Bill Fujimoto, the former manager of Berkeley’s Monterey Market, recently took a stroll through the Derby Street Berkeley Farmers Market with Bob Klein, owner of Oliveto restaurant. Klein had his video camera in hand to shoot some footage for the Oliveto Community Journal.

Fujimoto, a produce expert who left Monterey Market in 2009 and is now at Diablo Foods in Lafayette, chatted to farmers about the fruit and vegetables coming to market. He spoke with farmers from … Continue reading »]]>

Bill Fujimoto, the former manager of Berkeley’s Monterey Market, recently took a stroll through the Derby Street Berkeley Farmers Market with Bob Klein, owner of Oliveto restaurant. Klein had his video camera in hand to shoot some footage for the Oliveto Community Journal.

Fujimoto, a produce expert who left Monterey Market in 2009 and is now at Diablo Foods in Lafayette, chatted to farmers about the fruit and vegetables coming to market. He spoke with farmers from Full Belly Farm, Riverdog and Lucero. The report is one in an ocasional series created by Klein where he talks to the producers and farmers supplying his restaurant, often with his friend Fujimoto in tow.(...)

Read the rest of Bill Fujimoto reports from the Berkeley Farmers’ Market (103 words)

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Berkeley Farmers Market, Bill Fujimoto, Bill Klein, Full Belly Farm, Jonah Rhodehamel, Lucero, Monterey Market, Oliveto Restaurant, Riverdog

“I am very excited, as you can imagine, and am hoping for a nice, warm day!” said Brennan who will be applying to Berkeley’s Saturday Farmers’ Market next.

Brennan signed a lease on a kitchen in Emeryville in June and has been working there ever since perfecting his offerings, curing some … Continue reading »]]> Scott Brennan, former head butcher at Berkeley’s Café Rouge, is to debut his new charcuterie shop, The Fifth Quarter, at Kensington Farmers’ Market on July 24.

“I am very excited, as you can imagine, and am hoping for a nice, warm day!” said Brennan who will be applying to Berkeley’s Saturday Farmers’ Market next.

Brennan signed a lease on a kitchen in Emeryville in June and has been working there ever since perfecting his offerings, curing some items, as well as creating some new recipes. Sunday will see him selling Duck Paté with Dried Cherries and Pistachio, Duck Confit, Duck Crepinettes with Figs, Mexican Chorizo, Merguez Sausage, Bourbon Beef Jerky, Country Style Pork Paté, Pickled Lamb’s Tongue, Corned Beef and Liverwurst.

“I plan to carry at least ten different items a week, and adding the cured items as they ready,” he said. “It has been such a long few months working the business end of things that when I stepped back into the kitchen, I had such an energy in my step. I am so very excited to be making charcuterie again and I know it will show in the products that I am making. ”

Brennan is documenting the progress of his business on Facebook and Twitter.

Related:
Pickled tongue and paté: Café Rouge butcher goes solo [06.09.11] 

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Berkeley Farmers Market, cafe rouge, Kensington Farmers Market, The Fifth Quarter Charcuterie

At first, the self-taught preserver thought her D.I.Y. hobby would just make nice gifts for friends and family. The she moved from San Francisco to South Berkeley, saw the abundance of plums, apples, and … Continue reading »]]>

Dafna Kory at Berkeley's Local 123 Café. Photo: Sarah Henry.

Dafna Kory discovered the delights of jalapeňo jam during pre-dinner nibbles at a Thanksgiving gathering. She went out to buy a jar, couldn’t find the mighty spicy condiment anywhere, so she began experimenting with making her own. It became an instant hit among her posse.

At first, the self-taught preserver thought her D.I.Y. hobby would just make nice gifts for friends and family. The she moved from San Francisco to South Berkeley, saw the abundance of plums, apples, and lemons growing in her new backyard, and a jamming business was born.

Kory foraged fruit in a hyper-local fashion. She made batches of jam in her home kitchen. She personally delivered by bike. Demand for her jams grew by word-of-mouth.

Meyer lemon preserves. Photo: Courtesy INNA jam.

Friends who had friends who owned stores began encouraging her to branch out beyond her inner circle. So she started shopping INNA jam (the name is, indeed, a playful pun) to places like Local 123, Summer Kitchen, Rick and Ann’s Restaurant and The Gardener.

About a year ago, with orders coming in a steady stream, it became clear that Kory, now 28, needed to either gear up and focus on turning her after-hours pastime into a fully fledged business or scale back and remain a hobbyist. She decided to take the plunge.

A freelance commercial video editor, Kory hasn’t looked back. She began working in a commercial kitchen in North Berkeley, selling her pickles and preserves at events like ForageSF’s Underground Market and the Eat Real Festival, and offering workshops for other D.I.Y.ers.

The UC Berkeley graduate now spends nine months of the year working full-time on her budding food business, and supplements her income in the winter months with editing gigs.

In a year, she hopes to devote 100% of her work day to INNA jam. Kory also pickles though that product line is on hiatus while she ratchets up production to meet demand for her increasingly popular jams. She delivers locally by bike, ships interstate, and offers an annual, seasonal subscription (a 10-ounce jar retails for $12).(...)

Read the rest of Jam maker turns hobby into thriving local business (870 words)

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | 5 comments |
Post tags: Acme Bread, Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley Farmers Market, dafna kory, INNA jam, June Taylor, jupiter, Local 123 Cafe, rick and anne's restaurant, Summer Kitchen, taqueria la familia, the gardener

Case in point: Amanda Hesser’s description of Taylor’s preserves. “They are unlike any commercial preserves, not simply because she uses esoteric — virtually all organic — fruits like bergamots, kadota figs, and Santa Rosa plums, but also because she cooks them in such a way that underlines their essence,” wrote Hesser in a New York Times Magazine piece. “Sugar is used not as … Continue reading »]]>

June Taylor in her Still-Room. All photos by Sarah Henry.

June Taylor crafts the kind of conserves and fruit confections that make food writers swoon.

Case in point: Amanda Hesser’s description of Taylor’s preserves. “They are unlike any commercial preserves, not simply because she uses esoteric — virtually all organic — fruits like bergamots, kadota figs, and Santa Rosa plums, but also because she cooks them in such a way that underlines their essence,” wrote Hesser in a New York Times Magazine piece. “Sugar is used not as a crutch but a tool. Her silver-lime-and-ginger marmalade has a sting to it; her grapefruit-and-Meyer-lemon marmalade is bright, concentrated and vigorously bitter.”

Don’t just take a food scribe’s word for it. My son is partial to Taylor’s candied peels — Rangpur Lime, Oro Blanco grapefruit, and Citron — popped into porridge (oatmeal), granola, or directly in the mouth for a bittersweet treat.(...)

Read the rest of June Taylor’s way with fruit: esoteric, steeped in history (1,021 words)

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Alex Hozven, Amanda Hesser, Andy Goldsworthy, Berkeley Farmers Market, Crixa Cakes, cultured pickle shop, Far Leaves Tea, Hodo Soy Beanery, June Tayor, Minh Tsai, Pouke Halpern, preserves, preserving, Star Grocery, The Still-Room

In June, Scharffenberger, 59, who divides his time between a home in North Berkeley and a place in the country, signed on as the CEO of the Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland, an artisan food factory that makes products from organic, non-GMO soybeans.

The company, whose founder Minh Tsai was previously … Continue reading »]]>

John Scharffenberger. Photo: Anne Hamersky.

Long known for the success of his premium wine and chocolate companies, John Scharffenberger is making a name for himself these days as a tofu hawker.

In June, Scharffenberger, 59, who divides his time between a home in North Berkeley and a place in the country, signed on as the CEO of the Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland, an artisan food factory that makes products from organic, non-GMO soybeans.

The company, whose founder Minh Tsai was previously profiled here, makes fresh tofu, yuba (tofu skins), and soymilk, as well as prepared dishes such as spicy braised tofu salad, poached yuba loaf, and soy omelette.(...)

Read the rest of John Scharffenberger: From chocolate and wine to tofu (657 words)

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | 6 comments |
Post tags: Berkeley Bites, Berkeley Farmers Market, Cheeseboard Pizza, Corso Trattoria, Hodo Soy Beanery, John Scharffenberger, Minh Tsai, University of California Berkeley College of Natural Resources

Vanity Fair, which concentrates more on Southern California stars than the more home-spun denizens of Northern California, features Berkeley’s Alice Waters’ kitchen in its October issue.

With a trip to the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, or to Berkeley Bowl, most Berkeleyans could duplicate what Waters has on her table.

By lance. | Permalink | No comment | Post tags: Alice Waters, Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley Farmers Market, Continue reading »]]>

Vanity Fair, which concentrates more on Southern California stars than the more home-spun denizens of Northern California, features Berkeley’s Alice Waters’ kitchen in its October issue.

With a trip to the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, or to Berkeley Bowl, most Berkeleyans could duplicate what Waters has on her table.

By lance. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Alice Waters, Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley Farmers Market, Vanity Fair

Hammond, who had run a homespun bakery in Greensboro, wanted to get some kitchen experience in the Bay Area. Someone she knew knew someone who had a contact at Café Fanny; she called up and scored a job, just like that. Hammond … Continue reading »]]>

Kara Hammond at the Elmwood Café

A decade ago, and fresh out of North Carolina, Kara Hammond landed a gig at Café Fanny, a tiny slip of a place in North Berkeley opened 25 years ago by, oh, a certain famous local chef.

Hammond, who had run a homespun bakery in Greensboro, wanted to get some kitchen experience in the Bay Area. Someone she knew knew someone who had a contact at Café Fanny; she called up and scored a job, just like that. Hammond had no idea how lucky she was — or the pedigree of the person behind the café.

She’d eaten once or twice at Café Fanny, didn’t really get what all the buzz was about, but she needed a job. She went to an orientation at the popular nosh spot and came home to research who this Alice Waters person was.

I kid you not. Hammond’s California cuisine learning curve may have been steep, but she was an eager student. Four months after starting at Café Fanny she was promoted to general manager, a position she held for eight years. In 2008, around the same time she became pregnant, she began scouting around for a fresh challenge on the food front.

Hammond did consulting work with Michael Pearce, a former UC Berkeley student and East Bay native who wanted to launch a café in Berkeley. But not just any café.

Pearce, who had done well for himself in the antique musical instrument business, dreamed up the idea of an eatery that devoted half of its profits to worthy causes in the community and beyond. And he wanted his customers to have a say in which charities to support. Hammond liked the idea so much she decided to help run the show. When local landmark and beloved neighborhood institution Ozzie’s Soda Fountain was up for sale again, Pearce found his place.

In February, Elmwood Café opened with Hammond as manager. The new cafe crew were careful to preserve what they could from the built environment of the once-thriving diner, while giving it a fresh, open, light-filled, modern spin. The upscale cafe is open late and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an emphasis — no surprises here — on local, seasonal fare.

I spoke with Hammond, 39, at the South Berkeley home she shares with husband Chris and their 2-year-old daughter.

Ozzie’s is a hard act to follow; what’s the reaction to the new café been like?

Mostly positive. Some people, no matter what you do, just don’t like change. When we opened we had no idea what would happen, whether people would throw tomatoes at the windows. But people tell us they’re glad that this corner now has a thriving café where people can sit and chat (we don’t have wi-fi).

The biggest criticism we get is that we don’t sell milkshakes or ice creams like Ozzie’s did. But Ici is down the street, although there’s usually a long line there.

Some people are critical of our prices, but we did our homework and we’re charging market rates for our food. We offer upscale diner food. You can have a grilled cheese sandwich — we serve it with Havarti or Gruyere cheese on Acme Bread. Our prices reflect the true cost of good, healthy food.

When we opened, a group of old-timers who used to play games at Ozzie’s came in and decided we weren’t their cup of tea. But lots of Ozzie regulars frequent us too. Most people are happy to see this spot bringing life again to this end of Elmwood. A lot of people told us: “I loved Ozzie’s, but I never ate there.”  They eat with us.

The charitable contribution component of the café is a novel experience for many. How have customers responded?

Once we explain what we’re doing, that we want to give back, people are very supportive. There’s a small number of people — I think of it as the only-in-Berkeley backlash — who are suspicious of what we’re doing or don’t believe that we’ll ever make enough money to follow through on the idea. People know that the profit margins in restaurants are slim.

The Bread Project, a recipient of Elmwood Café funds.

That’s why we choose only three projects at a time to focus on and we have very specific things we fund. We just celebrated our first success last week: We gave The Bread Project, which offers culinary training to low-income people in Berkeley, funds for 15 students to earn their safety and sanitation certificates, which gives them a leg up on getting a job in the food industry. We’re trying to make a difference in small but meaningful ways.

The projects we’re supporting right now are: Waterside Workshops, a bike mechanics and boat building program for youth in West Berkeley, Siyaphambili Orphan Village, a program for South African children, some of whom have HIV, and Go Green Initiative, a global environmental education program in schools. If people want to suggest a non-profit for us to support they can let us know at charity@elmwoodcafe.com

Where do you like to shop for food and wine in town?

I go to Berkeley Bowl and the Tuesday farmers’ market. I like the squash from Lucerno Organic Farms, broccoli and strawberries from Swanton Berry Farm, and I get the bulk of my produce from Full Belly Farm or Riverdog Farm. In the summer I make a point of going to the Woodleaf Farm vendor to buy a bag of “seconds” peaches — I shop on a budget — to make peach pie. They’re delicious.

Since I worked at Café Fanny, I’m a fan of Acme Bread, which we also sell at Elmwood Café. And I got to know the guys at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, so I like to go there and have them pick out a good drop. Currently I’m a fan of Bandol rosé, an everyday drinking red named Pigeoulet, and a spritzy white called Grangia– it’s refreshing to drink when we have hot weather, like we do now.

On September 11 the Elmwood Café will feature sweet treats from Farmers’ Market Desserts by Jennie Schacht at a reading at Mrs. Dalloway’s, the bookstore next door.

Each Friday in this space food writer Sarah Henry asks a well-known, up-and-coming, or under-the-radar food aficionado about their favorite tastes in town, preferred food purveyors and other local culinary gems worth sharing. Henry muses about food matters on her blog Lettuce Eat Kale. Follow her on Twitter and become a fan of Lettuce Eat Kale on Facebook.

If you have an idea for a Berkeley Bites interview, send your suggestion to sarahhenry0509@gmail.com or leave a comment here. To read previous Berkeley Bites profiles click here.

[Elmwood Café photos: Jeff Campitelli]

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | 3 comments |
Post tags: acme bread company, Alice Waters, Berkeley Bowl, Berkeley Farmers Market, Cafe Fanny, Elmwood Cafe, farmers' market desserts, Full Belly Farm, go green initiative, Ici, jennie schacht, kara hammond, kermit lynch wine merchant, lucerno organic farms, michael pearce, Mrs. Dalloway's, Ozzie's Soda Fountain, RiverDog Farm, siyaphambili orphan village, swanton berry farm, the bread project, Waterside Workshops, woodleaf farm

The Awards are divided into 29 categories, each of which has many sub-categories, so apologies in advance if we missed some Berkeley winners — we trust you’ll inform us of any omissions.

By Romney Steele

Near come and gone by now, I have to give a shout-out to my favorite apricot, the Blenheim (sometimes referred to as Royal Blenheim, or simply Royal), before it’s too late. This petite but sublime variety with its speckled, blush appearance has a short season, usually peaking by end of June but, due to delayed harvest, they can still be found now.

Prized for their flavor and intense honeysuckle aroma, they have … Continue reading »]]>

By Romney Steele

Near come and gone by now, I have to give a shout-out to my favorite apricot, the Blenheim (sometimes referred to as Royal Blenheim, or simply Royal), before it’s too late. This petite but sublime variety with its speckled, blush appearance has a short season, usually peaking by end of June but, due to delayed harvest, they can still be found now.

Prized for their flavor and intense honeysuckle aroma, they have been grown in Brentwood and Gilroy since the early 1900s, but have been mostly replaced by larger, shinier varieties that ship well.  But don’t be fooled by color and size alone — the signature Blenheim with its juicy, golden flesh is the best eating apricot around and excellent for jams and desserts.

Avalos Organic Farm at the Tuesday and Saturday Berkeley Farmers’ Market had their first pick of these beauties last week, and will continue to have them for a few more. Buy an extra few pounds or so to put up in Marsala wine syrup for enjoying later in the year.

Another market favorite is Lucero Farms strawberries. These delicate, sweet gems are sold on stem, and are not only gorgeous to look at, but offer an old-fashioned, vibrant strawberry taste.  The downside is that they don’t last long once you get them home, so plan to use them within a day. Scatter a few on a salad, toss with a little wine and serve with sorbet for a refreshing dessert, make jam or simply enjoy them as they are.

………………….

Berkeley Farmers Markets take place on Tuesdays, 2-6pm, at Derby Street @ MLK Jr. Way; Thursdays, 2-6pm, at Shattuck @ Rose Street; and on Saturdays, 10am-3pm, at Center Street @ MLK Jr. Way.

Romney Steele is a freelance writer, cook and artist, and the author of My Nepenthe. Read her previous Market Reports here.

By guest. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Apricots, Berkeley Farmers Market, Bleinheim apricots

Since the shuttering last summer of Eccolo, an acclaimed Italian eatery on 4th Street, that restaurant’s one-time sous chef now juggles an impressive number of part-time jobs in the culinary world.

Nosrat is the co-creator (along with former boss, Chris Lee, currently cooking in London) of the much buzzed about Pop-Up General Store, a fleeting food market … Continue reading »]]> Samin Nosrat is a veritable poster girl for the current trend (some would say necessity) of workplace reinvention.

Since the shuttering last summer of Eccolo, an acclaimed Italian eatery on 4th Street, that restaurant’s one-time sous chef now juggles an impressive number of part-time jobs in the culinary world.

Nosrat is the co-creator (along with former boss, Chris Lee, currently cooking in London) of the much buzzed about Pop-Up General Store, a fleeting food market every few weeks housed in the Grace Street Catering headquarters in Oakland’s Temescal area.

The Pop-Up sells top-notch prepared foods by notable Bay Area chefs, many of whom, like Nosrat, who sells homemade pasta and Lee’s signature sausages, are Chez Panisse alum.

This 30-year-old daughter of Iranian immigrants grew up in a food-conscious home where freshly prepared, seasonal Persian dishes were a staple.

A stint in Italy reinforced the importance of a cultural connection to food, which she passes along in cooking and butchering classes under her Home Ec moniker and on the road with urban farmer and friend Novella Carpenter.

Nosrat picks up the occasional shift at Chez, where she got her start, and includes some well-known Berkeley names among her private cooking clients (she’s mum on that matter, for public consumption anyway, in case you’re curious.)

Oh, and she also “pops up” to cook afterhours, family-style, fixed menu dinners once a month at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.

The mastermind behind a Bakesale for Haiti benefit that netted $22,500 from three Bay Area locations last January, Nosrat even finds time to write about her gastronomical adventures, most notably for The Atlantic online this week.

She lives in North Berkeley, where this interview took place over an impromptu picnic of pickled produce under consideration for a future Pop-Up event.

Why a Pop-Up General Store?

Chris and I missed cooking for our customers. We wanted to find a way to make and share the foods we love without carrying the burdens of a restaurant on our shoulders. We quickly realized how much fun it would be to share this format with our friends, many of whom we’ve been cooking with for years, so we invited other professional cooks and food artisans to join us.

It took off really fast. I think it fills a need in the community, it connects us with customers who crave the kind of food we want to create, and it’s more affordable than going out to eat.

Where do you like to take out-of-towners when they visit?

Gioia Pizzeria. I like their New York-style crust, it’s a little bit sweet and chewy. And they put crazy seasonal stuff on top like zucchini, pesto and ricotta in the summer and butternut squash and blue cheese in the fall.

The 100 percent organic Thursday farmers’ market, of course.

And Ici. I love ice cream and every time I go in there I’m struck by how much care and technique goes into each scoop. It’s affordable luxury, restaurant-quality food at a fraction of the cost. Plus ice-cream makes everyone feel like a little kid again, if only for a moment.

What’s missing on the Berkeley food scene?

A great organic salad bar. I love salad. It’s all I want sometimes: A big bowl of little gem lettuce, beets and avocado. Or a farro and nut combo, or romaine doused in green goddess dressing.  If there was a place where you could bring a plate and choose from, say, 20 salads I would eat there every day.

Who are your local food heroes?

Alice Waters and Michael Pollan. Okay, I know everyone probably says these two. But for me, it’s not some kind of abstract connection, I have ties to both of them and feel honored and lucky I do.

Alice Waters raised the standards for what we eat across the board. I think her greatest gift, which is rarely acknowledged, is the value she places on the beauty and aesthetics of the eating experience. If you learn anything while working at Chez Panisse it is attention to detail.

Michael Pollan seeks to democratize the food movement. He has a unique ability to explain what’s wrong and what needs changing –often quite complex issues — but he boils them down to their elemental parts and make them really accessible.

What’s the best thing about the food movement here?

Its thoughtfulness. Everywhere you go you find people who really think about what they’re growing, cooking, and eating. People pay attention to where their food comes from. That can be a double-edged sword, some people can seem overly picky or snobby about food.

We live in a bubble here in the Bay Area. We have access to some of the best, freshest produce in the country. When Novella and I were in Kansas City, Missouri last summer we couldn’t find somewhere to eat that wasn’t a chain restaurant. That’s why I think it’s so vital that we encourage and empower Americans to return to the kitchen.

Visit popupgeneralstore.blogspot.com for date, time, and food selections for the spontaneous market. Update: Next Pop-Up just announced on Twitter, scheduled for Wednesday, 6/30. Advance orders advised. Due to a recent surge in demand many items sell out.

[Photo: Bart Nagel]

Each Friday in this space food writer Sarah Henry asks a well-known, up-and-coming, or under-the-radar food aficionado about their favorite tastes in town, preferred food purveyors and other local culinary gems worth sharing.

Henry is a freelance writer whose stories have appeared in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Washington Post and San Francisco Magazine. A contributor to the food policy blog Civil Eats, she muses about food matters on her blog Lettuce Eat Kale. Follow her on Twitter and become a fan of Lettuce Eat Kale on Facebook.

If you have an idea for a Berkeley Bites interview, send your suggestion to sarahhenry0509@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

To read previous Berkeley Bites profiles click here.

By Sarah Henry. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Alice Waters, Bakesale for Haiti, Berkeley Farmers Market, Chez Panisse, Chris Lee, Eccolo, Gioia Pizzeria, Ici Ice-cream, Michael Pollan, Novella Carpenter, Pop-Up General Store, Samin Nosrat, Tartine