A conversation with Marie Brennan about fungi on a blustery day in late March is swift, targeted and overwhelmingly shroomy. That’s shroomy in the best sense of the word, referring to the mushrooms, wild foraging and plant-based foods that have triggered surging public interest in mycological activities, cuisine, history and culture. Brennan grew up on a dairy farm in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and at age 14, embarked on the life of a vegetarian. Introduced to quinoa, miso and other delectable edibles two years into her culinary journey, she became a vegetable enthusiast, keen fermenter and avid inv ..read more

“If I were to write a cookbook, it would have the simple stuff that was made at home,” says Amod Chopra, second-generation owner of Viks Chaat. “Lentils, rice, a few vegetables—an art that is probably being lost.” Viks, the beloved canteen-style purveyor of fresh-made chaat, or Indian street food, is most East Bayites’ introduction to the Viks Culinary Universe. People travel to Fourth Street in Berkeley from all over the Bay Area to eat Viks’ baseball-bat-sized dosas, home-style lunch and dinner platters, and rainbow of Indian confectionery. Some of these diners will wander into Viks Market ..read more

In 2016, Zaytoon Restaurant opened to expand people’s conception of what Middle Eastern dining can be. In the decades since, the tastefully decorated Albany mainstay has achieved much more than just delicious plates. It is a display of Palestinian-American excellence. Always looking to expand minds, the restaurant recently launched a brunch service. Similar to the decision to serve craft cocktails in a Mediterranean restaurant, adding brunch is a step in the long journey to proving that food from the Levant, along the east Mediterranean, and the Middle East could be as successful as other cui ..read more

Chef Lauryn Dakota Holbert understands why some people are put off by oysters. When she’s asked her friends, “Don’t you just love them?”, the replies have ranged from, “Oh my God; I’ve never had one,” to “They’re so slimy!” Oakland’s Small Change Oyster Bar chef loves seafood and said she tried her first oyster when she was a teenager. To encourage people to try oysters, Dakota Holbert starts them out with smaller varieties such as a Kumamoto or Kusshi.    “Having a broiled oyster or poached in butter—there’s nothing bad about butter!” Dakota Holbert said. “If you’re not famili ..read more

Since 2002, when winemaker Chris Brockway established Berkeley’s Broc Cellars, the focus has been on using organically grown grapes, fermented with the yeast that occurs naturally on them, resulting in a true natural wine. Brockway’s partner in life and business, Bridget Leary, recalled those early days. “Chris loves zinfandel, so it was one of the first wines he wanted to make,” she said. Although he liked the older-style zinfandels, which were heavier and denser, he wanted to make a wine perfect for food pairing. So, Vine Starr, Broc Cellars’ first vintage, released in 2006, was originally ..read more

The Factory Bar Richmond’s The Factory Bar is an urban oasis, a dog-friendly lounge with human-friendly drinks, frequent food popups and one of the best garden patios in the East Bay. Their spring menu includes nine new cocktails. ‘P7’ 2 oz. Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whiskey 1 oz. Xila Licor de Agave Liqueur 2 dashes Angostura bitters 1 dash cherry bitters Stir and pour over one large rock. Garnish with cherry and orange peel on a spear. Serve in a Madras glass. The Factory Bar, open Mon-Wed 4pm-1am, Thu-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat 2pm-2am, Sun 2pm-1am; 12517 San Pablo Ave., Richmond. 510.778 ..read more

Top-down approaches to solving food insecurity haven’t worked, at least not well enough. According to the United States Department of Agriculture in 2019, “11 to 27 percent of the U.S. population lived in low-income and low-access census tracts.” And in 2022, the agency reported that there are “40.5 million Americans living in USDA-designated food deserts nationwide” with limited access to fresh food.  Neighborhoods throughout Oakland and Richmond are examples of food deserts that get referenced far more often than they get addressed by policy. Just like the Black Panther Party’s barely ..read more

When Tracey Britton and Eli Curtis were working as bike messengers in San Francisco, they both became obsessed with making chocolate. Britton was baking at home at the time, but she didn’t like the chocolate that was available to her. She thought it was too sweet. The couple decided to solve that problem by starting to make their own chocolate. At first, it was just for their personal use. And then they got carried away. “When we first started in 2006, Tracey was making amazing truffles,” Curtis recalled. “Everyone—our friends and family—wanted to be a [taste] tester.” Curtis grew up making t ..read more

At Chef Geoff Davis’ restaurant, Burdell, a couple of diners told him they were surprised that fried chicken wasn’t a staple on his soul food menu. While he was on the way to the Temescal neighborhood where Burdell is located, the chef defined his approach to the cuisine for me as, “an ethos of cooking.”  For Davis, soul food encompasses something beyond a couple of familiar dishes. To expand on the idea, he made an analogy with Italian food. Bay Area chefs aren’t making Italian food in the exact same way chefs are making it in Italy. “The intention is there, the way of thinking about fo ..read more

Berkeley’s Gilman District is celebrated for its punk music venue, breweries that have become popular gathering places, a Whole Foods Market, and, more recently, the new Boichik Bagels’ factory and cafe. But winemaker Nori Nakamura decided to open his winery, Nakamura Cellars, in the neighborhood because there were already several other wineries located within two blocks of each other, between Fourth and Sixth streets on Gilman.   Nakamura started his American career at the Hotel Nikko in downtown San Francisco, after working for the hotel’s parent company in Japan. Before his arriv ..read more