don’t let the first bite throw you off. Aficionados eat the…

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Editor’s Mixing Bowl

    Never before has Edible East Bay come up with such a basketful of sweets, and since an indulgence is good for the soul on occasion, go ahead and take some slow, sweet time with this magazine. We hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as we did while putting it together. More than…

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Gary Handman’s Culinary Notebooks

My Journal Culinaire By Gary Handman   A major part of what I know about cooking and about bringing friends and loved ones together to celebrate around the table I learned from my redoubtable mother-in-law, Shirley. An intuitive and largely self-taught cook (with the aid of a constantly expanding cookbook library), Shirley rocked her Lilliputian…

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