Category Archives: Local business
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
CAFE LA RENAISSANCE Christina Sun, who owns 3045 Shattuck Ave., a building that has been a neighborhood flashpoint for years, has opened up a cozy cafe on the ground floor. Called Café La Renaissance (pictured top), the eatery two blocks south of Ashby Avenue opened its doors May 6 selling coffee and other beverages. Now it has introduced sandwiches, salads, pastries from The Bread Workshop, as well as gluten-free sandwiches from Sista Sandwich in Oakland. The interior is inviting, with couches, posters, a Renaissance-style oil painting, and a fireplace mantle. “Renaissance means rebirth,” said manager Dani Stewart. Sun “wanted to set up an environment where people could come and leave all their worries behind. It’s a play on words.” The building, once known as “the flying cottage,” was declared a public nuisance by the City Council in 2003. It was heavily damaged in a 2006 arson fire and then rebuilt. The hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. … Continue reading »
Mad Monk Center to rise on Telegraph
The iconic Telegraph Avenue building that formerly housed Cody’s Bookstore could have a new identity before year’s end due to an ambitious project underway by local property owner Ken Sarachan.
Sarachan — who also owns Rasputin Music and Blondie’s Pizza, as well as the vacant lot north of Amoeba Music — describes his “Mad Monk Center for Anachronistic Media” as a two-story complex with a full-service restaurant, performance space, small flower kiosk, take-out coffee counter and analogue media shop that will bring together “the best assembly of records anywhere in California.” … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
TELEGRAPH EVOLVES Naan ‘N’ Curry, a longtime fixture at 2366 Telegraph Ave. and a student favorite, shut its doors last week. Sales had gone down 30% over the last three years as more and more “quick serve” restaurants opened on Telegraph, finally forcing the Indian restaurant to close, according to a press release put out by the new Telegraph Restaurant Association. There is no sign on the door announcing the closure, but all the tables and chairs have been moved out.
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
EAST BAY SPICE COMPANY A new restaurant and bar, the East Bay Spice Company (above), has opened at 2134 Oxford Street opposite Cal’s main entrance in downtown Berkeley (sandwiched between the Sunny Side Café and Cinnaholic). The eatery is serving Indian street-food-inspired dishes and artisanal cocktails with an Indian twist, as well as craft beers and wines. East Bay Spice Company is owned by Deepak Aggarwal who also owns Mint Leaf in the Gourmet Ghetto’s Epicurious Garden. The new spot takes over the shuttered Punjabi buffet restaurant.
TOMO’S JAPANESE CUISINE Tomo’s Japanese Cuisine plans to open next week at 2026 San Pablo Ave., a space which used to be Chinese restaurant Lee Wah. Details are thin, but Chef Tomo Owada says on the restaurant’s website that his eatery will provide traditional Japanese food with an emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients. (Hat tip: Lawrence Grown.) … Continue reading »
Michael Lewis talks writing, reading for World Book Night
Berkeley author Michael Lewis sauntered into Mrs. Dalloway’s bookstore on College Avenue on Monday, dressed for the 85-degree weather in a white cotton jacket and pants.
The crowd, which had been expecting him a half hour sooner and had started to disperse, quickly returned to the seats set up before a podium. Within seconds, Lewis, the bestselling writer of books such as Moneyball, Liar’s Poker, The Blind Side and The Big Short, had captivated the audience with his easygoing humor.
Lewis had come to Mrs. Dalloway’s to promote World Book Night, a national effort to get books into the hands of people who rarely read. … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
LINDGREN’S Lindgren’s Coffee and Café (above) in downtown Berkeley opened for business in February. Now it’s having its grand opening celebration — on Thursday, April 18, at 5 p.m. and all are welcome. There will be the chance to feast on house-made delicacies, enjoy a sparkling beverage and get a free chair massage — as well as the requisite ribbon cutting. Lindgren’s, 2120 Dwight Way (at Shattuck). … Continue reading »
David Morris, owner of Bread Garden, pioneer baker
David Morris, whose Bread Garden bakery on Domingo Avenue in Berkeley was the one of the first to offer fresh, handmade croissants and baguettes when it opened in 1973, died on April 3 of cancer. He was 65.
Morris, who operated The Bread Garden for 39 years, shut it down in 2012 because of dwindling sales. In the summer of 2012 he opened a similar bakery in Paso Robles to much acclaim and appreciation from the community.
“Amazing breads!” wrote one customer on Yelp! “Will certainly be going back often. Picked up a couple of goodies too. Yummy. Just what Paso needed!”
Morris bequeathed the bakery to his longtime manager, Sandy Luong, who lives in Emeryville. Luong had assisted Morris in getting the Paso Robles Bakery open.
“I do have full intention of keeping it open and seeing David’s dream of starting a new bakery in a new location followed through,” said Luong, who plans to commute back and forth between the Bay Area and Paso Robles. … Continue reading »
NextSpace to open new co-working offices in Berkeley
A new shared workspace is set to open in downtown Berkeley later this year at 2081 Center St.
NextSpace, which already has offices in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and San Jose, among other locations, describes itself as the state’s “coolest new coworking community!”
The 9,000-square-foot space in Berkeley will be able to host more than 200 members. The company offers a variety of membership types, which include 24/7 access and conference room space, and “accommodate a variety of workstyles, from open and collaborative to heads-down and deadline driven,” according to the company website. … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
TRACKERS BAY Outdoor education organization Trackers Bay has taken over the distinctive building formerly occupied by Marmot Mountain Works at 3049 Adeline St. in Berkeley. Trackers’ regional director, Jess Liotta, describes the company as offering training in old-school skills and story-based immersive experiences for kids and adults. She tells Berkeleyside: “Think archery, foraging, wilderness survival, zombie apocalypse training, blacksmithing, etc!” The Adeline space is going to serve as Trackers’ central headquarters, office, and meeting space for its workshops and classes. Community gatherings and events will also be held there. Trackers Bay parent company Trackers Earth was founded in 2004 by Tony and Molly Deis. Tony based Trackers on his personal work in outdoor education since 1992. Marmot Mountain Works closed at the beginning of this year, after 36 years operating in Berkeley. Visit the Trackers Bay website for more information. … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s Inca Service to close after 30 years
After 30 years on the corner of Telegraph and Ashby, Inca Service, run by Hugo Cornejo, will close at the end of April.
According to Cornejo, Chevron has sold the site to an independent operator, Arash Salkhi from Santa Rosa Grand Petroleum. Cornejo was unable to reach a lease agreement with Salkhi. Cornejo said that while he was in negotiations with Salkhi, Salkhi placed an ad on Craigslist seeking new tenants for the mechanics space, claiming the existing leaseholder — Cornejo — was retiring.
Three years ago this month Cornejo staved off closure of Inca Service after a story on Berkeleyside provoked an outpouring of community support protesting Chevron’s plans to replace Inca Service with a mini-mart. … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
CLAYPOT AND NEIGHBORS The southeast corner of Dwight and San Pablo is seeing a lot of new business activity. Vietnamese restaurant Claypot opened on Monday in the old Bacheeso’s space. A Yelp reviewer was quick off the mark, noting the food was “good and spicy”, although he wanted more noodles in his pho. The very cool Cruz skate shop (already reported on Berkeleyside) is next door, and vintage clothing store Liz Vintage Mix has the third retail space (hat-tip: Michael Fox). … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s new hot sauce shop turns up the heat
A local couple has added an ample splash of spice to Berkeley’s food scene with a new shop downtown devoted to hot sauce and all things chili.
There are Atomic Fireballs, spiced nuts and fiery chocolates; mango lollipops covered in chili powder; and small bags of dehydrated chilies from a family farm. There are “warming” fruity beverages spiced with capsaicin, the ingredient that makes peppers spicy. And there are crushed and powdered peppers in a range of varieties.
Then, of course, there’s the hot sauce: more than 200 varieties from producers around the country, and around the world, many of which are small businesses.
“The ones that are widely known tend not to be as good as the ones made in small batches by the people who are really passionate about it,” said Heat co-owner Dylan Keenen. Keenen, 23, has been in the process of opening Heat Hot Sauce Shop — at 1922B Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley — with girlfriend Becky Gibbons, 22, since early December. The Oakland-based couple will celebrate the shop’s grand opening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a 10%-off sale. … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
GREAT CHINA RESTAURANT Fourteen months after a grease fire ripped through Great China restaurant on Kittredge, forcing it to close, construction is set to begin on a larger, more modern restaurant in a new location. Work should start in the next two weeks at Great China’s new space at 2190 Bancroft Ave. near Fulton, said the architect Tai Yu, whose family owns the restaurant. (His father Michael Yu and brother James Yu run the actual restaurant.) The new space (former site of Old Looney’s) will be 4,600 square feet — much larger than the old space — and will have a more modern look, recycled finishes, and sprinklers. 
“The food will remain the same,” said Yu, as the former chef and line cooks will return. The new restaurant, however, will place more emphasis on improving service. “We are going to try and provide a better ambiance for our patrons,” he said. Yu said the family hopes the new Great China will open in August. … Continue reading »
